11/15/2021
When the love of God has been given us as a gift of the Spirit it is never a burden, but a joy to wake up to every morning, and a pleasure that fills our entire day. We are told to keep His commandments, and to obey the commandments of Jesus, but neither of these are unpleasant, nor difficult, if our heart is in the right place. In this way His love takes control of our every breath and action, and we are renewed by it with every new dawn. Our dread is overcome, and we are never alone.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
1 John 5:3 ESV
How many days do we wake up dreading what the coming hours will bring? Do we open our eyes and just lie there because today we must go to the hospital again, or tend to a sick or dying loved one? Is there a situation at work that is difficult and causes us to wish we could just run away to a peaceful place? Perhaps there is a problem in a relationship with our spouse, or within our family that we just can’t solve, and which brings us much pain. In such times does the love of God appear to be so far away, and the joy He promises seem a million miles from where we are? Well, this is how life appears when we face its troubles alone, or when our faith hasn’t become rooted as it should in the promises of the Lord. When we wake up in the dark places of life we should remember that those things which appear large and insurmountable to us are simple to our God, and He strengthens us as we face them…
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
We can truly face the world every day because of God’s love. He is with us despite the hardship. He might lift us out of our trouble, but more often than not He will simply walk with us through it. Do we have faith He is there? Do we believe without a doubt that Jesus has overcome the world?
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4 ESV
In facing our trials in life we might feel alone, but we are not, and in our weakness we might think we are doomed, but if we trust in the Lord, then that isn’t true either. We must believe, and remind ourselves that the Lord is our strength…
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 ESV
And that His love for us never ends…
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
There have been many times in my life when I have faced troubles. Sometimes I dread a certain day, and what I will face during it, but I do three things; I pray for the Lord to be with me in it, I tell Him how much I live Him, and then I remind myself that by this time tomorrow it will be over, regardless of what happens, and a new day will have come. I never doubt that God loves me, and I trust in His goodness.
Not everything in life ends as we think it should. We pray for a healing that doesn’t come, ask that our job be saved, but it isn’t, or maybe we want a relationship to be restored but it falters and dies. When these things happen we might feel like it is the end of the world, or be tempted to believe that God has abandoned us, but neither of these is true. God loves us, is good, and His promises remain true. Even in our deepest sorrow He is there to comfort us, and show us a way through it. In our greatest disappointment He gives us hope in our despair. The object of our lives is not to be continuously happy, and satisfied in them, but to be increased in our faith, and to love God as He loves us… especially in the rocky times, and not simply in the smooth.
I liked to sail when I was younger, but one thing a sailor knows, and that is this… if the seas are calm there is no wind in your sails, and your boat just bobs around like a cork. If you want to reach your destination it takes wind, and from time to time that can mean some tough seas, but it will always produce some chop on the water. Our faith needs wind too, and when it comes it fills our spiritual sails, and we move forward. God isn’t in the wind, but He loves us, and is certainly there with us when it blows.
“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 we face our troubles, our sorrows, our days of tribulation, and stand in the whipping winds of life wondering why God isn’t here with us, when in fact He is with us always. We doubt His promises when in fact they have never faltered, and we ask why these bad things happen to us even though we know that all things work together for good. Yet in each case we come to find Him again, and Jesus walks to us through the storm to calm the waters, and in the light breezes that follow He moves us forward towards righteousness by increasing us in our faith.
“O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.”
Psalm 59:17 ESV
The love of God is our faith, our joy, and how we should not only awaken in the morning, but come to face life in its entirety. God’s love should be the wind by which we set the sails of our hearts, and the disposition of our souls. Here is a wonderful quote from the writing of Andrew Murray, a late 1800s pastor…
“Our love has its origin in the fact that the Holy Spirit has poured out the love of God in our hearts, not only as an experience or feeling, but as something that takes possession of us and directs, controls, and inspires us. This love becomes a heavenly life power, a disposition of the soul” - Andrew Murray
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the love you have for us, and for how you love us so much that you sent your Son Jesus to live, suffer, and die for us. Father, forgive us when we complain about our lives, and think that the troubles we find in them are ours to face alone. Open our eyes Lord to the understanding that you have suffered in Christ as we suffer now, and that Jesus wept, even as we do. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who walks with us faithfully through the dark valleys, and sets us likewise upon the mountaintops. Praised be your name for the wind that often frightens us, but fills our sails, and brings us speedily to you. Merciful are you who sends Jesus across the water to calm it, and bring us to your distant shore. Your Holy Spirit pours out your love, and grace, upon us, and we give you all the glory for this amazing blessing. Wash us clean in the blood of Jesus, and let the promise of this New Covenant make us worthy in your eyes. Bring us to your Holy Kingdom, and dry our tears, heal our wounds, sooth our pain, and remove every tribulation we have endured for so long. We will sing your praises, and worship you there forevermore… filled with eternally joy, and promised blessing, for this will be the day that you have made.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.”
Psalm 27:1-6 ESV
Rich Forbes