A thought by Max Lucado, from his book, You Were Made for This Moment (p. 154). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
Ok, what is it?
Max asks, "Is anything too hard for God? Does he ever give up because the problem is too great? Does he ever throw up his hands and quit? Does he ever shake his head at the sound of a prayer request and say, 'I can’t handle that problem'?"
He continues, "The answer, the welcome answer, is, 'No, nothing is too hard for the Lord.'
"You must start here. Don’t measure the height of the mountain. Ponder the power of the One who made it. Don’t tell God how big your storm is. Tell the storm how big your God is. Your problem is not that your problem is so big but that your view of God is too small.
"Accept the invitation of the psalmist: 'O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together' (Ps. 34:3 KJV). Our tendency is to magnify our fears. We place a magnifying glass on the diagnosis, the disease, or debt."
He later says, "The next time you feel the weight of the world, talk to the One who made the world. As your perception of God grows greater, the size of your challenge grows smaller. If God can sway the heart of a Persian monarch, if he can reverse certain death into victorious life, if he can turn a scheduled holocaust into an annual holiday, do you not think he can take care of you?
"I’m sorry for your exile in Persia. I’m sorry for your deep wounds and weariness. I’m so sorry that you so quickly understand the meaning of words like pain, fear, and sadness."
Max goes on, "Springtime seems like forever from now, I know. But, friend, it isn’t. The story of Esther dares you to believe that God, though hidden, is active. He brings life out of broken things. The apostle Paul was summarizing Esther when he wrote: 'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' (Rom. 8:28)."
"We know,' Paul said. There are so many things in life we do not know. We do not know if the economy will dip or if our team will win. We don’t always know what our kids are thinking or our spouse is doing. But according to Paul we can be dead certain of four things.
Max says, "We know God works. He is busy behind the scenes, above the fray, and within the fury. He hasn’t checked out or moved on. He is ceaseless and tireless.
"He never stops working for our good. Not for our comfort, pleasure, or entertainment, but for our good. Since he himself is the ultimate good, would we expect anything else?
"To do this he uses all things. Panta in Greek. As in panoramic or panacea or pandemic. All inclusive. God works, not through a few things or just the good things, best things, or easy things, but in all things God works.
He works for the good of those who love him. Good things happen to those who trust God. The umbrella of God’s providence does not extend to cover the evil and hard-hearted. But for those who seek him and his will, in all things God works."
Max then says, "A puppet in the hands of fortune and fate? Not you. You are secure in the hands of a living and loving God. A random collection of disconnected events? Far from it. Your life is a crafted narrative written by the author of life, who is working toward your supreme good and a sublime ending. Relief will come.
And that is so true! It will come. Yes, yes! #continuethought
Comments
Post a Comment