You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘can I trust God’ tag.
Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. Isaiah 46:10
I’m an idea person, but not much on planning. That’s why I rely heavily on people who can think of the details needed for a project. The reason is obvious. Ideas are great. They are the stuff that made this nation great. But not thinking through the details on how to make something happen can be disastrous.
I have a friend who is a drama director at a local high school. I admire his ability to get his young actors and actresses to perform a variety of plays from mysteries to musicals and comedies. The thing I admire most about him though is his attention to detail. He’ll add a line here or there, or have a person move in just a certain way to add emphasis to a scene. His productions are almost always excellent, but even with all his planning and direction, things go wrong. A prop may be forgotten; a cue missed; a technological failure and more can all add up to a less than perfect performance. Sometimes those failures go unnoticed by the audience, other times they are obvious.
So it goes with life. No matter how hard we try to make the perfect meal, write the perfect blog post, present the perfect lesson or sermon, something always seems to go wrong. All of us are much more likely to act with confidence if we can be assured we will succeed at our endeavor. The more confidence we have in the outcome, the more likely we are to move forward.
In Old Testament times, military leaders would often inquire of God as to whether or not they should go to battle against a particular enemy. If God said go, they went with a full assurance that victory would be there’s. If they were told to hold back and make peace, they knew to act wisely in negotiating a peace. The underlying motivation for their actions was knowing God was on their side.
There are many times in each of our lives when we face difficult decisions regarding our relationships, careers, and other events. As believers in the Lord of the universe we can come with confidence to seek his wisdom because we know his plans have always…that’s right ALWAYS come true. The real beauty of that is that he will guide you in the best way and if failure does come, he’ll help you through that too.
PRAYER: Father God, I think one of the things I appreciate the most about you is the fact that I can trust you to do and be exactly what you say. With you by my side I can move confidently knowing you will walk with me through success and failure. Thank you for your guidance through your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:5
Several years ago a friend of mine decided to add on to his home. His family had outgrown the present house but they liked the location and there was little available in their price range. So the addition was the best way to go. I spent quite a bit of time with him in the process. I’m not a builder by any means and it was interesting hearing him talk about the project. I’d never realized how important it was to have the whole plan in place before the actual project began. If the details weren’t right, the whole project might be in jeopardy. Once the details were worked out, the whole picture seemed to make sense.
To be honest, even looking at his blueprints didn’t help me see the whole picture because I wasn’t trained to understand all the intricacies of a building plan.
Those blueprints remind me of how we can gain a deeper knowledge of God and his goodness. When we look at individual situations we may think God doesn’t care or that he isn’t involved in our lives. When we have the beauty of gaining the overall perspective of things it’s much easier to understand.
The first four verses of Proverbs chapter two have given us the details, so to speak, of getting a grasp on knowing God in all his fullness. Some may say, “Can we really know God?” After all, we can’t see him, how do we know he exists? We are surrounded by more and more examples of evil seeming to triumph over us.
To know God fully we must make persistent communication with God a priority by looking at nature, reading his word and looking at the example of his love as shown through his son, Jesus Christ. When all those pieces fall in place then we can gain an understanding of God that allows us to see the whole picture and not be misled by the details of life. When you question what God is doing, step back and by faith remember that he is good and only has your best interest in mind. No matter what has gotten you into the situation you are in, God can help you see a way through.
PRAYER: Father God, I confess to you that I don’t always understand why you allow things to happen as they do. With my lips I proclaim your power, but with my heart I doubt your ability to help me though. Forgive me for my doubt, give me courage to trust you and wisdom to see the whole picture. Amen.
To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. 2 Samuel 22:27 (NLT)
We were built for relationship. Our very heart, our very being revolves around how we perceive others feelings towards us, and how we feel about them. When centered on the emotional, relationships rarely focus on facts. It’s feelings that matter. When centered on facts alone, relationships become works centered. What you do to or for me means everything to the relationship. Motives don’t matter, actions do.
One day Jesus healed a man that was born blind and unable to speak. At the touch of his hand, Jesus restored his speech and gave him sight. The man praised God. The people stood amazed and praised God. The Pharisees however; the religious elite; the men who ‘knew the way to God’ better than anyone else, were not only skeptical, they were critical.
