Friday, June 30, 2017

WHEN GOD IS SILENT, PART 3

Joseph's story did not end when he was called out of that  prison cell and made 2nd in command over all of Egypt, 2nd only to Pharaoh.  His God-given wisdom and plan of storing up grain for 7 years while the crops were good saved not only the nation of Egypt, but would reunite him with his brothers and his father. It also brought his entire family to Egypt where they multiplied greatly.  Exodus 1: 5-6 "The total number of Jacob's descendants was 70.  Joseph was already in Egypt.  Then Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.  But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them."

Yes, God did great things in Joseph's life.  From our perspective, we can look at his story and SEE all the ways God was working to bring the desired end.  But as Joseph was living it those 13 years, he endured many hardships, defeats and it was NOT a walk in the park.  Still, he trusted God and God blessed him and his entire family.

However, that is still not the end of the story.  God was again silent....this time for 400 years!!!  The Israelites had become slaves in the nation they had fled to and were greatly oppressed.  Yet God had been silent for 400 years.  God had promised their ancestor Abraham that He would multiply them and He had.  But they hadn't heard from him in 400 years, then Exodus 2:23 says "After a long time, the king of Egypt died.  The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor and they cried out; and their cry for help ascended to God because of the difficult labor.  So God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  God saw the Israelites and He took notice."  Does that mean that God had forgotten them?  Does it mean He was asleep for 400 years and suddenly woke up and saw them struggling?  No.  He knew right where they were.  It just wasn't time yet.

You see God's time clock is not like ours.  II Peter 3:8 "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."  We must remember that!  God has a plan, a Kingdom plan that spans all of eternity.  So what seems like eternity to us is just a blip on the radar of all eternity.

Joseph's story was part of this Kingdom plan to move the Israelites to the Promised Land and eventually to establish the nation of Israel, to set apart His people.  And one day, from this bloodline our Savior would come, Jesus Christ.

God is still working.  He is working out His Kingdom plan and we are part of that plan.   We may not see it with our physical eyes.  It may seem that He is not doing anything although we are continually crying out to Him for ourselves or on behalf of someone we love.  But my dear Friend, I assure you that HE IS WORKING!!  Do not mistake His silence for inactivity.

We must trust in WHO HE IS and trust in His goodness!  We must remember that His promises never fail.  So no matter what you are going through, no matter how long you have prayed and seemingly not gotten a response, God does hear, God does notice, God IS working.

"In times of crisis we are prone to question His care; in times of calm we tend to forget our need of His care.  It is fatal to look at circumstances, especially in crisis, for it will be impossible to be still and wait for God's time of deliverance.  DWELL IN STILLNESS AND WAIT FOR CLEARNESS! The unbelieving heart looks at circumstances and leaves God out.  Faith, on the contrary, looks only at God and leaves circumstances out."  Miles Stanford

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

WHEN GOD IS SILENT, PART 2

As a young teenage boy, Joseph seemed to have it all....the affection of his father, the fancy multi-colored coat that stoked the jealousy in each of his older brothers, and even what seemed to be the favor of God as God began to reveal Joseph's future through dreams or visions.  And Joseph was not shy about sharing these visions with his older brothers and therefore, it drove them nuts, so much so that one day they decided to get rid of him.  They threw him in a cistern to die and would have left him there except a band of gypsies came along and they saw an opportunity to both get rid of him and make a few dollars.  So they sold him, their own flesh and blood, and then carried his coat back to his father with a tale that the boy must have been attacked by a wild animal as evidenced by the blood that they had soaked it in.  It broke Jacob's heart and he would grieve for years and years over this lost boy.

Now if we left the story there, it would seem that all was lost.  Aaahhh, but with God things are not always as they seem.  No, Joseph found himself in the courts of Potiphar, in Egypt.  He rose to a place of leadership and was given great responsibility in Potiphar's house.   He had grown into a man, a very handsome man at that.  And Mrs. Potiphar had her eye on him.  She tried her best to seduce him, but when Joseph fled, leaving his cloak behind, she cried "foul" and Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison.  Knocked down again for no fault of his own.  In fact, he was trying to do what was right when this happened to him.  Time stood still for Joseph.  Til one day he interpreted the dreams of a baker and a butler.  The butler was released and Joseph made him promise that he would put in a good word for him with Pharaoh.  But....I guess he forgot.  Because day after went by and no one came for Joseph.

