Exploring faith and life
When things get overwhelming and all we can see is hopelessness and defeat ….. we need to remember the story of Elijah and his servant who were surrounded by an enemy army. The servant could only see certain defeat and destruction because that’s what was happening in the natural realm. Elisha however was a man of tremendous faith ….. and he saw beyond the natural realm to the supernatural. He prayed that God would open his servants eyes and he did! They both were able to see a much larger army of angel warriors surrounding the enemy. The result was that the enemy soldiers were struck with blindness and lost their sense of direction. Ask God to open your eyes to see what He is doing behind the scene. He is fighting the battle on your behalf. You just need to trust Him!
Stress comes in many different ways. We can’t avoid it! Miriam Webster defines is as : ‘a force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part.’ Wherever there are two or more people ….. there will be differences of opinion. No more so than in a marriage! But stress doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Athletes use it as part of their training to strengthen their bodies. Whether it’s physical ….. emotional ….. or mental stress ….. we can view it as an opportunity to grow stronger. It can make us ….. or break us! We need to fight as a team. ‘A house divided against itself will not stand.’ But ….. ‘A threefold cord is not easily broken!’
I want to end this week by reminding you that God is faithful! No matter what challenges you’re facing ….. despite the circumstances yelling out He’s forgotten you ….. whether or not you are seeing any changes ….. HE IS FAITHFUL!!! The sun will set tonight and rise again tomorrow. And you will have lived another day!
Opportunity often comes in disguise. It may take the form of a closed door ….. a disappointment ….. a negative report. These situations can either cause us to give up ….. or to dig deeper in order to find another way. The big picture usually becomes clearer only on reflection. We discover that the ‘plan B’ ….. though inconvenient at the time ….. was actually much better.
Are you dreaming about what life will be like some day ….. when the mortgage is paid off ….. the kids have left home ….. you can relax more? That’s all great ….. but where you are right now could be the most fruitful time of your life! Be present in the moment and you’ll see how amazing it is. Don’t wish it away! The green pastures will come all too soon ….. and you’ll be looking back fondly to ‘the good old days’!
