06/13/2020
Our lives are ever changing, and no matter how hard we try to control them they will always be set upon by outside forces beyond our control. Not even the sweetest times of faith go without looking up to find a looming challenge on the horizon, because as we experience life we lean on God in various new ways, and through this we come to a fresh understanding of Him in the process. How well we know God seems to depend on how fully we have lived our life.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 ESV
The COVID-19 pandemic is a good example of how the “normal” daily existence we live can be instantly changed. In this catastrophe, the routine life, in which we planned, worked, prayed, and went to church, was suddenly tossed up in the air and chaos ruled. In a matter of days, all of our plans were preempted... we lost our jobs, or they were placed on hold, we found our prayers for increase suddenly shifting to survival, and our churches, where we always went to approach God in past hard times, had closed their doors to us in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading. Life changed, and there was nothing we could do about it, and as we turned to God we did so in a way we had never approached Him before...
“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
2 Timothy 4:17 ESV
Our churches closed their doors, and the lesson became clear... God was not in the building, and our relationship with Him wasn’t tied to that place. In the very moment we realized this, we learned the lesson, the truth, and at last we saw Him as Elijah saw Him... He wasn’t in the church or the calamity, but within us... speaking to our individual hearts in a low whisper.
“And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
1 Kings 19:11-13 ESV
So, if we don’t lose faith, and resist the temptation to blame God for the problems of life, He will calm us, and use the ebbs and flows of the world to deliver new understanding to us, and will bring us closer to Him, but if our faith dwindles, and we take issue with Him as if He were the author of our calamity... then before He can deliver us from our suffering we must experience what might be the most challenging of all His lessons... how to renew of trust and faith in Him.
“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.””
Isaiah 41:13 ESV
The world turns, just as it was meant to turn. Life changes, just as it was designed to change, with ecosystems, weather patterns, and prey to predator relationships, all of these going through their cycles, and in the midst of this challenging change... God remains unchanged. Are we leaning on Him, and trusting with a steadfast faith today... are we learning our lessons the hard way from within the disasters, or by standing in the mouth of the cave, wrapped warm in our warm cloak of faith, and listening?
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
James 1:17 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the lessons you teach us in every life experience. Thank you for leading us to the mountains of life, and speaking to us from the mouth of the caves you prepare for us. Thank you for leading us through the wildernesses, and showing us how to worship you. Thank you for walking with us through the valleys, to defeat the fear in us... even the fear of evil, for you are with us. Thank you for your Son Jesus through whom you teach us grace, and show us mercy. Thank you for the lessons of the past, these we are in the midst of, and those yet to come. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who reveals Himself in all of life. Great are you in all things great and small. Praised be your name for each glimpse you give us of yourself, and your character. We worship you day and night Lord, because you are in everything we encounter by day, and in our dreams and visions by night. Strong are you who defeats our enemies, and faithful is your guard against the terrors of the night. Hear our ever changing prayers; they reflect our life, and our relationship with you, and Jesus, as we travel through life with you both. Be with us now Holy Father, and reveal more of yourself... now, and forevermore!
“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”
Hebrews 6:17-18 ESV
Rich Forbes