Now you would think after all that had happened to Joseph over approximately 12 or 13 years, he would have possibly decided that God had forgotten him, that God didn't care, that God could not be trusted, that Heaven was closed and God was silent.  But....that was not the case.

Chapter 41 of Genesis, "Two years passed and Pharaoh had a dream".  Two years after the butler had been released and made Joseph the promise.  And suddenly they were coming for Joseph.  They cleaned him up and brought him before Pharaoh because Pharaoh had very disturbing dreams that no one had been able to interpret.  Then the butler remembered Joseph.  "Oh!  Hey!  I know a guy...."
When before Pharaoh what do you think Joseph said?  Did he brag on his unusual abilities?  Did he deny that he had helped the butler?  No.  He said "Not I, but God.  God will set Pharaoh's mind at ease." (Gen. 41:16 Msg) As Max Lucado described it "Joseph emerged from his prison cell bragging on God, Jail time didn't devastate his faith; it deepened it."  (You'll Get Thru This by Max Lucado)

Max goes on "Joseph's story appeared to stall out in Chapter 40.  Our hero was in shackles.  The train was off the tracks.  History was in a holding pattern.  But while Joseph was waiting, God was working.   He assembled the characters.  God placed the butler in Joseph's care. He stirred the sleep of the king with odd dreams. He confused Pharaoh's counselors.  And at just the right time, God called Joseph to duty.

To wait, biblically speaking, is not to assume the worst, worry, fret, make demands or take control.  Nor is waiting inactivity.  Waiting is a sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and belief.  To wait is to 'rest in the Lord and wait patiently upon Him...not fret'" Psalm 37:7

Yes, it appeared that Joseph had been forgotten by not only his brothers but God as well.  It seemed that God was silent for all those years, leaving Joseph to fend for himself.  According to Max, "In the chaos called 'Joseph's life', I count one broken promise, at least two betrayals, several bursts of hatred, two abductions, more than one attempted seduction, ten jealous brothers, and one case of poor parenting.  Abuse. Unjust imprisonment. Twenty four months of prison food. Mix it all together and let it set for 13 years and what do you get?  The grandest bounce back in the Bible! Jacob's forgotten boy became the second most powerful man in the world's most powerful country.  The path to the palace wasn't quick and it wasn't painless, but wouldn't you say God took this mess and m de it into something good?"

Joseph's story gives us all hope!  It reminds us that while we wait, God works.  We may not see it.  We may not see ANY evidence that God is at work.  But, that does not mean He isn't!  In those 13 years of slavery, hardship, loneliness, abandonment, imprisonment and being wrongly accused, God never left him.  Quite the contrary.  God was preparing him for one of the greatest roles of his life!  He was going to save God's people from starvation.  He was going to bring them all down to Egypt, also part of God's BIG picture.  The proud, arrogant boy in the rainbow jacket was not ready for that role. It took 13 years to make him into the man he needed to be to handle that responsibility.  But make no mistake!  Though God may have seemed silent, He never left Joseph.  And, what's more, Joseph knew it.  How do we know?  Listen to what he says to his brothers in Genesis 50:20 "You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result--the survival of many people."

Remember this.  God may be silent, but God is never inactive!  He is always working, always with you and always faithful to His plans and promises.  So trust in Him as Joseph did.  Pray and wait for  God to act.  

"Trust in the Lord with all you heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5,6

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

WHEN GOD IS SILENT

Waiting rooms are places most of us would rather not have to spend time in, especially doctor's waiting rooms.  Minutes drag by.  You are impatient because you have better things to do and are ready to be done with this.  Or you are anxious because you are not sure what the diagnosis will be and while part of you wants to know, the other part of you wants to run.  But one thing for sure, the wait WILL end.  Sooner or later you will get to see the doctor, you will be examined and the diagnosis will be rendered.

Let's face it.  We, as humans, do not like waiting!  Whether that is in a doctor's waiting room, in a fast food line, the drive through lane at the bank or waiting in line at the grocery.  But, all of these places have one thing in common.  You WILL get through the line and get what you are waiting for.

But, God's waiting room is different.  If you have ever been in God's waiting room (and if you over the age of 12, you most likely have been), you know that answers do not always come so quickly.  And.....sometimes, they do not seem to come at all.  At times, it seems that Heaven's doors are closed and God is eerily silent.

