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Topic: Power (05/10/04)
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TITLE: Divine Reality By Sherri Fulmer Moorer 05/10/04 |
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Confusion is natural, especially when it seems that the problems are compounding and the solutions are slipping away. Sometimes, there is absolutely nothing you can do, and it’s frustrating to simply live through discouraging circumstances with no understanding and no relief in sight. Human beings like to have things under control, and our first instinct to handling these hard times is, “What can I do to end this situation?” Unfortunately, reality is not on our side. The truth is that by attempting to take control of such situations, we are actually doing the one thing that we have no right to do - taking our lives out of God's hands and into our own.
I once heard somebody say to never pray to get what’s coming to you, because it’s probably the last thing you really want. I have come to see that this is true, because our perception of what is fair is relative. What is perfectly fair to me may be a great injustice to you, and what is fair to you may be completely unjustified to me. Things are not always what they seem, and too many of us misunderstand God in these situations. People want God to give them what they want, when in reality He is giving us exactly what we need. These are often very different things, and most of us would probably fight it to the end. What we need is not always pleasant or easy to live with, but in the end it’s more beneficial than we could have ever imagined.
I recently came through one of those dark seasons where everything went wrong. During this time, my husband and I had 2 friends betray us, my job became very difficult due to sudden changes and extra projects, my husband's grandmother died, and I spent several months battling a series of infections that kept coming back with a vengeance. It seemed that for a period of about 6 months, I was stuck in a vicious cycle of battling my health, arguing with other people, and being angry all the time. When the panic attacks started, I realized something was very wrong with me emotionally, and that it was time for me to come to terms with the reality of my situation.
After almost a year, I think I have finally come to understand that my hard times were a lesson about the power of faith. The truth is that Christians live in between two worlds, and during hard times we feel this paradox as life starts to hurt and we run out of places to hide. Sometimes, it’s only when we become totally frustrated with the lack of results of our own efforts that we are truly ready to turn our lives over to God and have the faith to put it all in His hands.
The reality of our lives is that this world is not fair. Solomon called it right when he observed, “I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11 RSV). The storms of life toss us all around from time to time, and we have to find a way to weather these storms so we can put the scattered pieces of our lives back together once the winds settle.
Fortunately, we can take refuge in the Lord. God has promised that “I will never fail you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 RSV), and we can trust that He will continually deliver on this promise in our lives. He may not immediately remove us from hard situations, but He will give us what we need in order to work our way through them, so that our faith will be strengthened. While what we need may not be pleasant, it’s actually the best thing for us. It hurts when friends betray you, but perhaps the reason it happened was because they would hinder you instead of help you with the purpose God has for your future, and the betrayal was an early warning not keep too much trust in them. Illness may come to teach you to lean on the Lord in faith, and to trust in His healing power more than the power of men. Promotions may be denied to teach you patience and help you find strength for greater opportunities ahead. You just never know how things will work out, but one thing you can always trust is that God is always leading you in the right direction.
One of my favorite Bible versus is, “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 RSV). This promise wasn't just meant for Jeremiah, it was meant for each and every one of us as well. Through my trials, I came to understand that if I faithfully trust the Lord to handle all things, He will always bring about the best resolution. It may not be quick and easy, but it will be glorious and beneficial. God isn't trying to punish us through our hard times, but rather He is trying to help us realize the power of our faith. A lot of us underestimate the power of faith in our lives, and we shouldn't. Faith not only gives us the strength to face the storms of life; it also gives us hope that we will emerge from the storm stronger and prepared for a better future.
Life is hard, and the realities that we have to face in this world are not always pleasant.Fortunately, we know that there is One that is always there and that can get us through any situation if we will walk in faith. Our own efforts may fall apart, but you can rest assure that when you put your life in God's hands, everything will work out for the best in the end. This is the divine reality that we live in, and although we don’t like to give up control, the truth is that God's hands is the safest place to be.