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Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)
Ever been in a situation where people have been sharing about how God is working in their lives and wondered if he forgot about you?
You are struggling with finances and praying and working hard and doing all the ‘right things’ to make things work. You feel like you are trusting God for answers but none come.
Or you are in the midst of a very tense issue with some relationship and some guy stands up to share how they’ve had this conflict that has been eating them up, but that God has restored this relationship and they are praising him for intervening.
Or you are struggling with an addiction. This addiction has plagued you for years. You’ve prayed. You’ve sought counsel. You’ve asked for help from friends. You’ve done everything you can think of to free yourself of this problem and it still controls you to the point where you have considered just giving up on the whole ‘Christianity thing’ because it’s not working for you.
Or maybe you are thinking that if you hear just one more person say: “You just have to have faith. I just decided one day to give all my problems to God and he has blessed me tremendously” that you just may throw up.
These are just a few examples. What’s your story? If God were to appear to you as some genie in a bottle and ask you for your biggest desire, what would you ask him for?
In our most honest moments we’ve all had experiences when these struggles rear their ugly heads. You may be going through one right now. You believe in the God of Genesis. You trust Jesus fully and believe he has all things in his control. Yet there are areas in your life that just long for a touch, a message from God that says “I’m here. I’ll do what I’ve told you I’ll do.”
I have some bad news for you and some good news for you. First the bad news. There is no easy button in life. There’s no 12-step plan for seeing God work. There are things you can do to open yourself to his power, such as prayer, reading his word and being involved with other believers. But we serve a God that is a rebel at heart. God promises to be with us always, but he doesn’t promise to do things the same way for every person.
The good news is that he will fulfill his promises in his time and his time is always perfect. Imagine how the two on the road to Emmaus felt as they mourned the loss of Jesus. Full of confusion, fear and grief they thought everything was over…until Jesus showed up! The Bible is full of examples of Godly people doing the right things but not seeing God’s working for a long time.
When God seems to have forgotten us we need to hold on tightly for the ride knowing that in his time he will make himself known in real and marvelous ways. As the writer to the Hebrews says, God can be trusted to fulfill each of his promise.
PRAYER: Father God. I hear how you are working in other people and wonder why I can’t see you working in my life. If there is something within me I need to change, search my heart and reveal it to me. If, on the other hand I just need patience, give me strength to trust your promises. In Jesus name, Amen.
I am the LORD your God. I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. Isaiah 41:13 (CEV)
The parking lot was as treacherous as a hockey rink. I walked gingerly around the car to let my two-year-old out of the car seat. I offered my hand in support so that he wouldn’t fall on the icy surface. However, my belligerent son ‘knew better’. “I can walk by myself!” He announced, having confidence in his newfound independence.
I, on the other hand, knew how quickly one can slip and fall. Since he was inexperienced, I insisted that I hold his hand. We continued our ‘discussion’ for a few moments until an idea came to my mind. A compromise of sorts that he reluctantly agreed to. I would offer my finger to his small hand. He in turn would agree to hold my finger until we reached the safety of the building.
After he grabbed my finger I wrapped the rest of my hand around his small hand. He thought he walked across the ice with no problem. I knew that his real support came from my large hand which enveloped his.
At times we are afraid because we don’t know what the future holds. There may be times when we see the road ahead and see no way out, no safe way to succeed. There may be times when we confidently push forward, not realizing until it’s too late that we couldn’t handle the challenge before us.
Isaiah reminds us that just as I wrapped my hand around the hand of my over-confident two-year-old, our Heavenly Father wraps his hand around ours. It doesn’t matter what lay ahead. It’s not important how you got to the place you are in life. He is there walking beside you.
I kept my two-year-old from falling and hurting himself. He slipped on occasion. A couple times he landed softly when the ice was too slick. But together we made it through. In the same way, there may be times when you stumble. There may be times when you fall. In every situation Your Heavenly Father is there to uphold you and protect you.
As a loving father, God will do whatever he can to help you, his child, through the tough times of life. There may be pain. There may be struggles. You may fall. There may even be pain. But he never leaves your side.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t feel like you are going this struggle alone. The God of the universe has his hand wrapped tightly around yours. He will never leave you.
