In this morning's sermon, my pastor made an interesting point. "Everything is NOT working for your good!". From where he stood on the pulpit, I'm sure that the confused expression on my face was barely noticible amidst the sea of faces in the congregation. All of my life I've heard Christians (including myself) say that God is working everything out for our good. After all, God is sovereign, isn't He? He knows all and sees all, right?
My faith in God are based on the absolute truthfulness of the words found in the Holy Bible. As I pondered my pastor's initial statement, I decided to listen to the rest of what he had to say. "Yes" he said. "Every good and perfect gift comes from above, but if every thing that happens to us in our lives is as God would have it, right from the start, would Jesus have instructed us to pray the Lord's prayer like He did?" Would praying that the will of God be done in the earth as it is in Heaven be necessary if it were already so?
I didn't know what to make of the sermon at that point...that is, until the Holy Spirit showed me some things. God's will for us is always good, but we have a responsibility to speak and pray His will over our lives and to bind everything that presents itself as contrary to it! God knows our end from our beginning, but we have alot to do with what happens and how things happen in between. So I decided that I would "just do it"...just like the old Nike ad suggested! "Do what?", some may ask. "Just pray". "Just trust God's plan". "Just continue to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit". "Just continue to seek a more intimate relationship with God". I believe that if I do all of those things, the "good" that God is working out for Christina will come to pass. I'm willing to put in the prayer time to usher the will of God into her life knowing that the parts that I just can't do, He's already taken care of!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Look Toward The Hills
Over the years, several of my friends and associates have asked me how I've managed to stay focused and optomistic over the years, in the face of what sometimes seems like total disarray, disappointment, and despair. My answer has always been the same. It is God who sustains me and gives me strength for this journey. When Christina was young, I often stumbled and fell into what felt like a sea of hopelessness and fear. Gradually, the Holy Spirit taught me to listen to and follow His lead in everything!
Sometimes we think that God is absent. We struggle to accept that a loving God like ours could be with us in the dry, desert places of our lives. I think its because we'd like to think that God knows nothing about our seasons of struggle... you know, that He isn't "fixing it" because He doesn't know about it. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is always with us. We don't have to make excuses for Him or offer explanations for why our lives are what they are. God knows all and He is always working things out for our good. Sure, it may take some time before we can see any good coming out of our situations, but God is faithful.
Raising and caring for a loved one with autism, down syndrome, mental retardation or any other mental or physical challenge can be daunting. No doubt about that. But God, our Jehovah Jireh, will show up in our expectation of provision and deliverance! Will you even recognize Him when He does? How will you ever see Him if your eyes are downcast and filled with tears? Look up...toward the hills for your help. You will find God there. He is an ever-present help in the time of trouble.
Have you allowed fear to kill your faith or your ability to dream for your child? You can change that right now! Let God give you beauty for ashes. Let God turn your mourning into dancing. Stop looking for God in the heaviness of your situation. Give Him your garment of heaviness and He will give you a garment of praise. Let God be the lifter of your head.
Sometimes we think that God is absent. We struggle to accept that a loving God like ours could be with us in the dry, desert places of our lives. I think its because we'd like to think that God knows nothing about our seasons of struggle... you know, that He isn't "fixing it" because He doesn't know about it. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is always with us. We don't have to make excuses for Him or offer explanations for why our lives are what they are. God knows all and He is always working things out for our good. Sure, it may take some time before we can see any good coming out of our situations, but God is faithful.
Raising and caring for a loved one with autism, down syndrome, mental retardation or any other mental or physical challenge can be daunting. No doubt about that. But God, our Jehovah Jireh, will show up in our expectation of provision and deliverance! Will you even recognize Him when He does? How will you ever see Him if your eyes are downcast and filled with tears? Look up...toward the hills for your help. You will find God there. He is an ever-present help in the time of trouble.
Have you allowed fear to kill your faith or your ability to dream for your child? You can change that right now! Let God give you beauty for ashes. Let God turn your mourning into dancing. Stop looking for God in the heaviness of your situation. Give Him your garment of heaviness and He will give you a garment of praise. Let God be the lifter of your head.
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