Seeing Beyond a Day

Some days pounce on you like a tiger springing forth from the jungle.  They land with razor sharp claws and teeth tearing and biting.  Those days maul you without mercy, and leave your limp, mostly lifeless body in a heap.  It's hard to pick yourself up after a day like that.  It is easy to give into fear. 

Other days, blessings rain down on you with monsoon like force.  On days like this you feel invincible.  The world is wide open to you.  It feels as if every step brings you closer to seeing all of your dreams fulfilled.

However, the vast majority of our days fall somewhere in between the savage attack and the grace flood.  That is not to say that we do not experience pain and pleasure daily.  But most days we are neither ravaged by pain, nor raptured by joy.

I think Jesus warned us to take each day one at a time, because he knew that knowledge of our future would tend to make us apprehensive or arrogant.  The blessed life is not one absent of pain, but one in which God is present with us through our pain.

We are like leaves borne along by the current of God's grace.  He moves us so swiftly, so deftly that we don't often perceive his unseen hand in our circumstance.  It doesn't matter if our day holds a tiger or a treasure, God holds us in that day.  It's his presence and power that enable us to persevere.  Hold fast, dear friends.  Don't fear the tiger or love the treasure.  Set your hearts on the Treasure-Giver and the Healer of hurts.

Be Still, and Know

"Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Ps. 46:10, ESV).

I find these words both convicting and comforting.  They convict me because deep inside is a tempest of doubt raging.  I see a culture on the downward slide of the slippery slope.  I see my own half-heartedness.  I see a unbelievers listening to the message of Jesus without flinching.  I see all these things and I wonder how it's all going to work out in the end.

I'm so caught up looking at the trees that I don't see the forest.  I fail to see the bigger picture.  Sometimes, it is easy to think God isn't at work, because we don't see any immediate results.  We are wanting a burning bush, but God is moving in subtler ways.  We want to hear a still small voice, but God is speaking through message of Christ.

"Be still," he says.  Stop struggling. Stop squirming.  Let your mind take a breather.  Relax. "Be still, and know I am God," he commands.  Stop fretting and realize that he alone is God.  He is in control.  There is nothing going to slip past him.  There is nothing that God cannot handle. 

This passage comforts me with the words, "I will be exalted among the nation! I will be exalted in the earth!" He will be exalted.  There is no stopping it.  The devil may rage, and the nations with him, but to no avail.

We can pray with confidence, as Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hollowed be you name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  We are confident because we know that his will, ultimately, will be done. 

We don't have to worry when we don't have all the answers.  God is in control, and he will be exalted.  Be still, and rest in the knowledge that he is God.

Pity Party Called Off Because of Reign

Have you ever had one of those days where it feels like your stuck in mud?  It feels like no matter how hard you try to pull out of it, you just can't break free.  You might find yourself hanging the streamers for a pity party.

Life comes at us with reckless abandon.  It's like driving down a curvy country road, you don't always know what's around the next bend.  On days like that, you just got to slow down a bit and keep it between the lines.

Sometimes, we need to say with the Psalmist, "Why are you down, O my soul? Trust in the Lord."  There is very little in life that is easier than saying you trust in the Lord.  However, actually trusting the Lord is much harder.  Worry, anxiety, fear, and yes, pity-parties are a sign of distrust.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to "shake-off" disappointment.  It isn't an easy thing to accomplish.  So the next time you feel tempted to throw in the towel or quit trying, don't.  Don't throw in the towel.  Don't sit in a corner sucking your thumb.  Don't hid under the bed.  Put down that quart of ice cream.

Call your heart in for questioning.  Remind it that the Lord is in control, he sees your pain, and he loves you.  You don't have to know all the reasons behind what is happening.  You just need to trust the Lord.  He is faithful.  The Lord reigns, so there is no reason to throw a pity party.