The Amazing Pits in our Lives
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We all wish for the ups and suffer the downs of living life we call "living in the pits in our lives". Here are some thoughts.
Let me begin with this observation- Many places in the Gospels, it says the audience observing what Jesus did or said was "amazed". As Christians we are often amazed at what God does for us.
I have often thought about my being amazed at God's behavior in the blessings of my life.
Consider this- In a word study of the Greek that is translated "amazed" in the Gospels, it is found to mean "being astonished at an action that had never been seen or heard before." Jesus' audience had never seen what we have, the opportunity to read and know all the recorded "amazing" words and deeds of Jesus. And I wonder.
I wonder how 'amazed' we should feel in God answering our prayers and doing for us in our lives. We know He loves us dearly and just as we are with our children, He wants to satisfy our needs and when in His will, He even give us some of our desires. As our children are humble and polite to us, we want to help them in every way we can. Sometimes that is giving them what they need and want, but sometimes, it is also withholding something to teach them patience, and that often leads to giving them more at a later time. As with dealing with our children, in God dealing with us God wants only the best for us, but His Timing is important too.
Sometimes I think that if I am greatly amazed at what God does for me, maybe my expectations were just far to low, and question if I should I really feel "amazed"?. Quite often, it is not what we ask for that controls what we receive from God, but rather, it is how we ask for it.
In Humility, I try not to ask for specifics but rather, very often, I just pray for peace and patience to get to where I need to be, and for the results to be through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In patience, that peace comes in abundance, even out of my lowest pits; even when the current circumstances remain the same. God's answers to my prayers always seem to fit, maybe not always immediately, but His answers are most perfect even in the time I consider delayed. In waiting patiently, His answers eventually come, and most perfectly fits my pits.
However, there are at times the need is very specific and not a want. This is so very important to consider. We cannot allow ourselves to feel slighted by God when we pray for a want and get little to nothing of our wants. Pray for your needs, in humility pray big for your needs, you may get exactly what you pray for. However, again, pray in humility.
In humility, when we ask for something beyond what we need, he supplies what we really need in a most generous manner that truly is at first amazing, but then, as we realize, He is God and He wants to bring us Joy in fellowship with Him. Through His Loving action, His initiation, our relationship with Him is our faith in Him.
In humility, we should too remember to pray as Jesus did. In the worst of His circumstances, in the most pressing moment of His life, at a time things seemed their worst, remember to finish your humble prayers, "not my will, but thine be done."
This is just a thought and not meant to be critical of your expressions of "amazement". Just a thought to give you some alternative thoughts. Because....
I am often amazed at what God does for me, but I use it to realize and seek a greater relationship with Him in the faith He gives me; and to understand He has so much more in store for me in the life I live in that Relationship.
The best gift He gives besides life itself, is the "measure" of faith for a loving relationship with Him (Romans 12:3). Even in my pits, I do not need my faith supersized, I just need to trust Him more as He helps me to crawl out of any pit I come to. (John 14:1*) Faith, our Relationship with God, often does not change our circumstances but Trusting God though the Faith He gives us, changes us.
Far too often, in our pits we cry too much in our despair demanding an answer to "why me?". Have you ever considered that to get out of the many pits where we find ourselves (especially our self made pits), very often all He needs to give us is a shovel to dig on the wall next to us allowing us to just to make steps to climb out of the pit. Amazing :). We simply must trust Him and His Timing.
Finally, In our Pits, we just need to Trust Him, and to trust God more, we need to have the Holy Spirit in our lives. "To have the Holy Spirit in our lives we need to pray.... and pray.... and pray..... often.... each and every day. *" As you Trust Him more, watch how you change; and do not be too amazed, it is God's everyday work to help you find the Joy in your life you so richly desire.
Thanks be to God
lonnie
An after thought:
Most amazing perhaps is God's delayed answers to prayer, and
sometimes the answer to my prayers is "no" and I am most thankful.
TB2G
* Holy Spirit quote, Rev. Brenda Newman, January, 2009.
© lonnie coggins
1 “Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; Trust also in me.
19 Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.”
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
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Publication 0218
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Some thoughts on "Amazing Pits" in our lives. Please share the message on your Fb page as you like, and if you like, click the FB 'Follow' button to have notifications of these publications. For other messages like this, visit my FB page, or on FB visit-"A Daily Thought Group".
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