Thinking Rightly About God...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 4:34PM 
Greetings, Dear Friends!
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. For the months of March AND April I will give away away a gift card and a couple of copies of my new book, "Growing Grateful Kids" so leave a post, share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a fun treat this month!
Now on to my topic...
Last week I wrote about an experience my brother and I had when we were little children (please check out last week's post if you haven't already). We were playing a game and got stuck inside a heavy cedar chest. We were in there for an hour. My dad had to break us out of there with a crow bar. When they found us, we were listless. Needless to say, that experience deeply affected both my brother and I.
Today I received the best gift in the mail: a letter from my sister along with the Willow Tree (brand) Keepsake (pictured above). In the letter my sister these beautiful words:
"My prayer for you both is when you think of that traumatic event in that chest, instead of feeling overwhelming fear, or wonder why it ever happened, or just having that pit in your stomach when you think of it...instead of those things, think of these things (look inside the box)."
Inside the box she placed little pieces of paper with the different names of God: Deliverer, Sustainer, Defender, Life Breath, etc.
When I looked at the two little children sitting on top of that chest, I was instantly overwhelmed! Isn't that a picture of how God delivers us? Though the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, God will not let him have the last word.
Today I read from the Gospel of Mark and noticed a couple of different insights. In chapter four I read about the time when Jesus fell asleep in the boat during a storm. I've never noticed this before but when the disciples woke Him up, their first question was not, "Can you do something about this storm?"
No, their question was, "Don't you care that we were about to drown?"
Isn't that the same question that rises up from us when we encounter painful and traumatic experiences? Don't you care, Lord? Where are You? Where were You?
But Jesus responds to them (and us) with another question, "Where is your faith?"
In other words, Jesus is saying, "I'm right here" because He is. He wants us to trust Him even in the scariest of times.
Jesus exhorted His disciples not to be afraid. Then He rebuked the storms and the storms obeyed. And the disciples' response? Read the verse (Mark 4:41):
They were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey Him!"
Imagine what it was like to be them. Picture Jesus telling them not be afraid. First they were afraid, thinking that He didn't care, then they were terrified of His great power. The Greek translation for the fear described in verse 41 is this: they feared a great fear.
They were afraid of the notion of a disinterested Savior. They were even more terrified at the thought of His overwhelming power. We vacillate in the same way: Does God care for me? Will His supernatural influence overpower and consume me?
After Jesus calmed the storm, they all headed across the lake. Jesus met up with a demonized man (possessed by many demons). The tormented man could not be restrained even with shackles because he could tear them apart. He lived among the tombs. Night and day he would cry out (I'm sure it was a horrifying sound) and cut himself with stones. Imagine this poor man.
Jesus, filled with compassion, delivered this man and restored him fully.
When the towns people gathered around and saw this once-crazed man sitting fully clothed and in his right mind, what was their response? They were afraid! So afraid in fact, they begged the Restorer to leave town. They preferred the comfort of 'what they knew' over knowing a Power that could change them forever.
Imagine that!
If we don't think rightly about the Love of God, we will doubt that He cares, especially when the winds feel stronger than His presence.
If we don't think rightly about the Love of God, we'll be afraid when He moves in power. We'll prefer our captivity to the uncomfortable-glorious process of being set free.
Yes, we the storms will come against us, and yes, God will seem absent at times. But, when the storms rise up and try to tell you they are bigger and stronger than the God you serve, declare this verse at the top of your lungs:
But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's GREAT love, WE-ARE-NOT-CONSUMED. His compassions they never fail; His mercies are new every morning; His faithfulness is great (Lamentations 3:21-22).
May we not doubt God's love and care for us when He presence doesn't seem real. And may we not prefer captivity or shrink back from Him when He moves in power. We will not be consumed. We can get close to Him and live, because He loves us.
Isn't that amazing?
Lord, God, help us to think rightly about You! Help us to trust that You are always good, always near, and always a prayer away. Because You love us, we have everything we need! Help us to see Your hand in our past experiences - because You have intervened on our behalf, whether we can see it or not. Help us to see Your hand in our present circumstances - because You are working in our midst, because You love us. And help us to see Your hand as we face our future - because You have a plan to prosper and not to harm us; to give us a hope and a future. You are always with us. Thank you, Lord.
Until next week~
Reader Comments (29)
My little girl recently had a paper cut, and said "it's not too big, God is bigger than this!"~Kelly
Susie, my prayer is for women to overcome the resistance that (I believe) are shackles placed there by the enemy that keeps them chugging along instead of walking free!