You pray and pray and pray, taking your request before the Lord.  Yet you see no evidence He is working or even that He has heard you at all!  Is He asleep?  Is the Heavenly phone off the hook?  Is something blocking our connection?  Is He mad at you?  Lots of things go through our minds.

Did you know that this happened to men of the Bible?!  Take David, for instance, who was called "a man after God's own heart".  Acts 13:22 tells us : "God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ "  Yet David cried out to God many times and God was silent.  Take a look at a few of these:

Psalm 42: 9 "I will say to God, my rock, 'Why have You forgotten me?'"
Psalm 44:24 "Why do You hide Yourself and forget our affliction and oppression?"
Psalm 55:1,2 "God, listen to my prayer, and do not ignore my plea for help.  Pay attention to me and answer me.  I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint..."
Psalm 77:7-9 "Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor? Has His faithful love ceased forever? Is His promise at an end for all generations? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger withheld His compassion?"

Do YOU relate to David?  Have you ever prayed prayers similar to David's?

Then there was Job.  Job was just minding his own business when the Lord bragged on Job to Satan saying "Have you considered My servant Job?  No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil." (Job 1:8) Now I don't know about you, but I cannot think of ANYTHING better than having God Himself  say something like that about me!!!  But, Satan said that the only reason Job was so good was that God was keeping evil from him.  "Stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns," Satan said to God, "and he will surely curse You to your face!" (Job 1:11)

So God gave Satan permission to do just that.  Job lost everything he had....his home, his livestock and worst of all, ALL of his children!  Then if that wasn't enough, he developed awful boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet so he even lost his health.  Job did not know what had hit him or why.  He questioned God.  He asked God what we would ask Him  if that happened to us...."WHY?!"  And do you know God's answer?  SILENCE.  At least for a while.  When He did finally answer, it was not the answer Job was looking for.  Instead of telling him why, God questioned him.  "Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said, Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words?  Get ready to answer Me like a man; when I question you, you will inform Me.  Where were YOU when I established the earth?!"  (Job 38: 1-4)  God proceeded to remind Job that HE was God and He did not owe Job any answers.  Four chapters later, Job finally responds to the Lord, "Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." (Job 42:3b)

But my favorite of all the men in the Bible who spent time in God's waiting room is Joseph.  And we will look at him tomorrow.  So if you are in God's waiting room, if Heaven seems shut up to you, if God seems silent although you keep praying and praying, please check back in tomorrow.  And, whatever you do, don't give up !!  God may seem silent, but I assure you, HE SEES, HE KNOWS and HE CARES!!



Monday, June 26, 2017

KINDNESS DOESN'T COST A PENNY

Heard this said today about kindness:

"Kindness is the one thing that can be heard by the deaf and seen by the blind."


In a society that is so focused on me, myself and I, it is so refreshing when we witness acts of kindness.  Here is a wonderful example:



"A little redemption for the suffering human soul. The older man was paused at the top of an escalator and a few people started gathering waiting to get on. It was clear he was feeling unsure and this young man offered the simplest kindness: an out-reached arm and a "can I help you on, sir?" He quietly started to explain to the young man that he had gotten stuck on an escalator once and was a little scared. The young man gently offered an assurance, they looked at each other eye to eye for just a moment and the older man accepted his arm. Everyone else remained patient. "

Every day we have the opportunity to be kind whether to strangers, to co-workers, to neighbors, or even to our own family.  It costs us nothing more than a few moments of our time in most cases.  Yet why are we so stingy?  I challenge you today as you go about your day, look for opportunities to be kind.  

Paul reminds us to "be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another..." .  I have been on the receiving of another's kindness.  And I can tell you it is a blessing beyond compare.  

So let's counterattack this culture of self-centeredness and do something nice for someone today.  I'd love to hear some things that maybe YOU have done lately as a random act of kindness.  Not as a way of bragging, but to share some ways that others may not have thought of.  



Saturday, June 24, 2017

THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR HOPE

Several months ago, my husband and I dug up a rose bush from my Mother's house and transplanted it to my house.  You see my Mother passed away in December of 2015 and her house is currently for sale.  She had had this white rose, JOHN F KENNEDY, for years.  It would sometimes be as tall as me and it bloomed prolifically every year.  In fact, it had already bloomed when we dug it up.  I had debated about moving it, but I love roses and since this was Mother's....well, I just wanted it because it was hers.

