Walking without a Map (2)

(Guess what I found in the "Draft" folder. I had intended to post it last week.) I have not posted any thoughts for some time from the book I was reading on living life during times of trial.

• Walk in the Spirit
• Daily yield control of your emotions and of your heart to the power of God's Holy Spirit.
• You cannot control events, but you can control responses.

• Wait on God and hope in Him
• His grace is sufficient

• Try your ways
• Try = test, evaluate
• There are reasons that God allows trials
• The anger and judgment of God upon sin
• The natural consequences of sin
• Spiritual warfare or sifting
• Uniquely for His glory
• The chastening of a loving Father
• Trials should be periods of refining

• Be strong and work
• Keep God first and He will keep you
• Do what (little) you can with what (little) you have to glorify God and serve Him. He will make up the difference.
• His strength is made perfect in weakness.

When we face trials, we must try to see what God wants us to learn and to do in the trial and as a result of the trial. 

Walking along an Familiar Path

In Genesis 8:1, I find an interesting phrase: "And God remembered Noah..." I find it interesting because God never forgot Noah. He knew where Noah was, what Noah was doing, when Noah would land, and why Noah was in the ark to begin with. God knew every detail about Noah. God did not remember Noah as we understand the concept of remembering; He once again interacted with Noah. Our God delights in being engaged in the lives of His children, but that engagement is to be a two-way street. God wants to engage with us, but He wants us to interact with Him through prayer, reading of the Word, and the practical application of the principles found within His Word.

And now, as we consider our personal situations, how is our relationship with God? Are we engaged with God? Are we in a place where we need God to "remember" us? Are we recognizing the work of God in our lives and practicing the word of God? Do we ever wonder if God cares? Indeed He does!

"And God remembered Noah." I wonder if Noah was concerned whether or not God remembered him. There may be times in the daily struggles of life that we wonder where God has gone, but the truth is that He has not gone anywhere. In Noah's case, God was there all of the time. In our case, He is there all of the time. And God remembered each of us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is there all of the time to watch over us and meet our needs. He loves us and cares for us and wants to see us accomplish His will. He did not lose us; He did not forget about us. God was there, is there, and will always be there. The "familiar path" is that place where we find ourselves -- going through life one day at a time. Remember, God is there with us.

Walking without a Map

I am slowly reading a book about life and those times when it "goes off the rails." The book is titled "Off Script" and is written by Pastor Cary Schmidt. It is a biographical work that recounts lessons learned during his bout with cancer.

All of us encounter those periods of life when things do not go as planned, or at least not the way we expected. Some questions to consider include "What is God trying to accomplish" and "How will I react and respond."

Here are the main points from the first four chapters.

1. Love God, Trust God, Live for God
2. Be of good cheer
• See Jesus
• Be cheerful
• Be not afraid
• Come
3. Be the clay
• Sit still
• Stay soft
• Let God work
4. Cherish the secret places
• Walk with God in the private moments
• Cherish the treasure of His presence in the darkness of life

When we encounter those times when life "throws you a curve-ball," we have need to keep a close focus on Christ and develop a stronger relationship with Him. The difficult times have a purpose; sometimes it is to push us to the place where we should have been all along. In many instances, we need more than a nudge and so God uses the "Off Script" times to cause us to refocus. What can I learn and how do I put those lessons into practice? 

Those "Off Script" moments could be in any facet of life. Perhaps they are the result of physical problems, such as health issues. Maybe they come from financial upheaval due to job loss or change. Sometimes it is social change, like the loss of a close friend or a move to a new area. Whatever the cause of the life change, we need to live with the understanding that regardless of what we face/endure, God is still God. He is still sovereign and worthy of our trust and worship.