God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello,

In the last post I discussed prayers that seem to be hitting a wall.  We have all experienced this and wonder why.  Why do I feel distant from God? Does He really care about my concerns?

First of all, God is close to those who seek Him.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

 “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You” (Psalm 9:10).

So the first thing we can do when we feel that the Lord is distant,  is to continue reading the Word of God with a sincere heart, thirsting for knowledge of Him.  We can also honor God by setting aside time to go to church and apply the teachings to our lives.  Lastly, we can continue to pray.  Prayers of gratitude are a key to getting the “ear” of God.  This is how we do our part in order to stay close to God.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Phillippians 4:6)

When you look at your life and thank God for all He has given you, you are taking your focus off of your problems.  You are also acknowledging that God has already richly blessed your life.  Remember, all good things are from God.

“Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father”(James 1:17a NLT)

There is a story in the Bible (you knew this was coming right?)  of the Israelites- who gave up their trust in God and it didn’t turn out pretty, take a look:

The Israelites had left the slavery in Egypt and were journeying to the land God had promised them. On this particular rest in their journey, they were camped at the base of Mount Sinai.  God had asked Moses to come up the mountain so that He could give him instructions for living -the Ten Commandments.  With Moses up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights the Israelites felt afraid and alone without Moses -their leader- who was able to communicate with God.  Aron, the man left in charge while Moses was away, must have felt like a sitting duck in the wilderness too, since he gave in to the complaints of the Israelites who desired a new god to protect them.  So Aron crafted a new “god” out of melted gold jewelry for the Israelites to worship.

How does this pertain to you?  Well, we all have a potential “god” in our life that we substitute if the Lord Jesus Christ seems distant. This god is different for all of us, but it will never give us sustained contentment and joy.  Worse yet, seeking  anything beside the Lord, can backfire.

When Moses came back down the mountain and saw the people praying to a hand crafted “god,” both he and God were furious. The Lord was so angry that He let the Israelites remain at the base of Mount Sinai for forty years until the older generation died off. The older generation had witnessed the parting of the Red Sea as well as other countless miracles -they knew the power of God and yet turned their hearts from Him when they felt abandoned.  After the forty years were up,  the Lord then allowed the remaining Israelites to continue on toward their promised land.

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.”(Hebrews 3:12 NLT)

“For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.”(Psalm 95:10)

“Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.”(1 Corinthians 10:5)

Moral of the story: God knows  if you have true faith and trust in Him.  He watches how we endure our trials in life. If you continue to believe and trust that He has the best intentions for your life,  He will give you the desires of your heart -in His timing.  When we feel like God has abandoned us, we have two choices: we can either get frustrated and chase after things the world says leads to happiness, or we can wait with patience, enjoying our lives “as is” until the Lord changes our circumstances.  I have been at the base of Mount Sinai  so to speak for 15 years- which is a long time!   During this prolonged period of time,  God has provided situations of  immense and lasting joy for me and my daughters and He let me experience a true miracle-something that every follower of the Lord is able to receive if you believe in the power of God.  These experiences have given me the faith to wait on the Lord’s timing.

My hope for you is that you trust the Lord with your life and stay steadfast waiting for the promise that pertains to your life. Don’t waste your time chasing after other gods to fulfill you -our heavenly Father won’t let anything bring you more joy than a relationship with Him.

“For the eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil”(1 Peter 3:12)

 “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”(1 John 5:15)

Have a good week,

Lisa