Have you seen my cute little office? Its bright blue walls are lined with my favorite kitschy collections. Trust me, it’s way more relaxing than a tire store or car show! (By the way, this is Amy writing this week, not Ron – if you haven’t figured that out yet.)
Take a peek i
nside and you’ll easily understand why my green comfy couch welcomes friends to sit a spell. I recently settled into its diamond-tufted arms to confide in a friend about a troubling situation. Her prayers immediately reassured me as she asked God for wisdom and guidance, restoration and redemption. Then she prayed, “Lord, none if this was a surprise to You. You’ve known this would happen and You know how it will end.” Um hmmm. Amen, sister. That’ll preach!
(insert record scratching sound) Wait a second! What??
Theoretically and theologically, I knew this fact and even agreed with it. God is “omniscient,” which means He knows everything. It’s one of the things we love most about Him. But when it came time to apply this righteous reality in my own life, it shook me up a little. If God knew this was going to happen, it meant He knew I would be hurting. It meant years of prayers pleading for protection against the possibility of this situation had gone unanswered. I would have appreciated it if He’d have shared a little of that omniscience with me ahead of time.
You know the party game where you walk blindfolded through an obstacle course guided only by your partner’s instructions? Well, to be honest, I felt like my Partner had just walked me off a cliff.
God had hurt my feelings. As I prayed, I tried to conceal my anger and frustration toward Him… but since the crux of my complaint was that He already knew everything, including how I felt, I didn’t try to hide it for long. I knew He could handle my little tantrum, so I let Him have it—in a reverent way, of course—and waited for His response to my poured-out, put-upon heart.
“Oh, Amy,” I heard Jesus whisper, “don’t you remember what I told you? In this world you WILL have trouble. When that happens—and it’s going to happen!—you can take heart, because I have overcome the world. I’m on your side, and I’ve got you covered.” (That’s from John 16:33. I love it when Jesus gives me the reference numbers when we talk!)
I had been adequately warned, and I have also been adequately equipped by Christ to handle whatever comes my way. And while I still don’t know the ending, I know and trust the End—
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13
Lord, thank You for holding me tightly during my tantrums, like an overwrought child, until I finally collapse in Your arms. Thank You for being patient with me. Thank You for being my strength when I’m too weak and frightened to know what to do. Help me to trust in You no matter what each day brings. Amen.
Please consider these important Scriptures during your devotional time over the next few days:
Read Jeremiah 29:11-13
(11) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (12) Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
- Is it enough that God knows His plans for you, or do insist on knowing, too?
- Do you trust God to make good plans for you, or do you try to take control?
- Are you fulfilling your part in finding God’s plans—the calling on Him, praying to Him, seeking Him with your whole heart part (verse 12-13)?
- What timeline do you think God is on when He promises prosperity, safety, hope and a future?
Read all of Psalm 139, especially verses 16-18
(16) You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (17) How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! (18) I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! (New Living Translation)
- Think about the most difficult day you’ve experienced. How does knowing that God knew about this day in advance make you feel (verse 16)?
- What do you think God thinks about you?
- According to verses 17 and 18, what are the quality and quantity of His thoughts about you?
- Since the words “wake up” in verse 18 can mean “to be aroused from the slumber of death,” this passage shows that God is with us from before our birth to after our death. What kind of hope does that provide for the days in between?
Read Job 30: 20-23
(20) I shout for help, God, and get nothing, no answer! I stand to face you in protest, and you give me a blank stare! (21) You’ve turned into my tormenter—you slap me around, knock me about. (22) You raised me up so I was riding high and then dropped me, and I crashed. (23) I know you’re determined to kill me, to put me six feet under. (The Message)
- Job bluntly told God how he felt in these verses after losing his children, his job, his health and his friends. Have you ever “let God have it,” like Job did?
- Be as honest as Job—have you ever felt God was your tormenter instead of your Savior?
- God responded to Job in Chapters 38-41. What is the gist of God’s response?
- God never told Job “why,” only “Who.” Read Job’s response to God in Job 42:1-6. Is knowing “Who” God is enough for you when you don’t understand “why”?
Read 1 Peter 4:12-19
(12) Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you…. (19) So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
- What is the purpose of the “fiery ordeal,” according to verse 12?
- Think of some times when life surprised you. Do you think it’s possible to avoid being surprised?
- Read verse 15 in your own Bible or online at www.BibleGateway.com. Has your own behavior been the root cause of any of the suffering in your life?
- Why does our Creator’s faithfulness make it possible for us to continue to do good (verse 19)?