Each day, we wake up to another terrorist attack, murder, rape or some other source of unjustified violence. During times like this, we are urged to lean on God and take shelter with him; but how? Elizabeth Elliot writes in her book, "Keep a Quiet Heart":
"There is no situation so hopeless, no horizon so black, that God cannot there 'find His glory.' The truth is, without those ruined hopes, without that death, without the suffering that He called inevitable, the glory itself would be impossible."
The world is a place filled with hate, sin, death, murder, the list goes on. Looking back at the book of Matthew, we think He has turned His back on us and is making bad stuff happen. That is not the case. While we think He turned His back on us, the reality of it is that we have turned our backs on Him. When life proves to be difficult and situations do not go our way, we run away from Him instead of running towards Him.
How can we run to God when He lets something like cancer, suicide and violence take the ones we love? How can we trust in a God who allows someone to walk in or out of our lives which results in emotional pain and frustration? How can we love a God who lets us live in stress, anxiety and depression? Whenever I ask myself those questions, I turn back to James 1:2-4:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
The fact is, God will let something happen to you that you cannot handle by yourself. He wants you to see how by yourself, you are a weak sinner. But through and with Him, all is possible.
In Deuteronomy 31:6 it says:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
With that being said, He knows what troubles we will go through as followers of Christ and as sinners. But in Isaiah it says:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Everything you feel that you are being put through has a reason. Events don't happen behind God's back, because he knows everything that is going on. We are His children, and the sheep in His flock.
When life feels as if it is crumbling around you, keep your head up. It may seem that nothing is going right, or is going your way, but I promise you that there is a greater purpose to the madness. He loves you more than you could ever imagine and always knows the perfect plan.
