by David Brenneman
"Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth." Psalms 57:1-3.
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:28-30.
Was part of my morning reading the passage in Psalms was and immediately I thought of the other in the book of Romans.
These two made me reflect on my current set of predicaments. My prayers go up not just daily but often hundreds of times a day when I don't know what words to say and indeed the Spirit intercedes with groans too deep for words for me.
I know quite a bit about quite a few things. I like instructionals. Videos on how to do things. Figuring things out is something that I enjoy doing.
But there's times where I know God's telling me to wait. The answers aren't ready for me to know yet or the answer isn't for me to know.
Even Daniel was told that he wasn't going to understand everything he was shown. John in his writing of the book of Revelation was dumbfounded by most of what his eyes saw.
Understanding often takes time. God's timing isn't our timing. As the Scriptures also say that His ways are not our ways His thoughts are not our thoughts.
Job too wasn't shown the why's behind his story either, that we know of.
But we're far from alone. Far from stranded. Far from abandoned.
It's ok to not understand. It's ok to patiently wait upon the Lord's timing. It's only us that thinks it's not ideal. God still causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
With catching that part of my Bible reading "that I am the Lord"...I look for that now when I read. The sentiment is here in Psalms that we read. King David was living out the truth that he trusted in the truth that the Lord was the Lord. Paul's trust was in the Lord. Peter's trust was in the Lord. The Spirit teaches us that Jesus is the Lord.
Someone once said that if you only pray when you are in trouble then you're already in trouble.
Part of our teaching from the Spirit is to know that Jesus is the Lord. That He's got our back. That we can trust in Him.
We're entering the season of fall and winter here in North America. For some it's a hyper season surrounded sports. For others it's a time to slow down and reflect on the year.
I'm not that much of an outdoor person as it is...and I look forward to the solitude of time in front of the fireplace during this time of year.
Take time to reflect more on your year with Jesus than whatever has gone right or wrong in the year.
Look for how and when He's caused things to work together for your good. Look for these and write them down. You'll need these for those future times of stress and heavy concerns when life isn't making a whole lot of sense.
Our faith history shows us that He is the Lord. He's there 24/7 365 for all our worries and concerns.
Paul struggled with anxiety so we're in good company.
Look for opportunities to pray and not just to pray when problems arise.
Jesus is a promise keeper.
"Be still and know that I am God".
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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