This is an exciting time - graduation, the end of another school year, and SUMMER IS HERE!! But at the same time, many people are going through difficult situations in their lives. Some are dealing with illness, some are dealing with relationship struggles, others are not sure which direction they are going financially or vocationally. One common question when people are struggling is, “where is God?” Or “why isn’t God stepping in to rescue me?”
I would never pretend to have all the answers - but I just have to say this.
God IS with us and He cares about what we are going through. He loves us and He will walk with us through EVERY season. Instead of looking at God with suspicion, the difficult times are when we can lean into Him and learn about trusting in His character. For me, during the hardest days, when I read the Bible and as I open my heart to what it says, God speaks to me and comforts me in such a unique and precious way. He is MORE real to me now, because of the difficult days that He walks through with me.
There are a couple of excerpts from “My Utmost for His Highest” that encourage and challenge me - because we do have a choice. We can ask God to walk with us, or we can push Him away. It’s my prayer that we choose to lean into Him. God loves us!
“Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let’s apply that to our own circumstances. The things we try to avoid and fight against - tribulation, suffering, and persecution - are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. “We are more than conquerors through Him” “in all these things”; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them.
It is one thing to say, “Do not fret,” but something very different to have such a nature that you find yourself not fretting. It’s easy to say, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion... Is it possible to “rest in the Lord” then? If this “Do not” doesn’t work there, then it will not work anywhere. This “Do not” must work during our days of difficulty and uncertainty, as well as our peaceful days, or it will never work...
Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself.”
No comments:
Post a Comment