Tag: loneliness

Why God, Why; When God When?

Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an angry old bull who wanted them out of his pasture. Instantly, they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent that they wouldn’t make it.

Terrified, one man shouted to the other, “Put up a prayer right now, John! That bull is about to catch up to us!

But John answered right back, “I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my entire life!”

“But you must!” yelled his companion. “The bull is catching up to us. Just use a prayer you have heard before!”

“All right,” panted John, “I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table at Thanksgiving: ‘O Lord in Heaven, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful. Amen!'”

Lol! Well, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you are all able to be surrounded by people you love on this special holiday. I titled this message Why God why, When God When because I know it’s likely something that we all have asked at some time or another. Why God…am I having to go through this trial…this situation? When God…will this ever end? Perhaps you are even going through the fire right now, and you are in need of a boost of faith. I sincerely pray that this message is an encouragement to you. So, why and when…Let’s get into it and start with some questions.

Is it possible to still be pleasing to God, while at the same time we don’t totally trust Him? Scripture has a very clear answer to this found in Hebrews 11:6,”Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”

Next question: How then can a person stay faithful (full of faith) and is it OK to question God?

It’s OK to sometimes question God; but never let that be an excuse to do so. What do I mean by that? We have often heard that it is OK to be honest with God and tell him what is on your heart. Which I totally agree with. God wants us to be transparent with him. But we also need to be aware that satan is always trying to get his foot in the door and turn us away from faith and trust; but rather into complaining and doubting, which is a very slippery slope.

Let’s be honest, it’s much easier to have faith and be thankful when we are experiencing blessing in our lives. It’s much more difficult to demonstrate our gratefulness to God and others when we are going through hard and difficult times. I also know that when we are in the thick of tough and trying times, our natural man does not want to hear verses such as this one from the book of James. But that does not negate the fact that we still need to hear it.

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” James 1:2-4

It’s a hard thing for a Christ follower to admit that they truly don’t have faith, or when and if their faith is wavering. It tends to be a subtle shift that we may not even readily recognize. We even rationalize our own thoughts saying things such as, “It’s OK that I am frustrated and angry at God for allowing this to happen… after all God knows my heart.” Yet, while it is true that God does know our heart, that does not mean that He is ready to move us out of a situation when we are not truly demonstrating faith and trust in Him. As we continue in this pattern, we lose sight of trusting God with the why and all we can think of is the when. Frustration sets in and our peace is leaving us along with our faith.

We must remember that satan knows that victories in our lives will only be won when we are truly trusting in God with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving—all of which are things that he is diabolically opposed to. I realize we are not perfect saints and may not show gratitude 100% of the time. However, if we merely excuse our attitude, we will soon begin to question God about the things we normally would have no other reason to. We will begin to be critical of other Christians, and leaders. We will look enviously at other people, other families, and those who seem to be more blessed. As I said, we are sliding down a slippery slope. Only pride will tell us differently.

Once again, it’s easy to demonstrate our faithfulness and gratitude to God when we are in good times. When we get a new car, a new house, when we find a mate, when we get a promotion at work. At these times we are full of thanks and gratitude toward God. But what does God see and hear in the midst of the tuff times of life? When we are going through it, are we still honoring God with a faithful heart?

God’s Word tells us:

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thes 5:18  

In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil 4:6

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Ps 100:4

Let’s look at the life of King David. One of the most prominent figures of the entire Bible. As we read in 2nd Samuel, we see a man who from a very young age had amazing faith and courage in the Lord. He was anointed by God as King and yet had to flee into hiding in the desert from and angry and jealous King Saul, who had turned on him and sought to kill him. David (the anointed king) was forced to live in caves. He was on the run for many years, until the death of Saul, when David actually took the throne as Israels king. He was a king like no other. Was he perfect? Far from it. Adultery and murder were part of his history. He had drastic highs and terrible lows in life. Yet still today we read his humble and awe-inspiring love songs and letters to God in the book of Psalms.

God actually said that David was a man after His own heart. How? Why? Because David was marked as one who had a repentive heart. His faith and dependance on God was remarkable. He had longed for the presence of God to come to be among his people. And on the day the Ark of the Covenant was presented in Jerusalem, David threw off his royal robe, now covered by only an ephod (basically underwear) and led the celebration by exuberant dance of worship before the Lord. Although his wife Michal saw it as totally undignified and embarrassing, David’s actions once again demonstrated humility and showed that his devotion to God superseded his kingly status and the opinions of others.

Truly, the key to Gods heart is humility. Davids was humble no matter what his situation in life. He gave God the glory for the good, he confessed and repented for the bad. He chose not to exalt himself, but God did it for him.

James 4:6 says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Another great example is found in the book of Exodus, where it tells us about the Israelites who spent 40 years wandering in the desert, when all along God had promised to give them a promised land where they would have lives of abundance and freedom from their former torment of slavery. But only if they put their trust in Him. Sadly, it took them forty years…they went around and around the mountain in a journey from Egypt to their Promised Land. A direct, straight-line route would have been about 150 miles (about an 11-day journey), but the journey took them 40…FORTY years. Why? It was a direct result of their lack of faith. It was their constant grumbling and complaining.

