WHEN GOD'S PROMISES AND REAL LIFE COLLIDE

I started this particular blog in July and life got in the way of posting. Today it seems even more relevant than then. Real life has been hard recently. FOR THIS WE HAVE JESUS!

When God’s Promises and Real Life Collide

Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth,

Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes;

Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”

And they will call them, “The holy people,

The redeemed of the Lord”;

And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.” Isaiah 62:11-12

My best advice to people has always been, “Find a Bible verse, make it your own and hang on to it.” My next advice would be to pray. Pray when you’re happy, pray when you’re sad, pray when you think you can’t put one foot in front of the other to go on. Yet many times, if you’re like me, you may feel bad when the advice you give to people doesn’t seem like it’s working. Perhaps God has disappointed you; your prayers don’t seem to be answered. Is it wrong to feel disappointed with God? Philip Yancey wrote a whole book on the subject. It concerns many stories of real people going through literal “hell on earth” and realistically examines their plights and questions.

“Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed." Isaiah 49:23  

For the Christian there are no guarantees on the outcome of a situation. As noted in Hebrews 11 the great faith chapter we don’t all see the conclusion of the things God has planted in our hearts. But we can still look with hope for the promise.

If it costs you nothing, it's worth nothing! Endurance is the

price tag of achievement. Listen, "We pray that you'll have

the strength...not the grim strength of gritting your teeth

but the...strength God gives...that endures the unendurable

and spills over into joy" (Col 1:11 TM)

          Yet even as I write this word of encouragement, I know that many of you have lost hope in perhaps your child who’s gone astray, in your life or even in your future. It is hard to hope in what you cannot see. But just take it a step at a time, a day at a time, even a moment at a time. Pray for the strength to just do the next thing that needs to be done. It may have nothing to do with the child that has gone astray or the life issue that is bothering you. The next thing you may need to do is learn to take care of yourself.

          You may have beat yourself up with guilt over the things you think you should’ve done or could’ve done that you are walking weary and wounded. Learn to be good to yourself. Treat yourself well. The commandment about loving your neighbor as you love yourself applies here. You would be kind to a neighbor, so kindly take care of yourself and those that are right before you. Try to do something each day for someone else that you don’t take credit for. That sort of living sows seeds of love and kindness that will return to you.

          There are some of you in whom the Lord would say, “the world was not worthy of them.” He would say to you that He has seen your walk of faith through the pain of living in this world. He knows you are not perfect in your endeavors but He also knows you have tried. He knows you love your child, and you, His child, are loved with an everlasting love by Him. He sees the big picture that we cannot see. He loves your child more than you can ever imagine although as a parent yourself, you feel that no one could match the love you feel. He will draw a hurting parent close. He does not forget your labor of love towards your child and to Him, your heavenly Father. Continue to hold on to His promises to you until they collide into your life.