Long ago I gave up the notion, that to serve God and have “great” faith, means I can pray/believe every negative away from my life. That is just not the case. Storms will come, some will be hurricane proportion, but if I can’t believe my way out of it, I will trust God all the way through it. Normally I write my own blogs, and I shall continue to do that. Today I would like to repost something a friend wrote. This is from my friend Linda Pearson who lives in Waycross, GA.
BELIEVING MY WAY OUT OF IT (OR) TRUSTING MY WAY THROUGH IT
(I wrote this for a friend who suffered a devastating loss several weeks ago. I modified it so I could share it today as a devotion.)
Not praying enough. Not believing enough. Not speaking words of faith enough.
I use to think that if troubles came into my life that I could attribute the troubles to one of the reasons listed above.
At one time (spiritual immaturity) I believed that difficult and painful circumstances were never God’s will for me. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (DON’T GET ME WRONG…I BELIEVE THIS 100%) But, when I would find myself in the middle of a bad circumstance, I felt I needed to do something to get back in the “abundant” column with God. I wore myself out trying to perform my way into God’s good grace. I think back now, and I wonder how I understood and processed all the stories I read in the Bible. You know, stories like Stephen being killed because of his faith. And, Joseph’s years of wrongful imprisonment. And, Paul’s beatings and jail time. And, John the Baptist’s head being chopped off. And, what about Job?
All those stories clearly defy the theory that God never wants you to face painful and difficult circumstances.
The reality is this: I can’t believe my way out of the death of a loved one, or a tree on my house, or a negative checking account, or a flat tire, or a rebellious child, or a mean spouse. There are many things in life that I simply can’t believe my way out of. HOWEVER, I can TRUST my way THROUGH everything! Bad things happen to God-fearing people. Sometimes, life isn’t fair. And life is much harder than we ever thought it would be. BUT, the GOOD NEWS is — God’s GRACE is sufficient. God’s grace will sustain us and empower us to walk through the most difficult situations in life.
God’s GRACE says, I am good even when your life is anything but. I am sufficient even in your lack. I am strong even in your weakness…even when the pain gets worse instead of better…even when the husband leaves…even when you lose everything…even when your child has addictions…even when the car dies.