Friends, there can’t be a better example of the consequences of what grumbling and complaining can do? Can we really expect God to still hear us and bless us when we grumble and complain? No, He will have no part in it. If you are a mom or dad, you know what I’m talking about. Would you lavish your child with gifts if they were constantly grumbling and complaining? Of course not!

How about the story of Job (see the book of Job). This story is used and illustrated very frequently, even in non-Christian circles where it is used primarily by agnostics who question why one would serve a god who punishes his people. That sad falsehood aside, we know that Job was an upright and blameless man who feared God. He was also a very prosperous man who had a large family and many workers.

Contrary to the agnostic’s belief, the story of Job shows that God saw and was well aware that Job was a humble servant of the Lord. It also tells us that God did not punish or was the direct cause of Job’s pain and suffering. Satan on the other hand was the power behind all the torment. God had only allowed satan to torment Job to prove a point to him and to the rest of the world, that Job’s faith and loyalty to God was not based upon his receiving blessings in life.

Job was put to the test and was afflicted with terrible pain and suffering, to the point at which even his own wife told him to curse God and die. He had three friends who came to comfort him, only to end up wrongly accusing him of sin. Then all in the course of a single day, Job lost all his livestock, servants, and all ten children. And still, he refused to curse God.

Because Job maintained his faith and trust in God throughout his suffering He was visited by God, his friends were rebuked, and God restored Job, giving him double his previous wealth and a new family. Job lived to see his grandchildren into the fourth generation.

Even some Christians have thought of Job’s troubles by saying, God may not have caused all of Job’s suffering, but He still allowed it…so what’s the difference? There is a big difference. We must remember that we all have an enemy who is very real and working on the earth today. Remember, he was cast down and out of his place of leadership in heaven—all due to his self-pride. In this story of Job, God used this real-life situation put satan in his place. Prideful satan had the audacity to think that the only reason Job was serving God was merely because Job was blessed.

To summarize, here are some important take-aways from this important story of Job:

  1. God knew Job’s heart prior to satan’s attacks upon Jobs life. And therefore, God did allow it, but primarily for two reasons: 1) To prove to satan that Job and potentially other people do not love and trust God simply because they are blessed, but because they truly love and trust God.
  2. God always knows and sees the big picture. We only see a snapshot in present time. This is why we need to truly trust Him. Whether He allowed it should not be the big question. He for sure is aware of it, so the more important response is “God I am trusting you to work this out for your good, show me how I can partner with you in doing that.”
  3. Our words have power. The Hebrew word for “curse” is barak, which means that when Job’s wife was telling him to end the pain and suffering it would admit that God brought the suffering, and it would be better to die. When we are going through tough times, are we speaking faith and truly trusting God, or are we speaking out complaints and making comparisons? Would God be as confident in us as he was with Job?
  4. God ultimately wants to bless us. Don’t let the story of Job tell you otherwise. What God is looking for is our unwavering trust in Him. Let’s be thankful, stay grateful, and trust him.

Here are a few more encouraging verses:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work”. 2 Cor 9:8

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus”. Phil 4:19

“I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace”. Numbers 6: 24-26

Friends, if you are currently going through a tough and trying season in life, I am truly sorry for what you are going through, and I certainly don’t want to make light of the difficulty and pain of anyone’s situation. But I do know this—God sees you, and God also sees the bigger picture. As well, I know that God is ALWAYS worthy of our praise and gratitude. Speak it to Him, speak it over your situation, and don’t let the enemy put a muzzle over your praises. Don’t think or speak the enemies’ deceptive ways. Give glory to God in EVERY situation and watch Him turn your situation around. Stay strong, battle through your situation by putting on the full armor of God (see Eph 6) and don’t let down your shield of faith 😊 God is for you, not against you.    

Many times, in my own life, when I am praying over a difficult situation, I have followed the example of King David and danced. Honestly, I get alone with God, sometimes with worship music—sometimes not, and I do a victory dance. I have found this act of worship to be a game changer…and believe me, it’s not because of my great dance moves lol… 1) It shapes my attitude. And 2) God sees me and he loves it when I trust Him with a heart of gratitude.  God sees you too—

From the words of King David: “He will turn your mourning into dancing” Psalm 30:11

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Blessed by the Best,

Mark

The God Who Sees You

Tracy and I live in a rural township just North of Minneapolis, MN. My morning commute to work starts around 5 am. Many of you are thinking 5 am, yuck! But I love my morning time. The coffee maker grinds beans for a fresh cup of java at 3 am (non-workdays it’s a little later 😊). But even on days off, I enjoy my morning time with God and then devotions and prayer with Tracy. Mornings are awesome! I also love experiencing nature come alive as the night turns into day. Watching the vast solar system slowly fade into a glorious sunrise never gets old. It does something incredibly refreshing to my soul.

