Trust God Before The Miracle

“That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-17‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I must confess that deep down I have a fear mentality. I have to strongly fight against fearing that I will have to face something I can’t handle. I learned this lesson well during a time when life was so dark. My younger son lived with deep depression for a period of time. I did not see that his future had any hope. For almost 6 years, there was always a new development that I couldn’t handle. Even though that was almost 15 years ago, I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is right around the corner and I will not be able to cope with it.

The enemy would have loved to have taken me down back then, cripple me for life. But instead, out of God’s wonderful grace and faithfulness, he had other plans for me. I take no credit whatsoever. However, I remember pulling up to work everyday telling myself “these troubles are helping me gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than my troubles.” I would tell God everyday that I knew that one day I would be with him and these troubles would be over.

I learned that if I was going to survive, I had to pray with faith and not fear. My favorite verse became,

“And 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.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I realized that if my prayers were driven by fear and not faith, he could NOT reward me. I had to believe in his promises and not pray doubt-driven prayers.

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Also, I had to pray differently about things that I could not figure out the solution to.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If I fixed my eyes on temporary and not eternal, that meant that I had to come up with solution all by myself. Stop and think for a moment. Are you driven by the fact that it is up to you to fix your problem? Be honest. I have not encountered many people who think eternally and pray with faith not doubt, but I want to be a part of that group.

I want that to be my goal in life...to pray with such confidence that God actually can do the impossible. If I believe that this verse is true, why do I worry about mounting finances of this surgery and the unexpected broken heater?

“I already own all the animals in the forest. I own all the animals on a thousand hills.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭50:10‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Why am I worrying about if and when my arm will heal? Am I holding my arm the right way? When should I return to work? I keep thinking that it’s my decision and not the surgeon’s.🙂

“He forgives all our sins and HEALS all our sicknesses.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:3‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Why do I worry about the future and the faceless enemies of the unknowns of finishing the school year?

“My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭31:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Instead, I choose to believe that I can trust my future without fear and worry because,

“But as the Scriptures say, “No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I can remember thinking back in college that I would trust God BEFORE I saw how the situation would work out. Whenever I did that, God would reward my waiting with more than my heart could have imagined. I guess God has not gotten one bit weaker just because my faith is weaker today. He is the same, always faithful and always a rewarder.

Do Not Lean on Your Understanding

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Good grief...if you flip this verse, the truth pierces you.

“Do not lean on your own understanding...

You may not have come to a point in your life when your understanding was not enough. There are people that I know that think they have life figured out. I can just tell that they think that. They have an answer for everything.

I googled this question, “Why are some things hard to understand?” This guy named Serg Zhelezniak says,

“Certain subjects be it number theory, astrophysics, or advanced mechanics requires more than a brief encounter—it requires countless hours of persistence, determination, and creativity. In order to comprehend the innate intricacy of landing a probe on Mars.

Yes, many topics are far too convoluted and intricate to be understood in a few seconds or hours. They require more time, more devotion, more effort. But the payoff is one of the greatest pleasures of life: understanding.”

He is one of those guys I am talking about that really thinks he can figure out everything if he persists.

However, after living for so many years, things have gotten harder to figure out. My brain either got smaller or I am realizing that is beyond my understanding. I don’t have all the answers.

The older I get, it seems that I understand less and less. The world seems crazier. Why is someone needing to buy a gun and start shooting people? 

I used to be able to set goals and see where I am going in life. Now that I’m retired, I am perplexing about what goals to set.

Which brings me to the most wonderful, comforting part of the verse.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”

This is the most wonderful discovery...when my understanding fails me, it’s okay. I don’t have to stress or panic or be fearful.

When I realize how small and limited my mind is and tell God I can’t understand this, he says, “Good, can you just trust me?”

Someone needs to tell Serg that he will come to a point where he can’t figure out stuff.

God Enjoys Us When We Trust Him

“War horses and powerful soldiers are not what he cares about. The Lord enjoys people who worship him and trust in his faithful love.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147:10-11‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I just have experienced the most incredible two weeks of God's display of power. I spent two weeks in Germany at a English/Sports camp. I began the week with some sad news from home. I experienced jet lag for days. I had back spasms for the last ten days of the trip. I got a bad cold and lost my voice for two days. I can hardly write this blog without coughing and blowing my nose! I constantly questioned why I was there. I am old. I am not sports minded. I can't speak German. Why Lord, did you bring me here?

He brought me here so that I could see that He does not need "war horses or powerful soldiers." He needs me to worship him and trust him.

I was given a group of 8 middle school aged girls to mentor for the week. I did not speak German and most did not speak English. The older students are better at English. The middle school students are just beginning to learn English at school. My heart was especially drawn to one of my girls who did not know Jesus. She asked me a question. If God was so good, then why did He not draw all of them to heaven? This is a question of the ages, is it not? Many people believe that a loving God would not send anyone to hell. But a loving God provided His son so we could experience a rightness with Him.

When she approached me with her questions, she did not want anyone to know she had these questions. I thought that this would be an impossible situation because she was my most limited English speaking student. But God did not think that this was impossible at all. I began with Romans 6:23.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

She found it in her German Bible. After she read it, I asked her what did it mean. She said that it meant that Christ was the answer to her if she did not want death.

Everyday for the remainder of the camp, she would stay after the lesson and ask for more Bible verses to read. She would meticulously highlight them. Then she would write the verse on a separate scrap of paper and use that for a bookmark. Our conversation was limited...just the careful highlighting of verses. On the last day, she stayed to highlight 25 verses! I ended with Romans 10:9-10.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I asked her what that meant. She said that if she believed and professed her belief that she would receive Jesus. I asked her if she wanted to do that. She said with a smile, "I do." I was so shocked!!! She went to talk to our camp pastor. He called her father(who is not a believer). Her father agreed that she could be baptized. She came back to find me and hugged and sobbed for 5 minutes. The joy of the Lord was evident in her heart.

