Do you ever wonder why God does certain things? Or, do you ever question His methods or timing? As I read the lyrics to David’s song in Psalm 13, it is evident to me that God doesn’t mind our sincere questions. He obviously knows that our minds are finite, since He created them, so He expects us to not understand everything. His thoughts are greater than our thoughts; His ways are higher than ours. I think a lot of it has to do with our attitude and motives in asking.
Rather than simply asking “Why?”, we should be asking “For what purpose?” Since God does everything on purpose and for a purpose, I think He is okay with us trying to get the best understanding that we can in regard to the situations we face. Now, I know that we may not get to see the purpose of everything until we get to heaven, but I think if our questions are sincere, with the intention of knowing God on a deeper level, He will give us some of those answers to help us make the right decisions. James also wrote about asking God for wisdom.
The most biblical reason that I have for believing that it is acceptable to bring our questions before the Lord is the fact that David, who was a man after God’s own heart, didn’t hesitate to ask God why certain things were the way they were. David never accused God of being malicious or being out to get Him—he simply desired answers. Maybe God revealed some of those things to him; maybe He didn’t. Obviously, God knows your heart, but when you ask Him for answers, start by seeking His purpose, and He may give you the “why”. But I will tell you this: He won’t give you the answer before it’s time, because His plan and His timing are perfect—and so much bigger than anything we can imagine!
Do you pray generally or specifically? The way I’ve always treated this is that if you want specific answers, you should pray specifically. Now, we are not telling God what to do, we are confidently agreeing with God that we trust whatever He is going to do. He is sovereign and in control of all events, both natural and supernatural, but as our Father, He delights when we talk to Him. He even welcomes our petitions.
This is a really cool account in Acts 12, and while time does not permit me to go through all the details, I hope you get a chance to read the story for yourself. The point today is simple: the people that were gathered in John Mark’s mother Mary’s home we’re praying specifically for Peter. After he was delivered from prison by an angel of the Lord, he was taken to the place where the people were praying for his life to be spared. One of the humorous details is that a young lady named Rhoda came to the door, saw it was Peter, and went and told the others. Then, they thought she was losing it, but sure enough, it was Peter who had delivered from prison. Why were they so surprised?
Are we surprised whenever we’ve prayed for something specific, then God answers specifically, and we wonder if it’s real? When our children have a need, they don’t ask generally; they ask so specifically that we have no problem understanding what they would like to have (down to the make and model). If you’ve been specifically praying for a situation, perhaps even for years, keep praying and pressing on, because God will answer it in His time. Whether or not we get the answer we want, it will bring Him the greatest amount of glory.
Habakkuk 2:3; 1 Corinthians 16:9
Whenever I’m driving, I try to stay alert for upcoming traffic delays or other incidents. I constantly check my GPS to see if there is a faster route, but particularly a way that has fewer obstacles. Maybe it’s not the fastest, but if it’s the path of least resistance, I know that I’m going to get to my intended destination more smoothly, regardless of whether or not it’s quicker. My philosophy is that I would rather keep moving, even if it takes me a little out of the way, rather than sit in a traffic backup for any amount of time.
We don’t like delays; not just while we’re driving, but generally speaking—in life as a whole. We like to keep moving. However, what I have figured out whenever I drive also applies to life. Even though I told you moments ago that I like to keep moving, more often than not, it doesn’t improve my arrival time—in fact, sometimes I arrive later than I would have if I would’ve just waited out the traffic delay. What’s my point? Sometimes the delays are necessary. In many areas of life, the delays give birth to opportunities that we wouldn’t otherwise have.
It’s in our human nature to take the easy path. When it comes to our career, we want it yesterday; when it comes to our financial stability, it can’t come soon enough; and when it comes to responsibility, we usually choose the option that requires the least amount of effort. I have never read anything in the Bible that says we are supposed to take the easy way out or avoid delays and disruptions. Sometimes God does His best work when we are waiting. When we settle for the path of least resistance, we may miss opportunities to reach people for Christ. He didn’t call us to be comfortable, and we are certainly not supposed to be lazy, so maybe we should bypass the shortcuts and see how we can impact others for Him during the delays.
