Scripture of the Day:
Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
Hope Discovery of the Day:
God’s truth and promises still stand even when our secure world fails.
We know God is the source of truth, but sometimes our hearts and minds need some convincing. Especially when tragedy hits and our world is falling apart. God’s truths and His promises seem like they are for someone else. Not us.
Sitting in a gun shop waiting for the approval for the gun purchase I had just made, my mind spun with all the recent happenings in my life. The stress and burdens loomed large. Trying to process how I got to this point, I just wanted the purchase to be completed so I could get back to my children. Just being in the gun shop felt threatening to me. It was a far cry from the homeschool momma I was.
Two robberies in our neighborhood had sparked the interest in purchasing a gun, but it was the other circumstances of my life that also contributed to a feeling of great insecurity and sorrow.
But that day as I went to purchase a gun, I marveled at how I got to that place. While I mused over the crazy life my children and I had thrust upon us, the thought of it all was simply mind-blowing. My mind could not contemplate it fully and it hurt to try to find a solution to our mess again and again. father’s hidden sin was exposed, our home was foreclosed upon, and we had endless court and counselor appointments, the shock just from
The hidden sin of my children’s father was exposed, our home was foreclosed upon, and we had endless court and counselor appointments.
Then it happened.
A handful of police officers burst into the gun shop and arrested me. Say what?! The main police officer who was reading me my rights could tell by my expression that I was innocent. I called my attorney and literally felt like I could not bear to be in my skin one more moment. What about my children? Would I have to stay in jail? I was innocent. Did God see me?
Placing the handcuffs on me, I was told that they had to carry out the arrest but would talk with the judge about my situation. Y’all, being a good girl, a rule follower, this situation seemed impossible. I felt bad, sinful, just being at the police station.
[Tweet “God’s truth and promises still stand even when our secure world fails.”]
Traumatic events have a way of stealing our security. Everything we thought we knew or could count on is no longer certain. Even our faith is tested. Could God still be good when He allowed such pain into our lives? Yes.
[Tweet “Suffering does not mean we are forgotten.”]
In that lonely place of desperation, God spoke to me. He saw me. He saw Joseph, too, when he was sold into slavery and imprisoned falsely. If he had not permitted such suffering for Joseph, Joseph would not have been there to save his people from starvation. If I had not suffered as I did, I would not be writing this post right now.
Suffering does not mean we are forgotten. It does not mean that God is not merciful. God’s truth and promises still stand when our secure world fails. But how do we believe God when the flaws in this world or the cruel sins of man accuse Him?
[Tweet “God’s character is not determined by the suffering He permits in our lives.”]
Character. We can know a person’s character and come to trust people based on their actions. Imperfect people we trust even when they fail us. But somehow we tend to forget all that our perfect God has done for us when suffering is allowed to enter our lives. As if pain is an indicator of His goodness. God’s character is not determined by the suffering He permits in our lives. His character and greatness could never fully be defined and man is not the judge. Trusting God’s character is a lot more believable than temporary solutions that finite man offers.
[Tweet “Pain is not an indicator of God’s goodness.”]
Promises. Our current circumstances are not the end. God’s promises are. Life is not perfect. It can be excruciatingly painful at times. But God never promised us a perfect life. He did promise to comfort us in the midst, though. Why believe His promises when we still have to go through hard times and may have to wait long for His promises to be fulfilled? Why not? What hope is there in the promises of man?
When everything is stripped away and we try to cling to what we thought was ours, we realize we had no right to it all, anyway. Any blessing is just God’s incredible mercy. And He is our portion. We may grieve for a night, but joy does come in the morning for those who make God their refuge. And somehow, God can give us His perfect peace when we ask Him to help us to believe. Not believe in a perfect life, not conditional trust based on superficial blessing, but believe that He is enough through it all.
We may wish we did not have to suffer, God understands that. But God takes our sorrows and suffering and miraculously turns them into something for our good and His glory. As we let go of our ideal and cling to His, He helps us to believe that His plans are good, indeed. Even when this world tries to convince us otherwise.
Lord, thank You that You make a way when there seems no way. You are faithful always. Help us to trust and believe in You at all times.
Need hope? We all do. But not the hope we were handed down that just wished for things. We need a hope that will last forever. Hope Reinvented.
