As I looked back over my week at all the "stressors" we were experiencing, I realized, all the sudden I was doing more work for God. I would say at least 75% of my past week I spent working on database entries for a bible study, volunteering at my church's local outreach ministry, and praying over my family. All these things had to do with me building my faith in God. What a great opportunity for Satan to rear his ugly head. But amist all this choas and frustration of the past week, I knew one thing was certain....
God's grace is sufficient. God's love was always there. God's hand of protection never left my family. God never left me. It says in 2 Corinthians 4:8, We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair...
We are always going to become confronted with dead ends and frustrations in life. But God is walking with us through all those frustrations and with every dead end, he turns us around and points us back to where we should go. He can guide us through our difficulities and beyond. Corrie ten Boom is quoted as saying, "If God sends us on stony paths, he provides strong shoes". God will give us all we need to defeat the spiritual warfare we may be experiencing. Satan hates it when God prevails.
But then, I also have to wonder, does God allow Satan to dip his toes in the water so that God can use it as an opportunity for us to grow closer to Him? Two quotes come to mind when I ponder this scenario:
"This hard place in which you perhaps find yourself is the very place in which God is giving you opportunity to look only to Him, to spend time in prayer, and to learn long-suffering, gentleness, meekness- in short, to learn the depths of the love that Christ Himself has poured out on all of us"- Elisabeth Elliot
"Recently, I've been learning that life comes down to this: God is in everything. Regardless of what difficulties I am experiencing at the moment, or what things aren't as I would like them to be, I look at the circumstances and say, "Lord, what are you trying to teach me?""- Catherine Marshall
My Dad saw a post on facebook about the doom and gloom our household had been experiencing and took the time to share an email devotional he had received in his inbox. It talked about when you are experincing setbacks, problems, or circumstances beyond your control, how God's grace is always there. "God's grace is infinite, but accessible. It's an ocean of grace, but it also falls in gentle drops at our feet. It's more than enough for the little problems you'll face today. " (taken from Today's Turning Point with David Jeremiah) That's the beauty of being a child of God. You have His grace to get you through the day.
I can't help but linger on a few scriptures in the Bible that truly refresh the soul and close the door on Satan and his scheming. Romans 5:3-4, We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG), Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Heavenly Father, you are my strength and my refuge. As I walk this journey of life, I know that I will encounter disappointments and adversity. When I am troubled, fearful, or anxious, let me turn to You. Renew a right spirit inside of me so that I may be kept steady knowing that you are always with me and will never leave or forsake me. Thank you Lord for the promise of grace during difficult times. Amen.