PRAYER: Father God, I’m scared. I’m going through things right now I never thought I’d be faced with. I went ahead on my own power and now I’m struggling to stand. You promised you will always be with me. Help me today to feel your presence in a whole new way. Let me feel your hand wrapped tightly around mine. In Jesus name, Amen.
Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Galatians 4:7 (NLT)
A slave has no decisions to make about daily schedules, what food to eat or where they will live. A child is given new choices every day.
A slave has no future other than that decided by the master. A child is groomed every day to believe that they can be anything they want to be.
A slave lives every day with the fear that they may be ripped up from where they are and taken from their family. A child is secure in the knowledge that they are loved and that they can always come home.
A slave lives knowing that all relationships are temporary, that those closest to him may be gone tomorrow. A child lives with the assurance that those who love him will always be at their side.
A slave lives with the presupposition that love is based on performance, that he is loved for what he does. A child lives with the foundational truth that he is loved for who he is, not for what he does.
A slave lives for today because tomorrow there is no hope for tomorrow. A child endures the struggles of growing up because he knows that his future is full of hope because someday he will receive the inheritance.
A slave knows that if he leaves, death is certain. A child knows that if he wanders he can always come home. Always.
A slave, even if he were to become ‘legally free’ still holds the DNA of slavery. A child will always bear the genetic marks of son-ship.
A slave sees a master. A child sees a loving father.
Brothers and sisters, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a child of the living God. You no longer need to live as slaves. You are a child of the King. Regardless of where you are, or where you have been. You have hope based on the person of Jesus Christ, not of yourself.
PRAYER: Father God. Daddy. I’m in awe as I’m reminded once again of who I am. It’s so easy with life circumstances to be deceived into seeing myself as a failure rather than your child. Forgive me for my doubt. Empower me with your spirit to live as your child. Thank you again for Jesus. Amen.
Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you. Proverbs 20:22
The toughest prisons are the prisons with no visible walls. Prisons of our souls that rob us of our freedom to love, our freedom to trust, our ability to live free of fear. In a ‘real prison’ the walls are built thick and strong by someone else for the express purpose of keeping you inside and protecting others from you.
The prison of the soul is built with your own hands. Brick by brick. Hurt by hurt. Failure by failure. Misunderstanding by misunderstanding. In your own mind, whether it’s a conscious thought or not, the prison walls of the soul are built to keep others out and to protect you from any more hurt. You’ve contracted with the master builder of walls, vengeance to make sure no one ever hurts you again.
One of the key ingredients to wall building is the desire to get even. We want to make sure that the perpetrators of our wound ‘pay for what they did’. We want to see justice served and are willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that happens.
The problem is, when we try to settle the score with someone else we usually just imprison ourselves in bitterness, anger and fear. ‘If I don’t trust, you won’t fail me; If I don’t love you, you won’t hurt me again; If I don’t forgive you, you will never forget what you did to me.’
Your heavenly Father has a better way. His is the way of freedom; of hope; of love. His way offers you the healing you need from the emotional, spiritual and physical scars that weigh you down every day. His is the way of love, forgiveness and trust. Not trust in others, trust in His ability to take care of the situation in his time and in his own way.
When you forgive someone you aren’t saying what they did is okay, you are saying you trust God enough to let him take care of the situation. Think about that for a moment. Who better to deal with the enemies of your soul than the creator God of the universe? Trusting God to handle each situation in your life not only frees you from the prison of your soul, it protects you from the enemy that seeks to destroy you.
Who better to defeat your enemy than the creator God of the universe who loves you so much he was willing to give his very own son so that you could live free. It’s time to tear down the prison walls of your soul. It’s time to live in the freedom of forgiveness and trust. Not trust in mankind, but trust in an almighty God who wants desperately to free you from your hurt.
PRAYER: Father God, I’m angry today. I’m looking out at a world of hurt and fear from walls I’ve built to protect me. I sought freedom and gained incarceration. I thought pain-free living, but live in anguish and worry. I can’t tear these walls down on my own. I need your help. Empower me with your Spirit to be able to hand all this ugly stuff over to you. Help me to forgive for my sake and trust you to take care of the rest. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 