Through the hands of God...

Chapter Sixty:

I have always endeavored to keep whatever was happening in my personal life out of this blog as I want it to be a place for teaching and encouragement in order to challenge us to live our lives in a way that is more in line with how God would have us live.  However, I believe that I am to make an exception as something that recently happened to me lays the groundwork for this chapter.

I have had to deal with chronic pain/illness for many years, and one of the ways I have found to cope when I am laying in bed in pain is to reflect on the many ways God has blessed me.  In so doing,  it helps me to not focus so much on the pain and gets my mind onto better things.  Last week I was hurting and in bed.  I was laying there thanking God  when I heard this voice in my head say, "If you stop doing this God stuff, we'll back off on you."  I have to admit that at first I was surprised because this type of visitation from one the enemy's minions does not happen to me very often.  But I was even more surprised by my reaction to this offer...I laughed.  

And the reason I laughed was because I know that nothing happens in my life without God's permission. Later on when I told my good friend about this encounter with the enemy, she reminded me of something I had overlooked, that even this brief encounter with the enemy had to have God's permission.  She felt that God was allowing it to encourage me as I continue to do this blog, and it did, but it also reinforced to me how everything that happens in my life has to be approved by God.    Ecclesiastes 9:1a tells us "But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God...".   Everything that happens in any of our lives has to first pass through His hands.

 

  

We often read the story of Job when we are suffering or dealing with difficulties as a way to console ourselves, but do we pay much attention to the fact that Satan had to approach God, discuss why he wanted to intrude into Job's life and then receive God's permission to do so?  Satan, our enemy, cannot do even the smallest thing in our lives without asking God's permission, and if God allows it, you must believe it is for a reason.  Focus on what the reason is and not the enemy, for he is merely being used by God as an instrument in your life. God is trying to show you something or teach you something, and that should be what shapes your attitude.

One of the many wonderful things about God is that He is no respector of persons. In other words, He places as much value on one of us as he did on even the greatest of His Apostles.  While this can be difficult to believe, it is true nonetheless.  So, if Satan had to approach God to get permission to intrude into Job's life, then it stands to reason that he must have to do the same thing for every one of us, if we are truly following after God and doing His will.   If we truly believe that God loves us, then we can be assured that everything in our lives is happening because He is allowing it.  

If we are a people of faith, there is no place for chance, coincidence or luck. If we truly believe that whatever happens is allowed by God, then we can walk daily with the assurance that everything will be for our good, even if it does not seem so at the time. Only that which God permits to pass through His hands will come into our lives. And if you have difficulty with this, then it means that you need to re-evaluate just how much you truly do trust God. 

Difficulties and hard times have always produced the greatest Christians.  Hard times actually worked for them in their journey to a deeper walk with God and enabled them to be better equipped to do His work. They  learned not to trust in themselves but in the God who is in charge of all.  Christians of old learned that neither the world nor the enemy could block their progress unless God allowed it. 

We may not always see the hand of God in things around us.  In this life, we will experience only part of God's great eternal plan. We simply do not have the capacity to understand all the reasons why things happen as they do. This is where faith and trust must be what you rely upon, because if you always want answers, you will find yourself disappointed.

Another Scripture we often use to console or encourage ourselves is Romans 8:28, where it says that "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."  So if we love God and are doing His will, we are reassured that everything is working together, for a cause, for a reason, in our lives.  While it can be frustrating at times and we get impatient, we must hold on to the fact that it will all work together.  We can be assured by Scripture that it happens for a reason.  Psalm 31:15a,16 reminds us, "My times are in your hands; . . . Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love." 

As  A. W. Tozer said, "Accidents may indeed appear to befall him (the believer) and misfortune stalks his way, but these evils will be so in appearance only and will seem evils only because we cannot read the secret script of God's hidden providence and so cannot discover the ends at which He aims."  Tozer goes on to say, "Ten thousand enemies cannot stop a Christian, cannot even slow him down, if he meets them in a(n) attitude of complete trust in God."

My prayer for all of us is that we become even more aware of the fact that His caring hands are involved in all aspects of our lives, and that we find  not only comfort but boldness in knowing this.  I pray that we perceive this in greater measure as we go on in our walks with Him.