Another amazing thing is that she agreed to stand in front of the group and share her testimony. This was huge! She did not like to talk in front of the 8 girls much less 41 campers and 20 adults. She worked all afternoon on writing her testimony. She practiced with me. She was insistent that she must share her favorite verse...Romans 6:23, the one she began her journey with.

God does not need my talents, my energy, or my wisdom. He does not need me to be well-rested. He does not need me to know a foreign language to share with a non-English speaking person. He needs my willingness to go into all nations and trust Him.

Sometimes God purposely says NO

“A few days later, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night praying to God. The next morning he called his followers. He chose twelve of them and called them apostles. These are the ones he chose:

Judas, the son of James, Judas Iscariot (the one who turned against Jesus).”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:12-13, 16‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Couple of things to notice here. Jesus stayed up all night praying. We have trouble talking to God for 5 minutes!

He was seeking wisdom about a major decision to choose his 12 apostles. These men would follow him around for the next three years and Jesus would pour into them. He was picking his pit crew. He needed his Father's counsel to choose these friends. So many times, I make decisions without a lot of prayer.

Were you surprised that after an all night prayer session, God allowed him to choose the "wrong" friend in Judas? This was by divine plan, not by accident. I think that we get confused when God purposely allows a terrible thing to happen to us. We have a rebellious child even when we are following the Lord. Someone that we loved dies prematurely. A friend betrays us. The finances just don't work out. Our job just does not pay enough and the money is always short. We feel like we will never be able to retire and we are getting tired.

Our thinking has to be constantly analyzed and see if it agrees with His word. He asks us to be happy and rejoice when life is tough. Be nervous if life is a bed of roses because that is not what Jesus experienced and God loved his Son so much. He allowed pain and discomfort and poverty and rejection in his beloved Son's life. Listen to what He says in the book of Luke.

“You can be happy then and jump for joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. The ancestors of those people did the same things to the prophets. “But how bad it will be for you rich people, because you had your easy life. How bad it will be for you people who are full now, because you will be hungry. How bad it will be for you people who are laughing now, because you will be sad and cry. “How bad it is when everyone says nothing but good about you. Just look at the false prophets. Their ancestors always said good things about them.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:23-26‬ ‭ERV‬‬

These verses make me stop and think if my requests are in line with what God wants for me. I want riches. I do not want to be hungry. I want a life of laughter. I want everyone to say good things about me. I want God to be my Santa Claus and give me everything I want all the time.

Next time, God answers our prayer with a no, rejoice and praise God and be thankful. His plan for us is to make us more like His Son and not more like the world.

Know Who Your Father Is

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you would like to have perfect peace, look at verse 3 going backwards. "Because they trust in you."

When something happened recently that shook my peace, I began to recount all the times when God was unbelievably faithful to me and my family. I started listing all of the blessings that I have. I began to praise Him for His power, for His kindness, for His resources, for His patience, for His perfect timing. By the time I finished, I was realizing that God is enough. I am not enough to handle this but God is more than enough.

Mark and I do three minutes of exercise each morning. We start by planking for 60 seconds and giving praise to God. If you recognize who your father is, your attitude changes. If I realize that my father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, why do I need to worry? If my heavenly father can do immeasurably above and beyond what I ask for, why am I afraid?

The Lord is good. He is a safe place to go to in times of trouble. He takes care of those who trust him.”
‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭ERV‬‬

It's Okay to Be Totally, Incredibly, Overwhelmed Sometimes

“I wish my suffering could be weighed and all my trouble be put on the scales. They would be heavier than all the sand of the sea! That is why my words are so crazy. God All-Powerful has shot me with his arrows. My spirit feels their poison! God’s terrible weapons are lined up against me. (Job 6:2-4 ERV)

I have read through the entire Bible for about 40 years. The seasons of my life are marked by what book I am reading. When it is June 1, then that means I am starting the book of Job. Just like if it is October 1, I begin the New Testament...and in June, I am so excited because I read Psalm and Proverbs. Back to the topic...

Of all the verses, why in the world would I pick these for today? Because right after I read these, I always thank God that he allows us to read about a guy that was crushed...and he lets me hear that it is okay to whine and complain for 40 chapters of the Bible!

To be honest, this morning I do not feel crushed or broken like Job. But when life deals a really hard blow, I know that God does NOT expect me to walk around with a smile on my face and a cheery disposition, acting like nothing is wrong. When Job' s friend gave him wrong information about his suffering, it is okay that Job cried out to them and asked them to just be quiet:).

"I wish you would just be quiet. That would be the wisest thing you could do." (Job 13:5 ERV)

God does not expect us to walk around like robots, mimicking the perfect words to others, telling others that we are "fine." We can grieve. We can lay on the floor and cry. We can sob while we are talking to God and tell him how depressed and hopeless we feel. God does not love us any less and he is not disappointed in our lack of understanding of why we are going throughout this suffering. 

However, what Job did was to continue to cry out to the One who does have all the answers. He knew who holds eternity in His hands. And in the midst of his intense pain, he knew that this life on earth is temporary and that there is an eternity and he cries out...

"I know that there is someone to defend me and that he lives! And in the end, he will stand here on earth and defend me. After I leave my body and my skin has been destroyed, I know I will still see God. I will see him with my own eyes. I myself, not someone else, will see God. And I cannot tell you how excited that makes me feel! (Job 19:25-27 ERV)"