Praise You in this Storm..... Really??

If God is such a loving God, why would He put me through such hard trials?..... Is this really God’s doing?...... Is He even there? Did I hear wrong?........ Is He even listening?

.......Where is God when I really need Him?........ 

Endless questions and doubts fill my head..... Why does everything around me seem to be changing and falling apart? Why has God led me here?....

Where are you God?......

“I’m right here.” He calmly whispers in my ear. “I’m carrying you through this... I haven’t forgotten about you... don’t forget about Me.” 

It’s so easy to remain happy and joyful when everything is going the way you want it too. It’s easy to thank the Lord when life is awesome. But what do you do when the skies turn dark and it starts raining? It’s our natural response to get angry and bitter at the Lord when situations turn sour and the sunshine hides behind the clouds. Just because it seems inconvenient for you, doesn’t mean it wasn’t put there for a reason. Maybe God put that cloud there so you wouldn’t get burned.... maybe it was put there to protect you.... Or maybe it’s a test. Do you really need the sun to see clearly? Sometimes the moments in our lives which are the darkest, can be the times where we see the SON shining through. 

One of the biggest questions I’ve heard over and over is... “Why would the Lord put me through this?” My first response is, why are you so quick to blame Him for this? Just because you’re in a mess doesn’t mean it was God’s fault. The choices you make also affect the situations around you. And even in the situations you can’t control... you may still control how you will respond. You have two options, you can come out changed and redefined (in the Lord) or bitter, angry and with a heavy burden. 

Over the past several months, my life has taken a turn in a direction I thought it would never go. The things I had planned, unexpectedly changed right before my eyes. Everything was in order, and I finally thought I knew where my life was heading, but before these pieces could fall into place.... they were shaken again. Was it hard? Absolutely. In some ways, I feel like this chapter in my life has been the most difficult, yet at the same time, it’s also been the most fruitful and the most strengthening. I feel closer to my Lord and Savior then I ever have in my entire life. Why? How? Because, through the pain, I was able to see my God more clearly. He was ripping the things out of my life which had my attention and focus. Now that they are gone, I can see Jesus with tunnel vision. Instead of depending on the temporary things around me, I was put into a situation where I had to depend on the Lord. He will do whatever it takes to get your attention. The Lord is jealous for you, and He desires your whole heart. So if that means He has to take away the things in your life which you hold dear just so He is all you have left, He will do so. Yes, it is very hard to let go.... yet the reward is greater. And I wouldn’t give that up..... 

“You give and take away.... My heart will choose to say... Lord, blessed be your name!!” 

Fun lyrics to sing along with..... great song, with a great beat to jam out to. But do we really mean it? Do we even know what it means to truly bless the name of Jesus even when He takes away from us? God allows things to happen in our life to test us. He uses these hard moments to test our faithfulness and our character. Just read through the book of Job! God allowed everything that man loved and cared about to be harshly torn from his life. Why? To test Him. In the very beginning of the book, God suggests His servant, Job, to Satan. He tells Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” He permits Satan to do whatever He wants to Job. Job had not done anything, in fact God even referred to him as a man who was “blameless and (an) upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.” 

Which leads me to another very important point to note. The second most popular question I’ve heard people ask, “What have I done to deserve this?” Or they take a bit of a different rout and blame it on a lack of faith that have welcomed these events into their lives. Yet, looking at the story of Job as an example... we clearly see that He was completely innocent, and was right before the sight of God. It was not because of a horrible sin he had committed and therefore God was pouring out punishment on him.... nor was it a lack of belief in God and therefore God removed His protection over him. It was simply a time of trial to test the dedication of Job towards God and to see where his trust really was.

Don’t be so quick to fall into these lies people try to throw at you that you just need to pray more and you will be healed from whatever you are going through..... or you need to repent because this is obviously some sort of punishment. Or instead of getting bitter and angry at the Lord for doing this to you....bless the name of the Lord in these times of trials just as Job did.... 

 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, 

And naked shall I return there. 

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; 

Blessed be the name of the Lord.” 

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. 

~ Job 1: 21- 22 ~

All throughout scripture there are stories written about the many different sufferings of the children of God. God never promises the straight and narrow road He beckons us to walk will be easy... in fact He warns us of the trials and persecution we will face. So then, why do we follow Him? How is it worth it? Why go through all this pain just to be a follower of Jesus?..... Because what He does promise me is that He will never leave nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). Because He promises He will be my strength in my weakness. And my comfort through the pain. Because I have a hope and a love I can’t even explain. And when the sun is hiding, He is my light. Because no matter what is taken away from me here on this earth, nothing can ever take me away from the arms of Jesus. Him I cannot and will not ever lose. 

“He gives power to the weak, 

And to those who have no might He increases strength. 

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, 

And the young men shall utterly fall, 

But those who wait on the Lord 

Shall renew their strength; 

They shall mount up with wings like eagles, 

They shall run and not be weary, 

They shall walk and not faint.”

~ Isaiah 40:29-31 ~

He is where I put my trust. It is in Him that I am rooted, so when the strong winds and storms come, I will not be shaken. Even when my whole world is falling apart, I won’t.

Can you say the same?.... what is your faith and trust founded in?