“He’s a tool of Satan”, they said. “This is nothing more than blasphemy”, the challenged. “God doesn’t work like this; God has no part in any of this atrocity!”
The gospel writer states “But Jesus knew their thoughts…” (Matthew 11:25)
It wasn’t the accusations that Jesus took issue with, it was their hearts because he knew that thoughts don’t originate on the external, they originate from the heart, from the soul, from the very being of man.
Why the different reaction between the religious establishment and the man who’d been healed? In a word: relationship. Religion is and always will be built on rules and actions. They saw Jesus as a threat to their power, a reason for concern because he would take away their power and status.
“Do this and that will happen; don’t do this or this will happen.”
Relationship heals. Relationship encourages. Relationship makes one better as they leave than they were when they came. The people, especially the blind man saw a different Jesus, a Jesus based on experience, on touch, on relationship.
The blind man knew his hopelessness and saw relief. The Pharisees never grasped the notion that they were sinners. The blind man saw freedom in his release from the bondage of his blindness. The Pharisees saw the healing as a direct confrontation to their power. The blind man saw hope; the Pharisees saw a menace.
The question each of us must ask ourselves is which Jesus do we see? Do we see a Jesus limited by rules and regulations; a Jesus steeped in liturgy and tradition? Or do we see a Jesus who longs to touch us, to heal us, to soothe the pain within our hearts?
Some have shaken their fists figuratively at Jesus because he didn’t meet their needs. They were looking for someone who would cater to their physical desires rather than the needs of the heart. They’ve tried filling the hole with other gods. The gods of relationship, passion, power or any other god of their own choosing. Others have chosen to fill the hole in their relationship by legislation. The more rules we have, the more restrictions we place on ourselves, the more religious we become, and the better we’ll be.
But only Jesus can fill that hole and he fills it with relationship, not rules. Those who follow after him, whose hearts are pure find in him a refuge. Those who refuse to come into relationship with him see him as a menace to their emptiness; a barrier to true freedom.
PRAYER: Father God, it’s so easy to put other gods in your place. Gods that will give me a false sense of holiness, a false feeling of stability. Purify my heart so that you are all that I see. Amen.
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2 (NCV)
We all need help figuring out this thing called life from time to time. Help figuring out a career or career change; help building or rebuilding relationships; help fighting the battles of fatigue, worry or the ever-present battle of just growing old.
During those dark times when help seems distant to the enemy of our souls convinces us that we are in this thing alone, remember the facts. Your help comes from the Lord, the King, the Creator of the universe.
God’s help is timely. He is never late even though our frail minds think otherwise. “If only you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died” was the cry of a sister whose brother died needing the touch of the Savior. By human timelines Jesus was too late. But Lazarus would tell you he came just in time.
God’s help is powerful. Would the one that controls all of nature let one of his children slip through his hands? Would the one who hangs the stars in place ‘drop the ball’ when it comes to watching over one he loves more than the world itself? As one writer put it, “[God] will sooner destroy heaven and earth than permit his people to be destroyed.”
God’s help is constant. He never sleeps. He never slumbers. You are never out of his sight, never too far away for him not to snatch you from the arms of disaster. There’s no need to worry when you are in the presence of God and you are ALWAYS in the presence of God. As Max Lucado says in his book “Come Thirsty”, ‘Jesus has two words to describe worry, irrelevant and irreverent.’
God’s help protects us. Normally we think of needing God’s help when the struggles around us are too great to bear; when no man can help us. But perhaps God’s help is needed most during those times of plenty, when life is good. For it is during those times we tend to rely on ourselves rather than God. It’s during the good times of life when the enemy can attack most easily and bring us down. It is during those times when God’s protection is needed and available the most.
My help comes from the Lord, my Lord. The one who created the heavens and the earth. The one who saw me on the day of my conception and will never leave me until that day when I see him face to face. And that day will be glory for me!
PRAYER: O Lord, my Lord how majestic is your name. I praise you today for the help you give me on so many levels. I can go forth today knowing I’m never out of your watchful and caring eye. Thank you Lord. Amen.
Built with Grace 