On my morning commute, I drive East for a few miles before heading South towards the city. This typically gives me great views of the night sky just prior to sunrise. This August there have been amazing views of the two brightest stars of our solar system, the planets Venus and Jupiter. From our vantage point on Earth, early August revealed these two (Venus and Jupiter) farther apart, but each new day they appeared closer and closer. On August 11th or 12th, they appeared only 1 degree apart, as if they were grazing each other. Following days revealed them drifting apart again. They were joined by a very vivid crescent moon on the mornings of the 19th and 20th, and then an amazing alignment of 6 planets occurred on August 21st. It was an incredible display of which Tracy also enjoyed popping out into our front yard a couple of mornings.

What was most interesting to me was the day-to-day distance change of Venus and Jupiter. Its incredible that even when these two planets appeared to be almost touching, they are still millions of miles away from each other. Isn’t that amazing? Still millions of miles apart.

Scientists estimate estimated that there are at least 10 sextillion (10²²) stars in the observable universe, a number so vast that it cannot be counted by humans. Our solar system alone is estimated to be at least 18.6 trillion miles in diameter.

So, here is a question for you, and one that I’m sure many of us have pondered at one time or another. Have you ever felt that in the big scheme of Gods massive creation, that your life is very small? That your life, in view of God’s creation and plans for the entire world…you and your life are less than significant to Him? Thinking, “Surly the God of the universe has bigger and more important people and situations to attend to than me and my life?” Perhaps you have even cried out to God at some point of your life and said… 

“God, do you even see me…”

Feeling as though you and God are millions of miles apart?

In Genesis Chapter 16 we are told of a woman named Hagar. It is a powerful story of a young woman who finds herself in a very misfortunate situation and of how God meets her in the midst of what she is going through.

We often pay more attention to the story of Abraham and Sarah and the fulfillment of God’s promise to make Abraham the father of many nations. But within Abraham and Sarah’s story, we discover the faith and perseverance of Hagar, a woman who was pulled in and then cast out into the wilderness due to an impatient and jealous woman and her husband. Two imperfect God-fearing people, who temporarily got off track.  

Abraham was an Israelite who had heard from the Lord that he was to become the father of many nations. He and His wife Sarah journeyed to Canaan as God had promised them, and somewhere along the way picked up an Egyptian servant girl named Hagar.

Abraham was focused on fulfilling Gods promise, which he eventually did. But not without a time of great turmoil, tension and long-lasting consequences. As the story unfolds, they were desperately trying for Sarah to get pregnant. After all, how do you become a father of many nations without children, right? Ater 10 years of trying, Sarah became very impatient.

In desperation Sarah constructed her own plan. She convinced Abraham to sleep with their servant girl Hagar in hopes she would bear Abraham a son. But after Hagar conceives, Sarah’s jealousy swells, and she bitterly mistreats Hagar.

The pregnant Hagar runs away to the wilderness. She runs from humiliation and oppression into almost certain death. But she encounters angel of the Lord that tells her to return and submit to Sarah. God assures her that she, too, will be the mother of a great nation. In response, Hagar gave this name to the Lord: El Roi, which means, “You are the God who sees me,” (Gen 16:13 NIV).

Fast forward in the story to Genesis 21, and Hagar is sent away a second time to die in the wilderness, this time with her young child, Ishmael. Though she is met and saved by an angel again, this time her exile is permanent.

Hagar shows us that even when we wander in wilderness places, even when life’s circumstances and situations push us into a corner, God is near to us and listening for our cry for help. Hagar was in a very difficult situation, and what did she do?  She fled.  Isn’t that often our natural tendency?  “Get me out of here, this is too painful, too hard.”  But still, God found her, right there in her hurt and in her need. He saw her; saw right into her situation, into her heart.

Friends, you are not invisible. You are not unseen by God, God sees you. You are seen and known and loved by the very God who hung the stars in the sky and formed you when you were in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-14 and Jeremiah 1:5).

Listen, it does not matter what you have done or have not done. God sees you right where you are and His arms are wide open to you (1 Cor. 16:23-24). Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

He is God, El Roi.  He does not have a seeing problem; we do.  His vision is perfect: ours impaired by the disease of sin, of weakness. But God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8) 

This is all good news for those of us who are less than perfect 😊We all may go through times when we may wonder “God, where are you?” Here’s what I’ve realized: When I feel unseen, chances are my eyes are not truly focused on Jesus, I’m focused on myself. I may feel invisible, but that’s on me. If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I can start to justify my poor eyesight by my works for God. “But God, I did this for you…I followed what you wanted me to do…and now, where are you?” My focus is on me—not Him—and what I have accomplished to somehow gain favor points with God, which is actually legalism.

This is what we need to do more than anything else: Set our eyes upon Jesus and truly worship Him. I have found that the best path in any situation in life is to raise my eyes to heaven and set my mind “on the things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2). Just like the old hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

So, remember, if and when you ever feel unseen by God.

  • God is not the one with the vision problem—you are. Right now, you only see in part, while He sees the entire picture.
  • He is El Roi—the God who sees me. He sees all wounds and worries. He sees your heart. Look to Him and trust Him.
  • God is no respecter of persons. Hagar was a non-Israelite, a woman with no power or status.
  • Turn your eyes upon Jesus—praise Him, worship Him, and trust Him.

May God bless you richly today as you put your trust in Him. Until next time…

Blessed by the Best,

Mark