Fighting for you!

What is your view of God?   How do you see Him? Is He more like a friend, or a father, a judge and jury? Do you see Him as distant, or personal?

Yesterday in my church group, we talked about God and the Israelites around Samuel's time.  The discussion was on when the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant in battle against the Israelites.

Long story short, the Philistines took it and their god fell forward and broke off it's head and hands. Then they got tumors and some died.  They sent the Ark back to Israelites and some of them died because they looked into the Ark.  Which the Israelites knew was against God's commands.

The discussion turned to how God had withdrawn Himself from the Isrealites because they had turned away from Him and were not following God's law and commands. Also, how he killed off the people who looked in the Ark and some of the Philistines. Then the question came up "If God is a loving God and He wants people to be saved why would He do this?"  So it brought into question God's character.

I think as Christians we always fight with this in our head about God.  We want to believe He is loving and kind all the time and never harsh or punishing.  When we consider this story in the Bible, the waters get a little mucky and we don't want think about this side of God. We want Him to stay this sweet loving benevolent father, that never gets mad.

One of the guys in class said "Compare this story to being a parent, and your kid is walking toward a cliff." "What would do?"  These questions started a barrage of comments.  Listening to all this discussion, something just clicked in my head.

It is true, even with my niece and nephew if they are about to do something that is dangerous and they aren't listening, sometimes I raise my voice, or pick them up and remove them from the danger, or remove the thing that they want to get them to listen.  They view me as mean and harsh, but I know that I am doing something to protect them and help them so they don't hurt themselves or others.  What am I doing? I am fighting for them because I love them and I want them to have a good and safe life.

This thought just hit me.  God was fighting for the hearts of His people.  They were not walking but running full throttle into sinful behaviors that were eroding away at their lives. God tried over and over to get their attention but instead they were blinded and only focused on what they wanted at the moment.  God had to get their attention to wake them up to see how destructive they were becoming.  To both them and the Philistines it seemed harsh and mean.  But It was God Fighting for them out of His totally unfailing love for His kids!

The old testament stories sometimes are hard for me to swallow because it seems so ruthless sometimes.  But this helped me see how God has not changed. He is still a God of love.  It makes me see that even when it looks like He is Harsh and uncaring because things aren't going the way I want, that this may be ways that God is trying to fight for me and get my attention to turn my heart to Him.  That He will do everything He can to help me turn from things that destroy me and will in time take me down, even if harsh.  Not because He doesn't love me,  but BECAUSE He loves me!

Just makes me love Him so much more to know He cares that much!  God fights for you too!  Maybe the rough time or the thing you want is not working out, is the very thing God is using to say "Hey you are running toward the cliff! Turn around, Turn to me!"

Isn't it awesome how much God loves us! He will fight to the death to save us!  Guess What? He did that too! There is no end to how much He loves us! Such a good thing to remember when we are going through things that are rough and seem harsh.  He is fighting for you, because He loves you That Much!

Another Jewel from Job

I usually think of the statement "My Redeemer Lives" as one from the New Testament.  Found this beautiful jewel from Job as well.

Job: 19:25-27

"I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
 I myself will see him
with my own eyes —I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me" NIV

Job's faith blows my mind.  May this bless you as it  does me this day.  Know, Your Redeemer Lives! Amen!

Yet I will hope

This morning I'm reading Job.  I used to get so angry at the story of Job because it seemed so unfair.  A man that lived his life for God and looked out for his family.  How could God let Satan nearly destroy his whole life, kill off his family, and nearly kill him? And then when Job finally gets to talk and question God at the end of the book, God's answer is "Don't you know who I am, and who are you to question me?" At least it always felt that way. 

This is the second time I am reading through the Bible in the last year and I am noticing some beautiful verses of Job that show his ultimate trust in his God and friend. Yes he cries out over and over in his anguish and begs God to curse the day of his birth etc.  He has real honest questions as any of us would in his shoes, but there are some truly amazing statements of faith and trust that surprise me in the midst of all this pain.  This is one of them.

• Job 16:19-21: "Even now my witness is in heaven;
  my advocate is on high.
   My intercessor is my friend
  as my eyes pour out tears to God;
   on behalf of a man he pleads with God
  as one pleads for a friend." NIV

Wow! Isn't that amazing! Even in his horrible pain and suffering Job knows that he has an intercessor that pleads for him as one that pleads for a friend.  Even then Job was so close to God that He trusted and knew that Holy Spirit would intercede for him.  It say's advocate on high I wonder if this eludes to even Jesus.

The new testament supports intercession by the Holy Spirit and and we know Jesus intercedes for us.  Here is a verse from new testament I just love.

• Romans 8:26-27:  "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." NIV

It is such comfort to me when I feel like I don't even know what to pray for I'm so distraught.  Job knew this too with his connection with God.

The one verse that just blows me away and shows Job's total and complete trust in God is this one .

• Job 13:15: "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
  I will surely defend my ways to his face." NIV

Can you imagine!  The kind of faith in a God that you know is allowing all these horrible things to happen to you?  Job doesn't just lay down and not express himself to God and just except his fate without question, but in all this even in his questions and frustration he still trusts.  Can you wrap your mind around what kind of relationship he had to have with God in order to say "Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him"?