We brought it home but we didn't set it out for a couple of days due to some heavy rain.  When we set it out, it looked bad.  I wish I had made a picture of it, but unfortunately I didn't.  Just take my word for it, all the leaves had drooped except for one little leaflet near the top.  It remained green and perky.  After about a week, I decided to cut it back and cut all the dead leaves off.  The one little great leaflet remained, still looking good.  The main stalk was also green but the stalk to the outside was black. I knew pretty well that it was a goner, but I waited just a little longer to see.

I REALLY wanted this rose to live.  I prayed more than once, asking God to make it take root and to allow me the joy of having this rose to live.  Day after day I looked and day after day, nothing.  Weeks went by.  Nothing.  I fertilized it.  I watered it.  I prayed over it.

It had probably been 2 months or more when I peeked out the window just above it one morning to see if we'd had any rain the night before, and I could not believe my eyes!  This is what I saw:



The little leaflet at the top right is the one that had failed to die.  All the other little sprouts of leaves were new....having just sprouted almost overnight!  There was even one tiny leaf at the bottom of the black cane, but that cane looked so bad and was so unhealthy, that I cut it off so all I have remaining is the main part.  Thrilled is an understatement!!!!!!!!!!  I thanked the Lord for letting it live and for the sweet blessing He allowed me to have of letting Mother's rose live.

It's been about a month now and this is what it looks like now:


I am so excited!  I can hardly wait for it to bloom!  And what's more, it is so healthy and green!  

Watching this little rose bush literally come back from the dead has reminded me once again of how people can often look hopeless, but to God NO ONE is hopeless!!  God never gives up on us.  We may give up on ourselves.  Others may give up on us. But, God NEVER gives up on us!  As barren as our lives may be, as long as we have breath, there is hope.

There are people in my life that I have prayed for for years.  I see no change.  Yet I know that God is working on the inside and moving and working in ways I cannot see.  I could see no activity within  this rose.  Day after day I looked and hoped to see just a tiny sprout of a leaf.  Yet, there was nothing.  Until one day, suddenly, out of the blue...there came the leaves!  And one day, I truly believe, that God is going to bring life where now there appears to be none.  Beauty for ashes.  

So thank you, God, for reminding me again, that with you, there is ALWAYS hope.  

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him more and more."  Psalm 43: 5  "For thou art my hope, O Lord God; thou art my trust from my youth."  Psalm 70: 5

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

MARRIAGE ADVICE FROM A HUSBAND

I ran across this on Facebook earlier today.  I was surprised to see that it was written by a man, Timothy Willard on his blog THE EDGES.  I was also greatly moved at his passion for his marriage.
In a day when marriage is under attack from every side, it is very encouraging to hear a man talk so passionately about being proactive above fighting for his marriage.  So I re-post it here and hope that those who read it will re-post it so others can read it and that ripple effect will take place so that many, many husbands will read it and be inspired to be do the same.


