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““Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” John 14:1
It’s no secret at all that we live in difficult times. Fear, anger, hatred, and discouragement seem rampant. I remember rowing a boat across my grandfathers small lake. It would take a few t red hours to get from one end of the lake back to his cabin. By the time you got close to the end your arms and legs were aching. But I remember looking over my shoulder and seeing the dock getting closer and realizing I could make it!
It is much easier to get through the difficult times when you see the end in sight. And for us as believers to know who’s waiting for us on the other side makes it even easier. Someone once said, nothing worth attaining issue gotten without pain.
When you’re in a tunnel it’s dark and scary. But when you see the light at the end you realize you’re going to make it through.
That’s the way it is when we follow Christ. There will be dark times there will be rough seas there will be rocky trails. But we know who waits for us at the end and when we get there this will all be worth it.
“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” James 5:13
God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
You may have heard that said, or you may have even said it yourself. James pens this verse to remind us that when life is unbearable we need to cry out to God. On the other hand, during the good times we need to praise God. In one sense, James is saying the same thing twice. The prayers we offer up when life is hard are prayers of petition. The praise we offer up when life is good are prayers of gratitude . Either way, regardless of the way life is, James teaches us that we should always go to God.
God is good all the time, when The raise you were hoping for finally comes through. All the time God is good, when downsizing forces you to lose a career of 30 years.
God is good all the time, when the doctors report comes back encouraging. All the time God is good, when the test results are scary.
God is good all the time, when that relationship you hoped for is better than expected. All the time God is good, when the person you loved and trusted leaves you.
God is good all the time, when the person you voted for wins the election. All the time God is good, when the future looks dismal because the election didn’t go as hoped.
God is good all the time, when those investments paid off. All the time God is good, when you’ve lost everything you had.
Life can deal hard blows. The only thing that we can really count on, is the fact that in the good and the bad, God is good. When you approach the father, the father who loves you more than anything else, praise him in the good times and rest in his arms in the bad times. Because God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
If I could summarize this verse in three words I would use these words, DO YOUR BEST! The writer to the Hebrews reminds them and us of the many people that have gone before us that have been victorious in their faith. These bastions of the faith were by no means perfect. They were murderers, they were adulterers, they were thieves, they were liars, they were guilty of every imaginable sin possible. They are honored not because they are perfect, but because they knew where to go for forgiveness and for strength to carry-on in spite of their faults. We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help cleanse us and help us move forward. The word picture the writer uses is out of the ancient Greek games in which athletes would strip and be completely naked when they ran races in order that nothing will hold them back that is what we are to do with God. Get rid of everything so that we can be pure before Jesus. God never promised us that we will win every race we run. But he will help us to get back up and try again when we falter! Run hard! Run with endurance! Trust him for the results. Just do your best with his help and his Spirit within you.
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalms 119:105
With today’s technology, we can put light into the darkest places and make them seem almost like daylight. Yet when David penned these words it’s important to remember that the light that they had was simply a torch or a lamp. It didn’t show everything in the area, it only showed a few feet in front, a few feet in back and a few feet side to side. The word of God, the Bible, offers us insight into the path that we lead. Some of us are walking through shadows of physical darkness because the doctors report wasn’t good. Some of us are walking in darkness today because of fear of the pandemic, or because of the unknowns regarding our government. Some of us are walking through relational darkness. The loneliness and disappointment is overwhelming. Perhaps the worst darkness of all is the darkness we walk through when God seems distant. God never promises to show us everything that hides in the darkness, but he does promise us light for today’s path. This verse reminds us that we can trust God for the here and now and leave the past and the future up to him. With Jesus by our side, we need not fear the darkness.
“O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.” Isaiah 25:1
My family accuses me of being beige! My clothes are beige! My personality is beige! Even my language tends to be a little beige at times! I tried to tell them, I’m not beige I’m just consistent! I just move steadily along. But in reality, I’m not sure Christian should ever be beige when it comes to the things of God. Isaiah says I will praise you God God. His praises based on the wonderful things that God has done for him. His praises based on the fact that God does exactly what he says he’ll do he’s done it that way before he’s doing it in Isaiah‘s lifetime and he’ll do it in the future. That’s the God we serve. The limitations it says that his love and mercy for us is new every morning. The Psalmist writes and says he’s our rock our refuge. Isaiah says he’s a wonderful God. How can you be beige when a wonderful God like that loves you so much and has promised to take care of you. God keeps his promises!
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 