Praise

A friend just showed me this cartoon and I thought it was really good... it really does put things in perspective and I kinda relate a lot to this.  The question shouldn't be 'why' when tough things happen but 'how' can I glorify God through my situation.  God allows all things for good and for His glory... like when Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and unfairly imprisoned for so long.  He couldn't see the purpose for the agony he was going through but God knew the whole picture and used Joseph's suffering to save his people.  I want to be like Paul who rejoices in the Lord through his sufferings, confident that they are accomplishing good and furthering the Gospel.  Praise is so important and I think that through it, we can better see ourselves and tune our hearts to be more like God's.  For me, praising God through every situation allows me to become more aware of my own self-righteousness, self-pity and pride.  I can release these things to God and praising Him tunes me in to His guidance.  When I face struggles, I want to be able  to say, "God I don't want you to remove this problem until You've done all You want to do through it, in me and in others." 

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  Romans 11:33

Rainbow

After I wrote my previous post this morning I was thinking about how it always seems like when it rains, it pours... well the amazing thing is that after it pours, God sends a rainbow... I know it isn't for me but the gorgeous one that stretched over campus this afternoon just warmed my heart and made it so clear that God is in control and my problems are so minuscule compared to the joy of spending eternity with my Creator!

The view from above

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8


The past two weeks of my life have been crazy.  When it rains it pours, and when a few things go wrong, it feels like everything just crashes.  But it's also times like these that draw me nearer to God.  I want to shift my perspective from focusing on my circumstances to focusing on God's faithfulness.  And I want to understand what God is trying to teach me through these experiences and how I can persevere and praise Him through the pain.  I want to draw nearer to God through my adversities and be refined by the fire rather than destroyed by it.


I've been thinking a lot and have some questions to ask myself in times of struggle:
1. What if this isn't the end but a new beginning?
2. What if the answer to my prayers is just over the next hill?
3. What if this is necessary for me to be prepared for the next situations in life?
4. What if God knows exactly what I need at this particular time?
5. What if God is speaking to me through means I would not have chosen for a blessing I cannot see?
6. What does this experience make possible?
7. What can I tell others what I learned was so valuable in this season of life?


My life is like that of a little girl sitting at her mother's feet.  She is looking up at the underside of her mother's sewing confused by all the knots and tangles of thread and messiness of the piece.  She questions her mother, upset and asking why she can't see a picture and why it just looks a mess.  The mother then lifts the little girl and places her on her lap so she can see the view from above.  And at once the knotted thread and tangles disappear and a beautifully clear scene is before the child's eyes.  God's view: perfect, clear, purposed and breathtaking.  My whole life, all I see are the tangles and knots of uncertainty and adversity and my struggle is to remember that God, who is in control of it all, has the view from above and has a perfect plan for the masterpiece of my life.  And what I don't realize is that the tangles are what makes the view from above so beautiful.