Sometimes recurring troubles remind me of the waves crashing against the North Shore...there is a place to come up from the edge of the cliff where they crash against us, but we are too afraid to move from our spot on the rock for fear we might get washed away...and just a few steps to the side is set of steps up to freedom...
May the Lord richly bless your message with His power and hearing hearts!
And today, this...Heaven is not here, it's There. Getting everything we want here only keeps us from longing for our true home.
Both readings made me realize that although I might choose different circumstances than where I find myself today, I have the miraculous blessing of having Jesus in me - which is more than sufficient to get me through any storm. AND that He loves me enough to keep me from those circumstances I might choose, in order that I might walk more closely with Him & yearn for home.
Great post, as always!
All I see in Jesus is love, compassion, sacrifice, healing and unbelievable mercy.
In a search to find out what taking the Name of the Lord in vain was many years ago, I found this:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H7723&t=WLC
The Israelites many times accused God of trying to kill them in the desert...but their problem was not God.
It was their lack of trust in Him, and their ability to leave the comfort zone behind and trust Him for what His Best was for them...
May none of us speak God's name in vain!
I love psalm 139! The entire psalm is good but I especially like verses 1-12
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
I love that Gods right hand will hold me fast! And the dark times I experience- God will be my light.Thank you so much Susie!Rich blessings on you!
I heard you speak this past weekend and I was so moved and convicted but all you said. I hope I can remember all you had to say about remembering who God is in us so I can draw on his strength every day.
I'm here on your blog for the first time - I'm reading your book "Growing Grateful Kids" and absolutely loving it, so I searched out your website and blog.
"May we not doubt God's love and care for us when He presence doesn't seem real" - thank you for this reminder. I've been in a few bad storms where I felt as if He wasn't there because He was allowing such trials to happen. Only by continuing to search Him out did I find healing for my soul and a stronger faith.
I'm so thankful that God spoke to you through me. What an honor. And I do know that I pack a lot in. It's sort of like taking a drink from a fire hose. May God help you remember everything He wants you to know.
Bless you~
Thanks so much for your note! I'm so thankful that you've enjoyed the GGK book! Guess what? We are doing a promotion with that book. If you post a review on Amazon and send me the link, your name will go into a drawing for a 4G-I-pod Shuffle. You have to be on my mailing list to win. I'll announce the winner in my next Ezine issue (July 15). Just in case you're interested...Bless you!
I think you really hit on a truth that many of us face. Just as the disciples said, "Don't you care that we were about to drown?", we question if we are really loved. We suffer insecurity, but it is so good to know that God is love and we do not need to fear or feel less. There is no comparison to knowing that we are children of God. Even when we don't feel it we can KNOW it.
"His faithfulness is great."
Thank you Susie for this message.
Kathy
Wow, twins! It sounds like you've been through a lot! But your daughter sounds absolutely precious (and taught of the Lord). May God richly bless you as you raise those future world-changers!
What a wonderful and clear description of captivity and freedom! I feel the same way; I just know God aches over our unbelief and our willingness to be bullied by our fears. May we desire to please Him more than we desire to stay comfortable. Bless you, you mighty Kingdom woman!
SO nice to hear from you! I miss you, my friend! We all need those occasional reminders that God is good, He is faithful, and we are NEVER alone! Bless you, dear.
So honored to have you visit each week. May God continue to speak clearly to you and lead you to places of healing and refreshment!Blessings to you!
Thank you for sharing such GREAT insights. Love them. And you are so right; even though it's not usually the easy answer, it's the most powerful one: Christ in us is our hope of glory! And it's the promise of God to work in us and through us.Bless you, my sister!
I read something similar recently. We think that taking the name of God in vain is limited to swearing - but it's so much more than that! It's assigning evil motives to Him, being offended by Him, and rejecting His love and offer of salvation (and then blaming Him for our troubles). He is so good, kind, true, and loving, and yet so many miss Him completely. Have mercy, Oh, Lord.
Great words! His promise is as good as His presence. Love that. Blessings to you!
I love how you pack your posts with Scripture. Maybe someday I'll have to turn this blog (and all of these great posts) into a book. :)
Blessings to you, my friend.
Yes, that's an important reminder indeed. We are so blessed to be linked in fellowship with the One who has no rival. He is the beginning and the end; the first and the last; the strongest, mightiest, and most true! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!