My son has a device called an Oculus which is a virtual reality headset that covers his eyes and provides a screen that causes the environment to seem real. It’s funny to watch him move his arms and look silly as he interacts within his virtual world. The only bad part is that he sometimes gets too close to the fireplace mantle or an end table and instantly feels the pain of whacking his hand on one of these hard objects.
Other than playing Super Mario Bros. and a handful of other Nintendo games as a kid, I wasn’t a gamer. I preferred to play outside and “touch grass”, as the kids say today. I was much better suited for actual reality rather than virtual reality, although there is something very appealing to being able to escape from reality, if even for a brief time. The problem exists when the VR mentality replaces real life and responsibility. While recreation and entertainment have a purpose, they can never be the main thing (unless you’re a park ranger with a YouTube channel—I suppose it’s possible).
The Bible gives us much insight on the principles of diligence vs. laziness. While it would be cool to goof off all day and somehow have all our bills paid, that’s not reality. Not only from a financial perspective, but also from a stewardship view, we should desire to use the time that God has gifted us wisely. I’m not trying to be a party pooper, but we have to make sure we are being productive and responsible. Amusement is designed to be a form of entertainment that gives us a break from the stress of reality, not be a replacement for it. Above all, the most important thing is that we are diligently living for the Lord and learning more about Him. The reality of serving Him is unbeatable!
As I was driving north yesterday, the weather got a big downgrade. From 80° and sunny to 56° and rainy, it was quite a giant shift. It wasn’t very gradual, because when I started out, the weather was gorgeous, but at a certain point, almost instantaneously, things got darker. Isn’t that an accurate metaphor for life? Circumstances can change on a dime, and storms can quickly arise and catch us off-guard, but let’s remember that this is not an isolated event—we all have our share of hard days.
Imagine how the disciples felt as they launched their boat at a time when the weather was apparently conducive to sailing, but then a giant storm arose. The moral of this familiar account is the fact that Jesus has power over nature. If you read to the end of the section, you’ll see that once He commanded the storm to cease, the sea experienced a great calm. Drastic and rapid change is inevitable in this life. So often, situations arise and take us by surprise. Just like the disciples in this account, we fear greatly at times—but Jesus is still the remedy that we can count on.
We must remember that we live in a cursed world that still has plenty of heartache, so not everything is going to go our way at all times. Storms will arise, but never apart from the knowledge of the One who is both Creator and Savior. While we look forward to the day when there will be no more storms, let’s remember that change is a part of our human life. Above all, let’s remember that the One who calmed the storms 2,000 years ago, can still calm the storms that arise in your life today. Weather changes, circumstances change, seasons change—but Jesus never changes, and He still knows how to turn off the storms and calm the sea!
Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:9; James 1:2-4
Have you ever talked to anyone who acts like they have suffered persecution, or are a victim of severe spiritual opposition? I honestly wanted to ask that question, because I don’t want to come across as being insensitive regarding today’s topic. If you know someone like this, or if you are this person, my heart certainly goes out to you and I applaud you for standing firm on your faith in the face of persecution. Having said that, I truly believe that this is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to modern-day Christianity.
People may make fun of you or even disagree with your belief in Christ, but most of us have never even been close to experiencing persecution (at least compared to biblical examples). Think about the apostle Paul: before he was radically converted by Christ on the road to Damascus, his assignment as a Pharisee was to seek out believers, persecute them, and to bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners. Since you’re all familiar with his amazing testimony, we won’t take time to look at that today. However, I do want to point out that this guy, who was once an abuser of Christians, ended up being heavily persecuted for his faith in Christ.