FIGHTING FOR MY MARRIAGE

The enemy hates marriage.
Last week a friend texted and asked, “Did you hear about Lysa Terkeurst? So sad.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about so I quickly Googled it. Lysa lives here in Charlotte and runs Proverbs 31 Ministries.
When I found her site, I read the post to which my friend was referring. My heart sank. Lysa informed the public that she “had decided to separate from him [her husband] and pursue a divorce."
Her husband, Art, was “repeatedly unfaithful” to her and was caught in substance abuse. As a man, my heart sank even lower.
I texted my friend: "Bro, the enemy prowls … This is a call to fight for our wives. To love big.”
Then, I thought of my own heart. And how the enemy prowls. And how we are all of us (men and women) susceptible to waywardness and the passions.
So, I scratched down a few vows for myself, as a man who does his best to love his wife and lead his three little pixies in the way Everlasting. I share them with you as kind of a “family memo.” You are, after all, my brothers and sisters.
My heart breaks for Christian marriage. But I realize the best thing I can do to help it is to do my best to keep God at the center of it, and my affections where they need to be.
So, I vow … 
To love big, and stay small. Doing what I need to do to keep the humility of Christ ever in my heart.
To get off my devices and be present for my wife and children.
To let her see me turn away from images I know my heart can’t handle.
To guard my heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
To get into the wilderness regularly. Not just with dudes, but with God.
To seek quiet, stillness, and solitude. To let it breathe through me and into my household.
To show my ladies the value in a good fire, a yummy s’more, and a terrifying ghost story.
To not give in to the rat-race of busy-ness, and be home—not just sitting around, but doing, building, playing, laughing, failing, singing, cooking, loving.
To work harder at being a husband and dad than I do at my job.
To let the blows of God mold me. For when I am in his hands, I am my best self.
To make play with my girls and wife more important than watching football.
To never let my mind get weak by the amusement and entertainment the world flings at me on an hourly basis.
To be active in my church.
To spiritually pastor and lead my household by initiating times of prayer, Bible reading, and worship.
To let praise, to God and to my ladies, be ever on my lips.
To try new things so that I will never stagnate.
To give my wife every opportunity to shine: in her home, in front of her daughters, in front of her friends, in front of her parents.
To buy her that expensive chair, and then sit with her in quiet, reading praying, and dreaming.
To defer whatever power I might think I have to God, and to my wife.
To not fuss over things that don’t matter. Like where we eat after church, or what should hang on the wall, or what movie to watch.
To live as a shield for my wife and pixies—to take on pain, so they won’t have to.
To let my wife know I live, laugh, and sleep with the real Wonder Woman.
To empower my wife’s gifts with my own.
To let her see me cry.
To kiss her just because.
To kiss her again, just because.
And again.
To be honest, to seek truth, but always with a spirit of love and encouragement.
To have the French Press hot when she walks down the stairs.
To let her know how much I learn from her.
To rub her arm in church.
To confess to her during communion.
To speak to her with a heavenly tone, and with words that make the angels cry with jealousy.
To be a warrior-poet for my girls—by setting standards, not just rules, by warding off culture’s constant voice with the sword of my imagination, and by winning the fight for their hearts with a holiness I seek like silver.
To YAWP for my wife; in triumph, in pain, in ecstasy, so we never forget the ferocity of life, and the God who makes it so.
To die. To my self. To my passions. To my lust. Over and over. As many times as it takes. 
 

Monday, June 19, 2017

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL....

Music....it stirs and moves the soul and emotions.  Just think about it...there are certain scores from movies that when you hear the first few chords, you immediately can see scenes from the movie. Who can forget the famous "Da-dum, da-dum....da-dum, da-dum, dadum!!!" of Jaws!?

From your past, are there not songs that you can hear today and immediately you are taken back to a certain place in time?  I can hear the music and words to "American Pie" from the 70's and suddenly I'm in an old VW bug cruising around Columbus MS with my college friends or hear "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog" and I'm at one of the few concerts I ever attended...3 Dog Night!

Music is powerful.  King Saul had David play the harp to sooth his tormented mind.  Spa music makes you relax and unwind.  Other music makes you want to tap your foot or dance.  Play Rocky Top and this Tennessee girl is going to clap and sing and cheer her VOLS!!

Today most of what I listen to is from the K-Love radio station, "positive and encouraging K-Love".  I started listening to this station probably 10 years ago or so when I was going through a really rough time.  My mind was being bombarded with fears and anxieties and I needed something to combat the troubling thoughts that Satan was filling my mind with.  I turned to this station and God has used it a million times since to encourage my heart, to lift me up when I am down and to comfort me when I am sad.

I could tell you story after story of songs that God has used in my life.  Yes, God definitely speaks to me in music!

One Sunday a couple of years ago, a new song was played in Church.  I didn't take to it immediately but soon I would find that to change as it began to speak volumes to me about God's love and unending comfort for me during a season that was particularly difficult.  My Mother's health was failing and being an only child I became the parent, a role I did not want but found myself in nonetheless.  Every time I heard this song it reminded me that God was a good, good Father and that He was taking care of me and Mother.  That is the song that I played on this blog yesterday.  It became the backdrop for my life during that season of heartache and loss, but it comforted me more than I can say.

A few Sundays ago, our worship team sang a song and I wept.  It is a powerful song.  It reminds us that no matter what is going on in our life, "thru it all, it is well".  Psalm 46:2 says "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" and Habbukkuk 17, 18 says "Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, YET I will triumph in the God of my salvation.  God is my Strength!"  Today I do not know where you are or what you are going through, but I hope that this song will speak to you as much as it did for me of the hope that we have in the Lord.  "Thru it all....it is well with my soul."

