July 20, 2018

God Sustains Us

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalm 55:22

There’s a popular saying that some people like to throw out. It goes like this: God will never give you more than you can handle. Yes. He will.

If we can handle alone whatever it is we’re facing, we have no need for God. It is only when we acknowledge that the journey is too tough, when we turn to Him, that we find His strength to carry on.

I’m not sure where the phrase came from. Maybe it simply makes people feel better. We’d much rather people be strong than for us to actually have to see them suffer. It’s that stiff upper lip silence that we’d prefer.

Life isn’t like that. It’s messy and sometimes it hurts. Sometimes things happen that are beyond your control, beyond your understanding, beyond your ability to withstand the onslaught. That’s where Jesus steps in.

Others try to tell us that God doesn’t care about the details. Don’t bother Him with the small things, they insist. Handle it yourself. God is there for help with the big things. You know. Things like cancer, divorce, death. He’s too busy for small concerns or joys.

They say this about the God who has numbered the hairs on our heads. Yes. I believe God cares about the details. While I joke about God wishing I would sometimes just shut up, I know that He hears my running chatter with an indulgent smile. God is my very best friend. I tell Him everything.

Some say that we shouldn’t continually bother God with the same requests over and over again. One friend used to say “You’ve asked God once. Just let it go. He heard you the first time.”

I bother God. All the time. When the time came, I bothered God repeatedly to heal this friend. He did heal him. God healed my friend by taking him home. That hurt. I bothered God about that too.

I know I don’t need to remind God about my needs. I don’t need to continuously thank God for His blessings. I don’t need to always be thanking Him for never leaving my side, for loving me no matter what, for placing good people along my path. But I do.

I will never deserve God. I will never deserve the sacrifice Jesus made. I will never deserve the presence of the Holy Spirit inside of me. But I am so grateful, in good times and bad.

So, yes, God will give you more than you can handle. He will bless you more than you deserve. Cast your cares on Him and trust Him. Accept His blessings and praise Him. God is there with you in all things at all times. That’s a promise you can cling to no matter what life brings each day.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

How’s Your Attitude Today?

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. -- Ephesians 4:22-24

How’s your attitude today? Are you feeling blessed? Joyful? Content in your circumstances? Trusting God with your challenges? Or have you already given up before the day has really begun?

It’s easy to make excuses, to tell me that I really don’t know your circumstances or the challenges you face each day. And I don’t. Nor do you know mine. We all have times in our lives when we feel beaten down and times when we feel like we’re on top of the mountain. What’s important to remember is this: The God who is with us on that mountain top is the same God who carries us through the valley.

A young woman related her mother’s story the other day. Her mother was out of work for almost two years. She lost everything and she and her children had to move in with her elderly mother. She eventually found another job and slowly rebuilt her life.

The woman could have sunk into bitterness. Her children could have felt insecure and upset about the unfairness of it all. But they don’t. As her daughter said, they were blessed to have some place to go. It was hard; a difficult adjustment for everyone. But they had food and good health and the challenges drew their family closer together.

And made them fearless. Losing everything can do that to a person. You understand firsthand that God truly means it when He promises to carry you through, to provide what you need, to never leave you alone in the storm. And you come to know the difference between minor things and major ones.

Another woman faces debilitating pain. She acts defeated, ready to give up without even trying to get up again. I contrast that with yet another woman who is dying from cancer. She could be depressed. She could choose to devote her remaining time to self and family. Who could blame her? Instead she has become involved in a women’s prison ministry. She is using her time to give back even as she fights the effects of chemo and disease.

So, I’ll ask you again: How’s your attitude today? Are you defeated before you begin or are you determined to live as a blessed child of God no matter your circumstances? It’s your choice. Which one will it be?