Everything Happens For A Reason

This cliche' always irritates me.  "Everything happens for a reason."  Yes.  It does. Often, because of very poor choices and behavior. 

There is a lot of unrest today.  Global unrest.  Some virus is making people sick, people have died.  Everything from panic to denial, conspiracy theories, casting blame, political posturing....it is incredible, and just too much to sift thru.  For me, at least.

There have been several times in my own lifetime that were a bit similar to this day.  When AIDS came onto the scene, it was very unsettling to me.  I was concerned about swine flu, bird flu, SARS, and some I don't even remember the name for. 

I sit quietly this morning reflecting on what I DO know and try to rest my body and mind.  Pieces of verses from scripture pop into my mind. 


"...the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.   "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.."
(The words of Jesus as recorded in John 14:26-27 NASB)

I believe that.

Literally.

I believe that the Word of God that I have read and studied, embedded into my human mind, is used by God thru the indwelling of His Holy Spirit within me, His child.  (...and if you don't know what He has said, He can't use it for your good, so read that Bible!) 



Everything that is happening, is in fact happening for a reason.  And by that same logic, what does NOT happen, will not happen because of a reason.  (If Eve had not chosen as she did, the knowledge of evil would not have come into the human race.  Let's not be like Eve!)



Today, let's be wise.

Let's walk thru this season knowing that God can and WILL use it for good, for "...we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 NASB)

If you wear the Name of Christ, you are called for His purpose.  This viral nuisance can be a blessing when surrendered to Jesus. 

I purpose today to look for the blessing. 
I purpose to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
I purpose to be wise in all things. 
I purpose that I will not fall into fear, but faith muscles will be bulging when this season is past.


Hallelujah.

Waiting Room

We are anticipating a new grandbaby.  The waiting has begun.  Mommy's tummy isn't even showing evidence yet, but the anticipation is building. 

Waiting. 

I sit in a modest but warm and comfortable house this morning listening to the wind blow the sweet-gum balls off the tree in our back yard.  I can hear them popping the roof with each gust.  I would much rather be sitting outside with a glass of iced tea and my thoughts.  But it is too cold and too windy.  So, I wait.  Wait for warmer weather that promises to come in a few days or weeks. 


I remember waiting as a child, waiting for my turn.
Waiting to be grown, waiting to drive, waiting to leave home, waiting to marry, waiting for children, waiting for a house, waiting for a new car, waiting for a better job, waiting for children to be grown, waiting for financial concerns to lessen, waiting for retirement.

Waiting.

I look back on my years and think about all the waiting I have done. 
I have spent a great many of my years waiting for the 'next' ________. 
Waiting for ______________ to be over.
Waiting for it to be time for ___________.

Still, there is waiting to be done, but the time is much shorter now.  Even if I live to be a very old woman, the years are short. I question myself now about what I wait for?  Waiting now to die? 

NO! 

As long as there is time, there will always be waiting. We are bound by time on this side of eternity.  Sometimes the waiting seems like forever.  I feel like this skeleton sometimes.  After waiting for one season of difficulty to pass, another obstacle presents itself.  

But I am still here, still waiting.  Ultimately, I am waiting on death's door to open the passageway to eternity where there will never be more waiting.  There I will just BE. 

With Jesus.  

No waiting.

No passing of time. 

Just BE.  

Then, there will not only be no more waiting, there will be nothing to wait FOR.  

No political debating to end.

No religious controversy to solve.

No social injustices to heal.

No health issues to prepare for, or dread their coming.

No danger to prepare for.

No threat to freedom.

No wrongs to be made right.

This morning, I patiently and expectantly wait for that time to be my now. But in the meantime, I live in this now. Waiting and wondering just how God will show Himself next in my waiting.  

"Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days..." (Habakkuk 1:5 NASB)

As in the days of the prophet Habakkuk, so it is now.  God is always involved, always able to accomplish His purpose.  Time means nothing to Him.  There are no time-stamps or deadlines. Only death of man marks time for Him.  

"...even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship........" 

(1 Peter 3:20 The Message)

A study of scripture shows us that God has waited and worked within human history in every era, every lifetime.  It really doesn't matter when that last day will come, when Jesus breaks open the eastern sky.  Man's life span is short.  Very short in terms of eternity. 

I continue to wait, as patiently, prayerfully, and expectantly as I can.


( Today, I am waiting for warm weather and sunshine on my face...maybe a touch of sweat! )

No Explanation

Satan had once wielded a mighty influence in heaven.  Revelation chapter 12 tell us that Satan was responsible for a great rebellion against God.  He and those who followed him were cast out forever.

In the story of Job, we see the devil continue his attempts to de-throne the Creator God of the universe.  

His thoughts were that if there was undeserved suffering, anyone who had an allegiance to God would turn away from Him. He claimed that anyone who remained committed to God, did so ONLY because of the blessing they received from doing so.


Satan’s scheme was to prove that faith in God could be shattered by difficult testing.  He claimed that believers in God are only as faithful as the blessings of God reach.  He accused God of only having devoted followers that were just in it for what God could DO for them, that it had nothing to do with WHO God is.

What God did was to prove to Satan and to every person who has read this account, the character of true and faithful believers.  Saving faith simply can’t be shattered.  It can be tested.  We can struggle and question.  But saving faith will turn TO God with it all.

Job had no idea of the contest going on between God and Satan.  Neither did his friends.  (Which teaches us a LOT about how we relate to our friends!) 

 

Both Job and his friends struggled to explain all the suffering. In their absolute ignorance of what was going on from God’s eternal perspective, they tried to find the reason of it all.  (After all....everything happens for a reason, right?) 

In the end, Job rested in God’s goodness and holiness and trusted in His righteousness. 

Sometimes, there simply are no rational or even theological explanations for the pain we suffer, the sickness we endure, or the disasters that fall.  

Just ask Job.  

Renewed Strength

When I began a new business some years ago, I chose a scripture verse decal of Isaiah 40:31 for the mirror at my station.

Most women my age were retiring.  Here I was starting a new business.  I had prayed for several years about my work situation but never had a clear understanding about what God had for me.  I was tempted so often to take matters into my own hands and just DO something.

ANYthing.
Something ELSE.

But, the still small Voice would remind me how well I was being taken care of.  My needs were met and even surpassed.  So, I waited.  I kept complaining to God and I kept waiting. And one day, it was crystal clear.

I chose this verse for my mirror because it is a reminder that waiting on God is the right thing.  It is not necessarily the easy thing, but it is the best and right thing.

It is hard to believe how long that wait was, but I sure am glad I didn’t get into my self-mode and bull-doze my own path.  I had been so frustrated and weary, often declaring how old and tired I was.

I was indeed tired.  But in 30 days, I had received a clear understanding of God’s answer to my prayers and complaints, and was standing in a completely new workplace.  I felt 25 years younger.


I have looked past that scripture for a long time.  It’s always there, so I don’t notice it now.  But a client friend called it to my attention last week.  Today, I have another clear understanding about my prayers.  I also have a sense of renewed strength.

Retirement is not God’s idea. It’s a human concept. There is always a purpose for our lives.  Sometimes it just doesn’t have a paycheck attached to it.