A word of thanks and recognition to Chris Copeland, our worship leader and Jenny Baker, lead soloist for a beautiful job.




Sunday, June 18, 2017

MY FATHER IS THE BEST!

As we celebrate Father's Day today, I'm sorry, but I just have to brag.  I have the BEST Father ever!!!!  You see I can honestly say that MY Father has never disappointed me.  He has never lied to me.  He has NEVER failed to keep a promise!! NEVER!!  He has provided for me my entire life.  Whenever I'm down, He picks me up.  Whenever I need help He always has words of wisdom to share.  He is just THE BEST!

Now I know that many of you also have great fathers and you are blessed too.  But I also know some of you whose fathers have walked out on you, have abused you, have abandoned you or worse.  So I just want you to know that MY Father is so kind, so loving, so tenderhearted and His love is so amazing that He wants to love you too if you'll let him.

Yes my Father is the BEST!  Many fathers would do anything to save their child from pain or heartache or even to save their very life.  But mine actually did.  Mine sent His own Son to die for me, to purchase my redemption so that I could spend eternity with Him!!!  And you know what else?  He did it for YOU too!!!!!!!!!

My Father is a good, good Father.  He will never leave me or forsake me.  He has promised to always be with me.  He loves me.  He cares for me.  He holds me in the palm of His hand.  He will never let me down and never let me go.  Oh yes, today I celebrate the BEST Father ever....my good, good Father!!!!






Saturday, June 17, 2017

WHAT IF GOD SAYS NO?





If you have walked with the Lord any time, you know that God DOES answer prayer.  Unequivocally, mercifully and often.  But, there are those times, when things do not work out the way we hoped or prayed that they would.  Then what?  Do we give up on God?  Do we turn our backs on Him, decide we were wrong about Him, or let our hearts grow cold?  That IS Satan's hope and his intent.

This song, EVEN IF, by Mercy Me speaks to all of those feelings.  The first time I heard it I was in a season of fervent prayer over something.  I felt like this song had been written just for me.   God uses songs to really speak to me, to minister to me and to encourage me.  This was one of those songs!

Bart Millard, lead singer for Mercy Me, shares his own personal testimony regarding this song EVEN IF in the video above.   The words "I know you're able and I know you can, save through the fire with Your mighty hand, but EVEN IF YOU DON'T....."  became MY testimony and I pray will be my testimony til my last breath.

Let's face it, we all wish things would always go just as planned, or should I say, just as WE plan!  But God's ways are higher than our ways.  He sees the big picture while we are just looking through the straw.  Huh?  OK....stop and take a picture of something, a picture from a magazine or the newspaper, a flyer from the mail, doesn't really matter.  Then take a straw and look through the straw.  Can you tell what you are looking at? Probably not.  Now remove the straw and look at the WHOLE picture.  Hence "looking through the straw".  God sees the whole story...HIS story and our life is just a tiny piece of that bigger story.  Yet our life is significant to Him and we do have a part in the grand scheme of things.  But we tend to get focused on this one little second rather than trying to see things from God's perspective.

Not only that, but it is not about US.  It's all about Him.  We are so caught up in me, myself and I that we can't see that what is going on with us has a bigger dimension than even we can comprehend and God is working ALL things for our good!

A friend gave me a wonderful little book for Christmas called 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Myers.  It is designed so that every day of the month you will have something scriptural based to praise God for.  One that I have highlighted quite a bit says this "Thank you that You have me in the place You want me just now...that even if I got here through wrong choices or indifference or even rebellion, yet You knew my mistakes and sins before I ever existed and You worked them into Your plan to draw me to Yourself, to mold  and bless me, and to bless others through me.  Thank you that, even if I'm here through ill-will or poor judgment of other people, all is well; for in Your sovereign wisdom You are at work to bring about good results from all those past decisions, those past events beyond my control...good results both for me and for others."

So I am reminded through this song EVEN IF, that God is still on the throne, He is still in control and He can still be trusted EVEN IF He doesn't intervene in the way I hope.  I will cling to Him no matter what because He is faithful and He can be trusted and He does ALL things well!

I hope that you will listen to this song and it will bless you and encourage you today as much as it has blessed me, and if so, that you will pass it along to someone else.