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My God is…Concerned Exodus 3:7

28 Jan

Exodus 3:7 – The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying outdistraught-woman because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

Are you miserable?

Many of us face miserable circumstances in our day. We may work for a boss who has unreal expectations or is unkind in an effort to increase performance. We may have a chronic illness. We may have a troubled marriage. Maybe for you it’s an addiction. Others are battling depression, self loathing and pain from their childhood. There are so many things to find misery in here on earth. So many ways our days can go wrong, but there is hope.

I have indeed seen the misery of my people

Yes in our verse above God was talking about His people who were being held captive in Egypt, but we know from throughout scripture that God promises to work all for good for those that Love God. (Romans 8:28), so hopefully I’m not overstepping by saying that the same deliverance God has for the Israelites, He has for us. He has seen our misery. He knows what you’re going through. He lived this life, and had temptations and trials (especially just before His death) that were harder than we’ll ever have to face. He knows about having family members not believe in Him. He knows about being treated poorly by those who should know better. He knows about being alone, different, sad and in pain.

Feeling overwhelmed? 

Have you ever been so overwhelmed with sorrow that you feel you might die? So has Christ. Read how He felt in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:38 – “Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.””. I remember the first time I really heard these words. I was battling depression and felt like no one had felt the way I did. I felt like God couldn’t even understand, yes He had become a human, but he never had His emotions overwhelm Him. When I read this verse, it was so freeing for me, because I have a God who understands my emotions. He understands having a troubled soul. I felt free to turn over my pain to Him, knowing He understood me more than I had ever realized before.

 I have heard them crying out

Have you cried out to Jesus to help you with your pain and suffering. He isn’t just some God who hasn’t gone through what you’re going through, He understands. He sees what you’re going through and wants you to turn your pain over to Him to take care of it. You might have to keep handing it over to Him (if you’re anything like me, I keep taking back my worries and pain), but we can trust the One who understands us to take care of our pain and sorrow.

I am concerned about their suffering

God doesn’t sit idly by while you’re in pain. He is concerned about what’s going on in your life, and will help you through it. Keep your focus on Him, trust Him and watch Him work miracles in your life. He is trustworthy, He is concerned about you, and He has the remedy for your pain. Give it over to Him so He can heal your soul.

Are you crying out?

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2013 in My God is Concerned

 

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My God is looking at the heart 1 Samuel 16:7

27 Dec

1 Samuel 16:7b – The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance,

Homeless: Don't Judge Me

Don’t judge me

but the Lord looks at the heart.

Don’t judge a book by its cover 

How many times have our moms said that to us? Our whole lives we’ve been told you can’t judge based on appearance, but to be honest, we all do. We see a well dressed man and think he must be a titan of industry or at least a successful businessman. We see a disheveled looking woman sitting at an intersection, and we assume she’s the product of her own choices.

What does your cover look like? 

We work hard to keep our covers looking good too, don’t we? I know I do. I want my hair to look good, my husband to be kind and my children to be polite. Those things are all good, but part of my motivation for these things is that I want people to assume my life is good. I want them to think that I’m a good wife and mother, that I’m kind, that I’m trusting in God, that I’m not full of sin. Some of the time I am those things, but I also fail quite regularly. But I don’t want anyone to know that. I don’t want to admit my failures.

God judges the heart

God can see through our cover. He can see right through to our heart. He knows our motivations, our failures and our successes. He knows what we truly value and where He is on that list. He’s not judging us on what we’re putting out there, but what is going on in our hearts and minds. He knows the true us, like no one else. Even those we are closest too don’t know us as well as the Lord does. He knows our fears, short comings, talents, gifts and humor. He gets us. He loves us.

He loves us

He knows the whole story. He knows where you’ve come from and where you’re headed. He knows that it’s because of the way your father treated you that you have a hard time trusting your husband. He knows that it’s your insecurity and need to look good that makes you yell at your children when they embarrass you. He knows that you love your mom and want to stop fighting with her. He knows you’re still sad about your grandpa’s death, even though it happened years ago. He knows us and loves us. He delights in us.

Don’t judge a book

The truth is, our failures and success are both necessary in who we are becoming. Often sharing the truth about our feelings, who we are and what embarrasses us is actually the best way to build true relationships. When we share our innermost secrets, we find ourselves bonding, exposed and vulnerable. It’s not always an easy place to be, but when we’ve found people we can share things with, we find ourselves in true relationship. We no longer have to pretend. They know us, and have either accepted or rejected us for who we are, and there is something really freeing about that. That is how it is with our Lord. He knows us so intimately. He knows our thoughts, dreams, fears and pain. It is because of that vulnerability of Him truly knowing us, and loving us anyway that we can build that true relationship with Him. One of freedom and growth that can only come when one feels truly secure in a relationship.

Do you feel secure?

 
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Posted by on December 27, 2012 in 1 Samuel, My God is looking at the heart

 

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My God is…Glorified Psalm 86:11-13

30 Aug

Psalm 86:11-13 Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

I will glorify your name forever.

My women’s Bible Study is currently studying John (yes still). The study is amazing and takes a nice walk through John, looking at each verse. It’s taking a while to get through it, but every Tuesday I’m awed by how each lesson builds on the last. One of the things that stood out to me this week was actually what was taught the week before (perhaps I’m a slow learner). The woman leading this video series (Karen Lippert) said that there were only two reasons someone goes through a trial. Can you guess what they are?

To strengthen our faith

The first reason she gave for us going through trials is that when we get to the other side, our faith can be strengthened. How often has it happened that the worst time in our lives actually lead to some of the best times. Even if we can’t point to a good time that resulted, we can see how that time in pain and struggle helped shape us into who we are and that we grew from that experience. I think this is the answer most Christians would probably point to if they were trying to encourage fellow believers going through a trial. My friend in Bible study likes to say, “Got to go through the trial to see the triumph” (probably not an exact quote – but you get the gist).

To Bring Glory to God

The other reason Karen gave was that those trials would in some way bring glory to God. And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. Luke 18:43 Throughout the Bible you’ll find a lot of examples of how this works. The Lord does something and the people glorify Him. The things the Lord does are always intended to draw someone closer to Him. Sometimes it’s the people He healed, but sometimes it was someone in the crowd. The way we react to hardships, to disease, to frustration, these are the biggest opportunities for us to glorify God.

You’ve seen it happen. Almost all of us have been amazed by someone’s great attitude during a fight with cancer, the death of a loved one or the pain of divorce. Every struggle and pain we endure is an opportunity to bring Glory to God. I don’t know about you, but this wasn’t something that really registered to me as a reason I might be put through a trial. I think I knew I might have the opportunity to witness through a trial, but I don’t think I thought about it being the cause of the trial. I think that helps me to look at each trial as an opportunity rather than a burden. A chance to show in a clear way where I’m putting my faith. Let’s see if I can actually do it the next time something hard comes along. But with friends and Bible Study Buddies, I know that they will help me to hold myself accountable and take each opportunity to praise and glorify God.

Why do you think we go through trials?

 
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Posted by on August 30, 2012 in My God is Glorified, Psalm

 

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