Tag Archives: God’s presence

Rain or Shine, Lord, be my God.

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

20 Then Jacob made a vow: “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, if He provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. 22 This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to You a tenth of all that You give me.” (From Genesis 28, HCSB)

At first glance, nothing may seem to be wrong with what Jacob is saying. God does watch over us and provide for all of our needs. He does keep us safe.  So of course these are the terms of our contract with God, right?

So what about the times when we subjectively don’t feel God with us? What about when we are naked and hungry, in peril or distress? What about when life isn’t rosy? Will we declare God in breech of contract and stop serving him, or will we trust Him to see us through this hard time somehow?

God’s promises don’t include us never experiencing struggles and hardship and trouble and affliction. It doesn’t include us not suffering for His name’s sake. In fact, God warned us of just the opposite, those who follow Jesus must take up the cross ourselves, and we will face hatred and opposition if we’re serving him. We will have trouble. What we do have is his promise he will never leave us nor forsake us, that he will be there whether we feel his presence or not, that nothing in all of creation can separate us from his love, not even death itself.

Don’t be a sunshine Christian who says “If live is going well, I will serve you.” Be a rain-or-shine child of God who loves and trusts our Father and our Brother the King through all times, because of what he has already done for us. We can’t know for sure this was a fault for Jacob–God’s greatest provision for us,  for our salvation and eternal safety, were still ahead of him, as were the New Testament words of Jesus I referenced, but we have no such covering.

Lord, give me the grace and courage to seek first the kingdom of God and your righteousness, and the faith and trust to know all these things we worry over will be added unto us. Strengthen me to endure with you as my God no matter what this life brings. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

 

Posted in Bible and Theology, Faith, God's promises, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

Tagged , , ,

A Prayer for When You’re Under a Cloud of Darkness

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” (Psalm 143:10)

David prays for instruction from God on how to do God’s will, and presumably what God’s will is to start with, at a time when he is being pursed by the enemy, who sounds more like depression than a human enemy in this psalm: his soul is crushed, he sits in darkness, his spirit faints, his heart fails–or he is overcome with dismay.

David remembers first what God has done in the past and cries out to God to speak comfort to him and deliver him, determining to trust God.

Before David asks God to instruct David in obedience to God’s will, he does ask God out right to give him knowledge of the way he should go–what path he should take, the choices he should make–because he’s lifting up his battered soul to God for healing, and knows through experience that depression compromises our ability to make sound judgments. In his weakness, he’s relying all the more upon God’s leading. David determines not to listen to depression’s lies that he is alone and abandoned. He puts his trust in God to be right beside him even though he can’t see God there and lead him through the darkness. He prays that God would direct him over a clear path without any obstacles or uneven places for him to trip over, and deliver him out of the grasp of the enemy of our souls.

Lord, we say amen to David’s prayer. Show us the way we should go. Lead us over level ground, that we might not stumble into sin. Lead us into your light. Strengthen our hearts within us. Open our ears to hear your word and the voice of your spirit. Enable us to recognize your voice and discern between your voice and the voices of fear and depression and the flesh. We have decided to trust you. Enable us to trust you in deed. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Fear and Anxiety, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

Tagged , , ,

What is your cross?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)

In a classic putting of the cart before the horse, the rabbi’s words are delivered to us as the verse of the day the day after his disciple Peter expounded on it. In context, this speech is recorded right after  Peter confesses Jesus is not simply another John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet, but the Christ, and Jesus has told him what being the Christ means–suffering even to the point of crucifixion and death, but also being raised to life again on the third day.  Now he reminds them to be this rabbi’s disciple, we must  be like him in everything and follow all of his footsteps. More to the point, we must be willing to suffer as he suffered. We must be willing to deny ourselves, but deny ourselves what? Suffer what? Whatever he asks of us, whatever he brings us to.

This does not mean we must suffer in silence. Even Jesus wept before God in Gethsemane and wrestled with the natural human instincts to save ourselves and avoid pain and suffering and death. Even Jesus, in his darkest hour on the cross, cried out, “God, God, why have you forsaken me?” He in these moments gives us a model we can follow when we’re struggling to deny ourselves, when we’re feeling abandoned or plain old sorry for ourselves.

But he also reminds us of the prize: we too shall rise again. Sunday is coming. New life will spring forth out of the death we experience, literal and symbolic.

Lord, thank you for your example. Thank you for your presence with us. I pray we would always seek you and know you are with us. Open our eyes today and our understanding of what crosses you have called us to bear today and in this life. Grant us the grace to sincerely say, as you did, “Lord if there be any way, let this cup pass from me, but not my will, but yours be done.” In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Recommended: All That Was Lost (lyrics only) by Michael Card

Posted in Bible and Theology, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

Tagged , , , ,

Source of strength

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

When we’re feeling so discouraged, frightened and dismayed is saying the least, this verse can feel like more expectations we can’t possibly live up to. But there’s a difference between God and Man. When the Lord commands someone to do the impossible, a miracle bringing his word to pass usually accompanies the person’s faithful obedience.

Not surprising, then, that the context of this verse is both another promise he will never leave us nor forsake us, and a command to be faithful to the teachings of the Bible, meditating on it day and night, and being faithful to follow it. That was the secret to Joshua’s prospering in and succeeding in his mission from God.  Staying true to the Lord, loving him and others as he first loved us (as this is the fulfillment of the law), and trusting him to be with us wherever we go is the bible’s secret recipe to the strength and courage we need to face the day and complete the work he gives us.

Lord, forgive us for holding back from you. Forgive us when we go our own way. We choose this day to put our trust in you. Cleanse us of evil desires, give us the will to walk in your ways. May we love you and each other with our whole hearts and be obedient to your voice. May we discern rightly the spirits. Be strong on our behalf, strengthen us, for we are weak. Take all our fear, all our shame, our discouragement, and disappointments today and grant us in their place courage and confidence that you are with us wherever we go. In Jesus’ name we pray, Lord, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Fear and Anxiety, Prayer and Devotions

Tagged , , , ,

Not all afflictions come from sin

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Andrea Graham| Comments Off

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.” (Job 23:10-11)

In Job 22, Eliaz told Job, that to have suffered so greatly, he must have done something horribly wrong and accuses him of a whole list of wicked deeds. He tells him to agree with God who had judged him, repent, and he will be at peace and good will come to him. (Which would be good advice, if Job was actually suffering the wages of sin.)

In Job 23, our hero responds by lamenting, wishing he could appeal his case to God, and expresses confidence God would acquit him if he could. Then, in verses eight and nine, he says of God:

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.”

So, now, in context, Job is saying–I do not see him working, I do not feel his presence, but he knows right where I am and will get me through this. He expresses faith in God while defending himself against Eliaz’s charges in Job 22. It is popular in some Christian circles to say affliction equals sin. And sin can lead to affliction. But that is not always the case.

Sometimes God allows affliction and trials in his saints lives through no fault of their own, for his own purposes. Let us seek the faith and patience of Job.

Lord, thank you for your word. Grant us the peace of a clear conscience in the midst of trials and affliction. I pray we would hold fast to you and to your promises even when we cannot see you at work or feel your presence. We love you, Lord. We are choosing to trust and obey you today. Strengthen us to do your will. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Posted in Bible and Theology, Faith, Lament, Prayer and Devotions

Tagged , ,