When your world is destroyed

God's love never ceases. Aren't you thankful for that promise? And isn't it interesting that such a statement of God's faithfulness and love is in the book of Lamentations, a book that records Jeremiah's great sorrow and mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem?

Even as Jeremiah's world was being destroyed, Jeremiah knew God's love would not fail. He knew God's faithfulness to Israel would never end.

What about you? How has your world been rocked this year, this month, this week? How are you responding? Are you relying on God's faithfulness or are you tempted to give up in despair?

Oswald Chambers writes in My Utmost for His Highest, "God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, 'Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?' No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy."

No one likes to have their world rocked, much less destroyed. And it takes a special kind of courage -- the kind only the Holy Spirit can give -- to look up when the world is crashing down. Yet, God's promised faithfulness is real, even when, especially when, we are crawling through those teeth-gritting, mind-numbing circumstances that threaten to destroy us.

What a promise! What a God! What a Savior!

Travel light: Isis, Ebola & Earthquakes, OH MY!

“Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation … from eternity to eternity, You are God.” Psalm 90:1-2

isis ebola earthquakes unemployment cancer uncertainty fear death

The struggles of our lives run through our minds like a ticker tape.

first child first step first home young family promotions teenagers graduations weddings grandchildren

Frail humans that we are, we walk a fine line between unspeakable joy and utter despair.

Trusting God. Fearing God. Failing God. Trusting God again.

We aren’t much different from the ancient Israelites, who trusted God to lead them out of slavery in Egypt and experienced His presence and power in incredible ways.  Then when times got hard, they complained about everything — the food, the water, the living conditions. Their faith turned to fear at the first challenge. 

Yes, God grew tired of their whining.  Yes, their cravings destroyed at least some of them. The stories in Numbers 11 are proof of that.

I am no different. I know God gets tired of my whining. I know my cravings threaten to destroy me. I know my faith often turns to fear at the first challenge. I am such a wuss. 

But God never gave up on the Israelites, and He doesn’t give up on me.

Why? Not because of our faithfulness, but because of His faithful love (see Numbers 14:11-19).

The Psalmist says God's faithful love satisfies us. His sacrifice saves us. His mercy supports us. His grace covers us. His Spirit stabilizes us — “in every generation."

“From eternity to eternity, You are God.”

In the schizophrenic chaos of our lives, in moments of unspeakable joy and through every adversity along the way, the promise of a Savior is all we need — One who died to save us, lives as testimony of God's awesome power over sin and death and sent His Spirit to finish the work He started in us for His glory.

All of this happened so that we, in all gratitude and all humility, from generation to generation, may give Him all the glory by making Him known among those who have never heard this good news.

Don't miss this: God saved us so that we can make Him known. We live to make Him known. This is "the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17, HCSB), the most important work we do, the reason God gives us breath.

So this is my prayer: "Let Your work be seen by Your servants, and Your splendor by their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands —establish the work of our hands!" (Psalm 90:16-17, HCSB). 

This week's reading: Numbers 7-22, Psalm 90

Post #9: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God’s Word.

#travellight

Four ways to pray for Christian workers when hell breaks loose

We’ve all been there: those days when we think it can’t get any worse. We’re out of coffee. The stinky P.E. outfit didn’t make it into the washer. Thanks to the dog, the white pants have muddy paw prints. It’s raining.

Maybe it’s worse. Your child is diagnosed with cancer. A parent needs hospice care. Without warning or explanation, you lost your job, your spouse walked out or your teen rebelled (in a really stupid way).

Read more »