From time to time, as believers, we get to a point where we begin to wonder about God's faithfulness to us. For me, this has happened very recently as I am struggling with this infection in my back. It's hard, knowing that I have a wife and child who are depending on me, to see how God is being good to me through this whole ordeal. I wrestle with it, and probably you have too.
The problem is not with the wrestling. I think there are times in even the most mature believers' lives when they struggle with trusting God to help them through difficult circumstances. As a result, Satan is allowed to take their joy. Herein lies the problem.
C.S. Lewis, in his book The Problem of Pain, states the following, "I believe-for what it's worth- that all sorrow that doesn't come from the confession and turning away from sin is wrong. And that we sin more by disobeying the apostolic injunction to rejoice than by anything else."
Sure it's difficult, and as I wrestled with this Tuesday night in my hotel room, God laid these verses on my heart.
Psalm 94:17-19
Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
It is so very easy to speak words like: "God is sovereign" or "He's in control" or "God is faithful." These are things that as a minister I share with people all the time. "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." As Christians, it is easy for us to know these things and to speak these truths, but when your foot starts to slip, or when you actually fall down, or find yourself battling insurmountable odds, believing these truths and finding comfort and solace in them is an incredibly daunting task.
Tuesday night of this week, as I lay in my hotel bed by myself I kept asking God to remind me of and to impress upon me His goodness. It is only through remembering how God has been faithful and how He has caught you when you have fallen, or picked you up, or overcame insurmountable odds that you can be confident in His faithfulness to you.
So when you are faced with "life," and you feel like your foot is slipping or that you are at the end of your rope and you can't hold on any longer. Hold fast. Help is on the way. Remember God's promises. Remember what he has already done for you, and then His consolation can bring joy to your soul.
1 comment:
Passages God's given me lately ... Romans 1:1-5, 2 Peter 1:3-8, and James 1:2-6. He seems to be reminding me that "life" is a process, and that each portion of the journey has a purpose and is producing more of His character and glory in me. The words of one struggling to rejoice in the midst of suffering or so much more challenging and encouraging than one rejoicing in the ease of life. I appreciate you and Jodi and your honesty so very much. :-)
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