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Taking delight in there Lord is easy when the bills are paid, the kids are stellar, you love your job and your weight is right on with the insurance charts. Taking delight in the Lord is easy when the doctors report is good and the bank calls asking to borrow some of your money because they are a little short this month. But for the rest of us, it’s hard to take delight when life is hard. In those times we need to hold tight to the promises and not reality from our perspective. Most of the time we struggle to take delight in the Lord because we rely more on our heart than on the promises of God We trust ourselves more than we trust him. Don’t follow your heart! The Bible tells us that over and over again. It can’t be trusted. The heart is in tune with the enemy and focuses on disappointment and fear. The heart focusing on God’s promises reminds us of the hope we have in him even when the world seems dark around us.
In our humanity we often tend to think God only uses those who have their act together. We look for pastors and church leaders that have squeaky clean records, are financially stable and have 15 children, all of whom are on the ‘A Honor Roll’ and in the ‘Who’s Who of American Scholars’.
Especially in our culture that is harder and harder to find, or maybe it’s always been harder to find now that I think about it. Looking back in Biblical history, few, if any of the ‘great men of God’ were all that great. The list is made up of murderers, adulterers, cheaters, and those who struggled with mental health issues (to name a few).
We are never expected to ‘clean up our act’ so God can use us. Peter demonstrated amazing faith when he stepped out of a boat during a storm. David chose to go into battle without any armor. Issac followed his dad to the mountain for sacrifice when they had no animal and then allowed his dad to tie him up! The Apostle Paul did some of his best writing strapped to a couple of Roman Guards!
The point is, God seems to use do his best work in people who are at their worst and bless them in the process. With the power of God’s Holy Spirit within us we can plant seeds of love, mercy, forgiveness and grace in those around us. How we react to life’s struggles are an amazing testimony to the God we serve.
When He puts you in a place of struggle keep one hand in his and reach out to someone else that needs to see the way through the darkness and tears. You’ll both be better off!
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 