Stress. Have you ever been in a situation where repeated bad decisions or past choices began to culminate into that much feared "train wreck" moment right before your very eyes? Though hoping for a miracle, secretly your thinking you deserve what is about to hit you because you made those decisions in the first place and therefore you've lost all power or control over the inevitable?
This would somewhat describe what has been going on in our home as of late. We have some decisions to make and yes I have felt a time or two like our backs are against the wall. I have cried and I have prayed, but today....I poured though the Word of God. I know, what a great idea right? I have a wonderful Bible that was given to me by a dear friend of mine. I love it because I am a "picture person". I love it when things are described in such a way that I can see it in my mind and therefore gain a much clearer understanding of how I can apply what I'm reading to my life. This Bible does just that. It is called the Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible.
During my search to find His peace in this impending "storm", Here is what God spoke to me through Max today:
There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get. You're not being picky or demanding; you're only obeying His command to "let your requests be made known to God" (Phill. 4:6) All you want is an open door or an extra day or an answered prayer, for which you will be thankful.
And so you pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait.
May I ask a very important question? What if God says no?
What if the request is delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, "I've given you my grace, and that is enough," will you be content?
Content. That's the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than He already has. Test yourself with this question: What if God's only gift to you were His grace to save you? Would you be content? You beg him to save the life of your child. You plead with Him to keep your business afloat. You implore Him to remove the cancer from your body. What if His answer is, "My grace is enough"? Would you be content?
You see, from heaven's perspective, grace is enough. If God did nothing more than save us from hell, could anyone complain? If God saved our souls and then left us to spend our lives leprosy-struck on a deserted island, would He be unjust? Having been given eternal life, dare we grumble at an aching body? Having been given heavenly riches, dare we bemoan earthly poverty?
Let me quickly add, God has not left you with "just salvation." If you have eyes to read these words, hands to hold this book, the means to own this volume, He has already given you grace upon grace. The vast majority of us have been saved and then blessed even more! But there are those times when God, having given us His grace, hears our appeals and says, "My grace is sufficient for you." Is He being unfair?
In God Came Near, I've told you how our oldest daughter fell into a swimming pool when she was two years old. A friend saw her and pulled her to safety. What I didn't tell you was what happend the next morning in my prayer time. I made a special effort to record my gratitude in my journal. I told God how wonderful He was for saving her. As clearly as if God himself were speaking, this question came to mind: Would I be less wonderful had I let her drown? Would I be any less a good God for calling her home? Would I still be receiving your praise this morning had I not saved her?
Is God still good when He says no? (from In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado)
I was stunned. Speechless actually as I reflected on the depth of that question. The question for me was, "If I let you feel the full impact of your choices, am I no longer worthy of your love?" A flood of memories of everything that He has already done for me, merited and unmerited swam in my mind. It broke my heart. Am I really that shallow as to think that the God of the Universe, my Creator, my Savior, my biggest Fan, only exists to save me from my bad choices? And, is He only good when He does so? What if my kids treated me this same way? I repented and told Him how sorry I was for thinking so selfishly. How can my or any circumstance change who God is and How He feels toward me?
"Storms" are inevitable in this life (John 16:33), whether we create them or not, but the cool things is, He knows exactly how to maneuver each one so that we come out stronger on the other side (Romans 8:28; Prov. 10:25). Do we always like His choices?
Ummm no, but that will never change the fact that He is always working it out for our benefit if we will just trust Him.
I did find His peace, but not because of His divine deliverance. I found it in Him and Him alone (Psalm 59:16; Psalm 119:114). I found it in His knowledge of who I am and what I need far better than I do. I found it in His love for me that far surpasses my love for Him (Eph. 3:14-19).