Listen: the fact that the barista at Starbucks said “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” isn’t persecution. Someone who leaves a negative comment on your Jesus post on Facebook may upset you, and rightfully so, but I wouldn’t consider that persecution. Now, I’m not desiring that we be persecuted, but I just want us to realize how much freedom and opportunity we have to openly live for Christ and to share His truth with others. That’s a privilege that most of the world doesn’t have, so let’s not squander the opportunities we receive that allow us to share our faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:1
They were a big deal in the 1990s, but we just recently picked up a couple Magic Eye 3D picture books. Since I have been used to looking at them over the years, the pictures come pretty easily and quickly for me. However, my children get a little frustrated whenever they can’t see the image, either immediately, or at all! I try to show them methods to hopefully focus on the right area of the page in order to make the picture come to life, but often it is to no avail.
Once you grasp the idea, it’s like a whole different world opens up within these 3-dimensional pictures, but rather than jumping off the page, they appear to take depth inside the page. If you’ve never tried to see one of these, I invite you to try the image directly above this devotional (hint: it’s a picture of Jesus on the cross).
When we think in mere human terms, seeing is believing; but when we think in terms of faith, believing is seeing. The more we trust God and depend on the power of the Holy Spirit, the more we will see Him taking over every part of our life, causing us to operate by faith, not by sight. When we believe God and take Him at His word, He will open our eyes to His strength and wisdom that can only be realized in the realm of faith. The more we depend on Him and surrender to Him, the clearer our eyes of faith will be able to see His supernatural purpose.
If you have ever been on the set of a play, television show, or musical, you will see that all of the props are just that: props. The bricks and concrete-looking items sound hollow when you knock on them, indicating that they are not real—possibly cardboard or Styrofoam. The true art is found in the designer’s ability to make everything look realistic, while at the same time making them light enough for a middle school stage hand to quickly move them out of the way without getting a hernia.
The same idea applies to those who are acting out parts, because even though they are pretending to be someone else and everyone knows it, the goal is to be as convincing as possible. My middle daughter is currently involved in a high school musical, which is one of her favorite things to do. (I have to be careful not to call it a “play”, because as a musical, the emphasis is on singing). In this musical, she has to play a role of a specific character, even though it doesn’t fit who she is in real life (right gender, however, different ethnicity :)
Today’s lesson is simple: be real; don’t put on a front. Well, don’t be so real that you wear your pajamas to work…that is an exclusive outfit for shopping at Walmart. The church doesn’t need more pretenders—it needs genuine people who authentically represent who Christ is. That’s what the world needs to see! So, if you have been wearing a façade, surrender it to the Lord and determine that you are no longer going to live a fake life, but a life that is marked by truth; a life that points to Jesus.
As humans, it can be very easy for us to become stale or maybe even a little bit stagnant in our faith. We are also very prone to be overcome by the weight of our fears and trials. My personal opinion is that we allow the distractions of this world to take preeminence over spiritual things. I don’t mean that being busy providing for our families is a bad thing, because that’s necessary. I certainly don’t mean that our problems are trivial either, because they are very real. But intentionally taking a few minutes each day to reflect on how huge God is and how capable He is, will cause us to take giant strides of faith in terms of our spiritual growth.
The old saying by J. B. Phillips goes like this: “If your problem is too big, your God is too small.” The immensity of God, coupled with our intimacy with God, will multiply our impact for God. Here’s a disclaimer: reflecting on the immensity of God doesn’t automatically make our problems go away, but it does take the burden off of us, causing us to rely on His omnipotent strength. It magnifies God, not the size of the problem.
I know it seems so basic, but let’s take a few moments to reflect on the fact that our God is bigger than the universe He created. Even though our finite minds cannot fully comprehend how huge He is, it should calm our fears by reminding us that He is more than capable of handling every single problem we face. The God who gave names to the billions and billions of stars, not only knows your name, but everything that you are going through. No matter the size of the issue, His immensity is infinitely greater!
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