Questions arise and trials come. They always do. . . . It's just part of life.
No matter how certain you are at the moment, doubts will come knocking at your door like the big bad wolf, threatening to blow your peaceful charade in.
When the storm winds blow, and the waves of uncertainty crash upon your life's shore, where do you go for comfort? Where do you seek refuge?
Do you rely upon your own strength to get you back on your feet so that you can continue onward through life? Do you allow your emotions to control you and drive you down, down into life's mire of despair?
I have prided myself and felt confident in my ability to find my refuge and strength in God. I profess great ability to run into His arms when the world threatens to collapse around my ears, and when my fears and doubts rise up as one against me.
When I cannot clearly make out my next step, I throw myself at the foot of the throne of God and beg Him to show me the way. . . . I implore Him with tears and supplication. And when I do not receive an immediate answer, I begin to demand God to tell me why. I require that He answer me swiftly. . . . And I have a list of reasons to read off to Him about why He should give me the answer right away.
Time is a fragile thing. Isn't it? The value of our lives is measured by how much we can get done in the time we are given. Right?
Last night it struck me that I was coming at this all wrong.
I thought about my long drives in the car, pouring out my heart to God in an endless flow of words, tears, and heartfelt pleading, and I thought to myself: How much time have I spent listening? How much time have I spent seeking God's timing and God's perspective on what is going on in my life?
The answer was: very little.
Then I thought: how much more could I accomplish in my times of waiting, if, instead of begging over and over again for God to give me an answer in my timing, I instead concentrated on basking in God's glory and trusting in His timing? In His perspective?
What if I made my times of waiting into times of worship, prayer, and listening?
Into times of "being still and knowing that He is God"?
Peace in uncertainty.
Sounds nice, doesn't it?
Assr vísa ykkarr brand.
(May God guide your sword.)
ElizabethMarieKauffman
2 comments:
You're 100% right, Cousin. I was just reading this morning in a book on the life of the great warrior of the abolition of the slave trade, William Wilberforce. John Piper wrote the book, and the climax is about what you're talking about. Wilberforce's story in brief goes like this:
William Wilberforce got saved.
He realized God wanted him to abolish the slave trade in England.
Wilberforce persevered for 20 years to do that.
He was joyful his whole saved life.
Where did he get his perseverance and joy?
The root for them was the gospel.
What did he understand about the gospel?
He knew that before a man can do good stuff, God has to change him. So Wilberforce based his faith on Christ's power to save and the Holy Spirits ability to work. He knew that those things happened first. And because of those truths he was able to do any good at all.
The point was that he understood that.
So yes, you're right to think that that we should understand that God works first, we work because of that. Or as Piper said, our fruit comes from Christ's root, every time.
Wow! Standing behind you as you walk step by step this amazing journey called life! Love you, girl!
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