I think it is such an amazing testament to Job's relationship to God.  One, that he can feel totally comfortable being honest to God how he feels, and two, that in all of that he still trusts God to death even if God Himself kills him!

It sounds awful at first, but if you really think about it, isn't that amazing and awesome that Job trusted God that much!  Doesn't that testify to how good God really is?  Job knows that when it comes down to it, God is a good and loving God. Even trusting that sometimes death may be a mercy in some circumstances, which is sometimes hard to imagine.

It encourages me in my roughest times to remember our God is Good and we cannot see the big picture.  We think we know what is best, but honestly every day our vision is warped and darkened.  This is why only complete trust and surrender to God is our hope and strength. Only God sees the full picture and knows what is best for us.

So when things are looking bad and you think you can't go on, remember God is looking out for your best even if it looks like its the worst.  Remember if Job could trust God that much we can too! Yet I will hope! How about you?

 

I Am With You

I Just started reading this book this morning called 

Love Does by Bob Goff

The first chapter already has me tearing up.  The chapter is called I'm with you.  It is a story about when He was a teenager and he wasn't quite done with high school he wanted to go to Yosemite and be a rock climber.  There was a a guy that didn't go to his high school but would come by and hang out at the school and try to talk with him about Jesus.  After a while they became friends. 

Well Bob, the author, decided he was going to cut school and drive to Yosemite and he went to say goodbye to his friend, his friend thought for a few mins and invited himself to go with him saying "Bob, I'm with you".  No chastisement or "what are you doing?" Just "I'm with you"  

So they head out to Yosemite in VW and Bob tries to find a job and can't find anything and is running out of money. So he decides after 2 days of not finding anything and only enough money to get home, he would head back.  Again his friend just said to him "I'm with you" 

When they get back and Bob goes to drop his friend off at his house they go into the house and Bob sees there are wedding gifts half opened, and realizes that his friend had just gotten married to his girlfriend and sacrificed part of his honeymoon to go with him to Yosemite to make sure he was safe and ok. 

I was so moved by this story.  We are told all the time God is with us over and over.  But there is a big difference between just some higher being that looks down us and says "I'm with you" and watches over us, from a true friend that looks us in the eye that packs their bags and says "I'm with you".

My family moved around a lot when I was a kid because my dad was in the air-force.   It kind of made it hard for me to make friends. That may sound a little crazy, because you might think that would make me be good at making friends.  But being an introvert, you kind of get more and more shy of making friends because you know you will soon have to say goodbye and move.  

I think it was almost after I started my first job out of college that I met a friend that really was truly "with me" for the long haul.  I am so grateful every day for her she is my dearest Sister.  

• Matt 1:22-23 Says:  "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us)”NIV

 God didn't just stay in heaven, He came down to earth and was born as a human being to BE WITH US!  :)  Isn't that Cool!

God is totally the guy that packs his bags or the sister that packs her purse :)  and says "I'm with you!" "For the long haul, whatever it takes"  Even if He knows we are bent on heading into the fray without a single lick of sense or preparation.  "I am with you"  "I am your confidant, comrade, your bestie, your BFF"  "I got your back"  

Great reminder that God is always closer than we think in a so much more personal way than we give Him credit for.  How has God told you lately that He is with you? Remember this week, He is more than just with you..... He is All In, packed His bags,  WITH YOU AlWAYS! AMEN!

Not Be Moved

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
 he will never permit
the righteous to be moved. NIV

Whatever you have going on today God's got you covered :)

Give your burdens to Him

Keep your eyes on Him

and He will hold you steady in His Love!

God is Always Working

 

I'm overwhelmed with joy...... my friend that I have been praying for came by tonight and told me she wants to start going to church regularly and wants to read a Bible!!!!  I should not be surprised but it was like a record just scratched for a second.  :)  As I got whiplash looking back at her. She asked me what part of the Bible she should start reading first. I told her the Gospel's. Then she said she didn't have a Bible.  So I tried not to literally leap into my house to get her one. :) My heart was singing all the way! 

Sometimes as a Christian, I lose sight that there are truly people I know that are hungry for God.  Our 1st world society is so full of so many distractions and luxuries, that I feel it lulls us all to sleep.  I don't give God much credit for doing what He does best, touching peoples hearts with His love!

God Never Stops Working!  Even when things look like they are falling apart He is still working! Such a good reminder for me this week! Never lose faith, God knows what He is doing.  Things done in our time can turn out a mess, things in His time turn out Amazing!  

So my heart is just overflowing and full of joy for the journey my friend is embarking on, because if she wants she Will find Jesus, and He will fill her with the joy, peace, hope, and love that she longs for.  YAY!!!!

• Psalms 57:9-10:  "I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
  I will sing of you among the peoples.
   For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
  your faithfulness reaches to the skies" NIV

 Our God is so faithful! Always working things out for good.

So don't lose hope! God is working even if you can't see the end of the road or even a foot in front of you.  God is working Keep The Faith!  Don't believe what you see, Hold onto what you Know to be true! Jesus Reigns!

No Accident