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Monday, May 6, 2013

Faith, Not Feelings, Please God


In summary of Job 1:21, it says,
“He said, ‘I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!’”


Bottom Line:
We bring nothing into this world, we take nothing when we leave.  The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Praise God.

What this means to me:
This passage reminds me that I brought nothing physically into this world.  When I leave I will take nothing physically with me.  In my life the Lord has given me what I have and there are times when the Lord may take it away.  What I need to learn and rely on is that regardless of what happens, God should always be praised.  What His word tells me is that God will always be present in my life, even when I’m unaware of him and his presence.  God is more concerned that I learn to trust him rather than feel him.  It is faith, not feelings that please God.  Situations which stretch my faith most will be those times when life seems to be falling apart and God seems nowhere to be found.  This is what happened to Job.  On a single day he lost everything: his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging - for thirty-seven chapters, God said nothing to him!  So the question comes, how do I praise God when I don't understand what's happening in life and God appears silent?  How do I stay connected to him in a crisis without communication? How do I keep my eyes on Jesus when they're full of tears?  I can only do what Job did: "Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.'" (Job 1:20-21 NIV)  The key is to tell God exactly how I feel. Pour out my heart to God. Unload every emotion that I’m feeling.  God will be able to handle my doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions.

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