Laced With Grace

Jim and I are both going through health issues.  I have been living with chronic pain/illness for over 25 years, with the past 10 years mostly home-bound and needing assistance in my daily life.  Now Jim is going through some serious health issues as well.  So what do you do when your main care-giver needs assistance as well?

The other day when a family member called to check to see how Jim and I are feeling, she said, “This is so depressing. You two much be devastated!”  I was a little taken back with that reaction at first, then I replied, “no way, maybe a little perplexed, but not depressed.  God is in control.  He will never allow us to go through more than we can handle.”  Although to be honest, there are moments that I think to myself, “I wish God did not trust me enough to ‘handle’ this much!”

In all seriousness, I believe in the Sovereignty of God.  That all things are under God’s rule and control, and nothing happens without His permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the guidance of His own will (Eph. 1:11). God’s purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (Isa. 46:11).  There is nothing that takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not only that God has the power and right to rule all things, but that He does so, continually and without exception.

A.W. Pink said it beautifully in The Sovereignty of God, Chapter 1.

“What do we mean by [the sovereignty of God]? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the god-hood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psa. 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Psa. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the “Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.”

So what do you do when the care-giver needs a care-giver?  You trust in the Sovereignty of God.  I rest assured, “… that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

For the past 2 years, my husband and I have been embroiled in a complicated and frustrating battle regarding a real estate issue. It’s truly a current day David and Goliath scenario, and we’re little David. Day by day, it’s up and down emotionally as the lawyers go back and forth.

So we decided that whenever our minds drift into the “what if’s” and the figuring out, we would turn our thoughts to scripture, specifically Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

This discipline has kept our minds fixed on truth instead of faulty thinking. Last week, we received a call from our lawyer saying that we were at a dead-end. I felt my stomach flop, but my husband (normally the worry-er) was strangely at peace. Then he shared with me an email he read moments before the lawyer’s phone call. It was from our friend, Pastor Chuck:

“‘What do you mean, “If I can”?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’” (Mark 9:23 NLT)

 God will build your faith by planting a dream within you. But that dream will require a decision of faith, and then God will stretch your faith as you face delays, difficulties, and dead ends.

It is then that God comes in and delivers. God does a miracle. God provides a solution. For instance:

·   In Moses’ case, God parted the Red Sea. 

·   In Abraham’s case, he and Sarah miraculously conceived a child. 

·   In Joseph’s case, all of a sudden his dream came true, and he found himself no longer imprisoned in a dungeon; instead, he was the second in command in Egypt. 

 And Jesus was resurrected! God can even turn a crucifixion into resurrection, and that means he has the power to transform your dead ends into deliverance. He builds your faith through delays, difficulties, and dead ends, so that when he delivers you, God gets all the credit!

 When faced with a dead end, the best response is to expect God to act. What are you expecting God to do in your life? Jesus says, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29b NIV).

 When you wait for deliverance, then God gets the credit. And you can look back to see how God led you through a path of faith, expanding and increasing your trust of him with every step. Your faith is stronger, and now you can say with confidence, “I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me …” (Psalm 27:13 LB).

Reading that email moments before the phone call gave my husband the wisdom to know how to respond. We’ll wait for the Lord, and we’ll wait with the expectation that He will be glorified when this issue is resolved. Already, we have seen God work, and soon the lawyers and town officials and many others will too.

Are you facing a difficult circumstance? One which seems impossible? Leave a comment so I can pray for you, and you can pray for me too. Together we will see God do the impossible! 

Susan

www.eternitycafe.blogspot.com

www.susanpanzica.com

“You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’  “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?  From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name. “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”  Malachi 3:13-18 NLT

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the expression, “What’s in it for me?”  I have heard parents ask their children to do something and the child will barter with them before they do what they have been asked to do.

Sometimes I feel that our nation has become a selfish society.  Many have the attitude that unless it benefits them in some particular way they will not do ‘it’.

Unfortunately, this attitude has been brought into the church as well.  Serving and Worshipping God has become more about the worshipper and not the One whom we are to Worship.  Church attendance is not a priority in many Christian lives.  Parents wonder why their grown children no longer attend church.  Maybe those same parents need to think back to when their children were in their home.  Did they, as parents, show their children that God is the number one priority in their home as well in their life?  When a child’s ball game was scheduled at the same time as church did these parents choose worshipping God instead of going to the game?  I believe that if enough Christian parents stand up for what is right there will not be ball games on Sunday mornings.

As Christians we should not go to church or serve the Lord only when it is convenient or we don’t have anything better to do.  When we do we are saying, “What’s in it for me?”  We should worship and serve our Lord because He is worthy of all praise, glory and service.  For He is God!

God will remember those who have been faithful to Him; for those who are faithful will be called His very own special treasure.

So my questions for you today, “Why do you Worship God?”  Do you have the attitude as some, “What’s in it for me?” or “I Worship and serve my risen Savior because He is God and worthy of all honor and praise.”?