Thursday, June 14, 2012

~ "In the steel of the night..."


Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation. (Isa 12:2)

Knowing that God has secured a place for us should be of great comfort.  He has promised to care for us, provide for us and that there is nothing we should be afraid of.  There is nothing that man can do to us that God cannot protect us from.  Our strength to walk through this world and do what is required comes from Him.  He is the song our hearts sing and the strength to sing it!

Reaching out in our time of need is a learned behavior.  If we've never gone to Him (if we didn't know we could), if we'd never received a blessing, we could not pour our heart out to Him and ask Him to remove our suffering.  We do know that going through the storm brings sunshine at the end of it, but getting past the waves breaking on our bow and the tossing of ship from side to side while holding our balance is the hard part.  We don't need to do it alone.  We reach out, we cry out and sometimes feel like our words and our prayers fall on deaf ears.  We know that we are to do nothing, yet the world around us is crying out for us to act.  We become desperate and pray that He'll end this trial one way or another.  We become less interested in the benefit we will receive from going through the situation and just want it over and done with.  We want our calm life back!  Being a warrior in Christ's army is not an easy assignment.  The enemy is attacking from all sides and we do not feel the presence of our protector.  

Knowing we have been honest and forthright with our situation to others, doesn't help us as we stand at the edge of the cliff waiting for the bridge to be completed so that we may cross in safety.  The decisions we've made can, in fact, even though made and agreed to as if they would not occur (because of our faith that we would be cared for), come back to bite us as we stand waiting.  Our belief that God will not fail us may not be the belief of those around us - who push and push to cause us to act, rather than wait.  Not everyone we interact with has that same faith in God that we have.  How do we deal with them?  What do we tell them?  

Using the resources God has given us, taking the time to pray about what to do next and holding on to the hope that He gives us through the death of Jesus, we can safely wait on His answer.  He will not abandon us and allow us to fall into the hands of the enemy.  His word is sure.  His guarantee is exactly that - a guarantee!  Put your faith in Him, trust only in Him and He will rescue you from whatever it is you need to be rescued from.  Walk bravely into the world before you and know that He will guide the steps you take and that He has secured a safe haven for you.  When the reality of your life is revealed to you, humble yourself to it and accept the hand you've been dealt - play it for all it's worth!  Whether you are a rocket scientist or a shoe salesman, do the very best you can until you can no longer do it.  Give glory to Him for all He's given you, even if you feel you deserve more or better.  He knows what you need (and what you want).  Don't be disappointed if He doesn't answer your prayer the way you want it answered.  Rejoice that it has been answered and that He has heard you!  Rejoice and be glad - He has made a way!