Again and again, my heart is captured by simple awareness of the love that God has for me. But oh, sometimes IT IS NOT that simple! Why is it so hard for me to comprehend the depth of love that God has for me -Lori Laws, while I can preach His love to everyone else? So often, outward circumstances seem to be screaming and dictating the opposite of love. And God is silent.
This is when I must, and I do, make the choice to love Him. I make the choice to believe in His Word. I make the choice to worship Him. This is the time to put this into practice… “I’m walking by faith and not by sight.” It’s hard. Really hard. I’ve been at these crossroads many times, but God has ALWAYS carried me back to His truth… the truth that He loves me with an everlasting love. In this I am also preaching to myself…
“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” Song of Songs 2:15
Compromise in little things leads to a greater downfall. This verse tells us to be wary of little foxes. These “little” foxes are very subtle. For example, God’s silence over something that we feel is very important-even urgent, can cause us to subconsciously take jabs at Him; we may neglect reading His Word, steer clear of worshiping Him, or just avoid Him altogether.
“You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5
The fact of the matter is that God often “hedges” us in by various trials to either mature us, train us, or to protect us. We often only see the wrong side of the hedge and therefore misunderstand and misinterpret His actions. It just so happens that I’m reading the book of Job, and here is a great example of how we can get the wrong idea about God. Job asked…
“Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?” Job 3: 23
If you’re honest with yourself, you’ve probably asked this same question once or twice. Not one circumstance – bad or good, will touch you without God knowing about it. And here’s the thing… He watches to see if through it all you will dare to trust Him COMPLETELY. So what do you do when affliction is your daily bread? You suck it up. What? Yes, you suck it up. This is the time to cling to God with everything you have. He’s all you have! You can either become bitter or better. God knows what’s best. Worship does wonders. Rita Springer says it best…
All I Need To Do Is Worship – Rita Springer