What about the times when things don't work out so well? Does this mean that God has let you down?
The Bible is very clear on this: we do not trust God based on particular outcomes we can SEE, Our trust is based on His love for us and His character. The character of God and our journey with Him is what matters. He is pleased by our faith, our trust. It's easy to believe God on the mountaintop; but when we're in the valley and it's dark and we feel all alone, that's when our faith is tested.
As you all know, I Love to go to the mountains and enjoy the smells, the sounds, the sights - but every year when I have to come down from the mountains, I go through a time of darkness, feeling like I wish I could stay there in the mountains forever. Then, I have to pull myself together and get back to my regular life again! That's where I am and what I'm going through right now. It seems to happen every year. So I guess I can relate to what the author is saying about the mountaintop and the valley. The mountain top is when everything is going well, and we can know God loves us, and we experience Him and how He is working in our lives. The valley is when things go wrong. It seems as if God forgot us, like He isn't listening or noticing our needs. When we lose a loved one, a job, our health, or a relationship, these are the times when trusting God is difficult. But - they are also the times when we need him the most. They are the times when we need to know that no matter how bad it is, God is there with us, that He loves us and is going to take us through whatever we face.
If we keep holding on to God during the dark times, we will find that He never ever leaves our side as we walk through the pain and that when we come out on the other side, He is still there beside us and that our faith has been strengthened in the process.
Sometimes He does not deliver us from our difficulty at all, but simply gives us His presence and the presence of others.
Read the book of Job in your bible. Now there is a man who went through everything that could destroy his faith in a God who cares, but He kept holding on to God no matter what. He knew He was the only and true God, that He is a good God, and that He loves us. The same for us - when we have that kind of faith, even when we don't understand it all, we know enough to trust God based on His love for us and His character. He WILL bring us through our difficulties. He DOES care and He loves us!
(from pages 38 and 39)
2 comments:
Do you ever listen to contempory Christian music? There is a song that is popular right now and it has the line in it that says, "this is what it means to be held..." When I get into those valleys like we all do, I just remember that even if I let go, God is always holding me. No matter what. And I know that from spending time in my Bible and watching how He works in my life. And, as crazy as it will seem, I even repeat that line from the song over and over again when I am particularly saddened or nervous or disappointed or overwhelmed. God is with me every single moment. Thank you, Aunt Lonnie, for this blog. I love to read it everyday. It helps to remind me how rich & fortunate I am.
This is beautiful, Michelle. Somehow, I missed it in my browsings. I wonder what the song you quoted the line from here says in the rest of it. God IS certainly with you every single moment. Thank you for this post!
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