Coming into Saturday night, the topic of the service was about courage. The discussion revolved around living a life filled by the Spirit, and acting in courage as the Spirit enables and leads us. It didn't hit me until now that God was continuing the conversation about my fears and He was trying to teach me the perspective I needed to fully adopt:
God is good and He is faithful. Even though I may not want to endure suffering, I know He treasures me, and seeks only to give and to work in me the best.
This isn't news to me, but it's definitely something that I've found takes practice upon practice to grasp (much like anything else that involves faith). I feel like I have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to these things.
In all my suffering, and all my sadness, when I question whether or not it's worth it to believe and obey God when I fear for the future, He is faithful. He is patient. He gently redirects my straying gaze back onto Himself, settles my fears, and we continue on walking together. In the moments where my fears abounded, where I doubted if God was worth it, it never phased Him. These moments of weakness do not shock the Lord or surprise Him.
In the case of my story, he settled the dust and then spoke gently. He didn't come in a huff to prove Himself to me, He doesn't have to prove Himself to me, He is God, after all. Instead, all He did was come along side me and revealed to me His glory.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)Eyes that are fixed on Jesus and the end goal, instead of the hurdles along the way, remember His power, goodness and faithfulness.
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