Do I believe that He can change my circumstances at any given moment? A thousand times YES! I also know however, that He will not, because He loves me enough to let me learn, should this circumstance merit a valuable lesson for my
future. In a panic, we often forget who God really is, but if we will just seek His Will and His heart, we will find His peace
no matter the "storm" we face. Do I know what will happen? No, but I know that He is the God, MY GOD,
who gives, AND takes away, and I am learning to praise Him either way. :)
This would somewhat describe what has been going on in our home as of late. We have some decisions to make and yes I have felt a time or two like our backs are against the wall. I have cried and I have prayed, but today....I poured though the Word of God. I know, what a great idea right? I have a wonderful Bible that was given to me by a dear friend of mine. I love it because I am a "picture person". I love it when things are described in such a way that I can see it in my mind and therefore gain a much clearer understanding of how I can apply what I'm reading to my life. This Bible does just that. It is called the Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible.
During my search to find His peace in this impending "storm", Here is what God spoke to me through Max today:
There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get. You're not being picky or demanding; you're only obeying His command to "let your requests be made known to God" (Phill. 4:6) All you want is an open door or an extra day or an answered prayer, for which you will be thankful.
And so you pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait.
May I ask a very important question? What if God says no?
What if the request is delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, "I've given you my grace, and that is enough," will you be content?
Content. That's the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than He already has. Test yourself with this question: What if God's only gift to you were His grace to save you? Would you be content? You beg him to save the life of your child. You plead with Him to keep your business afloat. You implore Him to remove the cancer from your body. What if His answer is, "My grace is enough"? Would you be content?
You see, from heaven's perspective, grace is enough. If God did nothing more than save us from hell, could anyone complain? If God saved our souls and then left us to spend our lives leprosy-struck on a deserted island, would He be unjust? Having been given eternal life, dare we grumble at an aching body? Having been given heavenly riches, dare we bemoan earthly poverty?
Let me quickly add, God has not left you with "just salvation." If you have eyes to read these words, hands to hold this book, the means to own this volume, He has already given you grace upon grace. The vast majority of us have been saved and then blessed even more! But there are those times when God, having given us His grace, hears our appeals and says, "My grace is sufficient for you." Is He being unfair?
In God Came Near, I've told you how our oldest daughter fell into a swimming pool when she was two years old. A friend saw her and pulled her to safety. What I didn't tell you was what happend the next morning in my prayer time. I made a special effort to record my gratitude in my journal. I told God how wonderful He was for saving her. As clearly as if God himself were speaking, this question came to mind: Would I be less wonderful had I let her drown? Would I be any less a good God for calling her home? Would I still be receiving your praise this morning had I not saved her?
Is God still good when He says no? (from In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado)
I was stunned. Speechless actually as I reflected on the depth of that question. The question for me was, "If I let you feel the full impact of your choices, am I no longer worthy of your love?" A flood of memories of everything that He has already done for me, merited and unmerited swam in my mind. It broke my heart. Am I really that shallow as to think that the God of the Universe, my Creator, my Savior, my biggest Fan, only exists to save me from my bad choices? And, is He only good when He does so? What if my kids treated me this same way? I repented and told Him how sorry I was for thinking so selfishly. How can my or any circumstance change who God is and How He feels toward me?
"Storms" are inevitable in this life (John 16:33), whether we create them or not, but the cool things is, He knows exactly how to maneuver each one so that we come out stronger on the other side (Romans 8:28; Prov. 10:25). Do we always like His choices?
Ummm no, but that will never change the fact that He is always working it out for our benefit if we will just trust Him.
I did find His peace, but not because of His divine deliverance. I found it in Him and Him alone (Psalm 59:16; Psalm 119:114). I found it in His knowledge of who I am and what I need far better than I do. I found it in His love for me that far surpasses my love for Him (Eph. 3:14-19).
Do I believe that He can change my circumstances at any given moment? A thousand times YES! I also know however, that He will not, because He loves me enough to let me learn, should this circumstance merit a valuable lesson for my
future. In a panic, we often forget who God really is, but if we will just seek His Will and His heart, we will find His peace
no matter the "storm" we face. Do I know what will happen? No, but I know that He is the God, MY GOD,
who gives, AND takes away, and I am learning to praise Him either way. :)
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