[Brian’s thoughts of the day: Jan. 31st]
AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRAISE GOD!
I went out to dinner with one of my friends the other night and we started talking about the fact that true faith is learning to trust God even when you don’t see any solutions on the horizon. I was pretty upset the other evening because it seemed like I was getting hit from every side—but my friend Doug encouraged me with the fact that I now have an opportunity to (in faith) praise God in the hard times. One of my favorite verses (that I have shared on facebook before) is in Hab.3:17-18 : “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” In this passage the situation spoken about is pretty dour. In that society in ancient Israel--if you didn't have an olive crop, a fig crop, a vineyard, or any livestock--you were pretty much facing certain starvation and death. Yet, the author continues by saying, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” How do we learn to trust without seeing any resolution? The Bible talks about offering up the sacrifice of praise to God in Heb 13:15.
Is praise really that much of a “sacrifice” when everything is going smoothly however? I know personally it had always been much “easier” for me to be thankful to God when everything is running smoothly. When finances were stable, when the business was running smoothly and when things were cool at home it was easy to be thankful. Initially it was a struggle for me to keep that same perspective when everything was falling apart. Although I didn't have barren grape vines, fruitless fig trees or any failing olive crop, I did have a tremendous financial trauma: a failing business plus a disintegrating marriage. It was hard to trust in God when everything seemed like it was disintegrating. But that’s when I made the conscience decision to trust in the One that had taken care of me when things were good. It’s also was when my praise became a real sacrifice for me, at the same time when I started to die to self. As I entered into this time of tribulation in my life this past year or so--I always knew in my head that God would bring good things out of my current circumstances, but I kept trying to tell Him how and when to do it. When He didn't resolve things in the time or the way that I expected, in turn I would sometimes get angry and would doubt His goodness. It’s awesome when we see God’s divine provision as well as a miraculous answer to prayer. But I almost wonder if the depth of our relationship is cultivated through the hard times? Almost like a marriage. It’s easy to love your spouse when they are lovable--but what do you choose to do when your love isn't reciprocated? My mother has a neighbor/friend who lives in a small condo near her with his wife of 40 plus years. This man's wife has Alzheimer’s and has slowly degraded to the point where she barely recognizes people she has known for decades. Eventually, she will probably get to the point where she doesn't even recognize her husband. But, he is still committed to her, gently taking care of her, guiding and protecting her. He so obviously still loves her, though she is quite different than the young girl he married as a youth. That kind of love is a sacrifice: yet a beautiful one at that! I pray that I eventually get to the point where I can trust fully in God’s goodness regardless of the circumstances I see around me and keep my eyes fixed on the One Who works all things for my good.
Daneille Snowden [Blog Editor]: Brian and I are friends from our high school youth group and had recently reconnected on facebook. Also, I was there when he first accepted Christ in 1982 at a Keith Green concert. I have been following his Facebook posts on his journey back into intimacy with God and offered to share them on a blog. Check out my blog: http://snowdenwiththefam-daneille.blogspot.com/
I went out to dinner with one of my friends the other night and we started talking about the fact that true faith is learning to trust God even when you don’t see any solutions on the horizon. I was pretty upset the other evening because it seemed like I was getting hit from every side—but my friend Doug encouraged me with the fact that I now have an opportunity to (in faith) praise God in the hard times. One of my favorite verses (that I have shared on facebook before) is in Hab.3:17-18 : “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” In this passage the situation spoken about is pretty dour. In that society in ancient Israel--if you didn't have an olive crop, a fig crop, a vineyard, or any livestock--you were pretty much facing certain starvation and death. Yet, the author continues by saying, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” How do we learn to trust without seeing any resolution? The Bible talks about offering up the sacrifice of praise to God in Heb 13:15.
Is praise really that much of a “sacrifice” when everything is going smoothly however? I know personally it had always been much “easier” for me to be thankful to God when everything is running smoothly. When finances were stable, when the business was running smoothly and when things were cool at home it was easy to be thankful. Initially it was a struggle for me to keep that same perspective when everything was falling apart. Although I didn't have barren grape vines, fruitless fig trees or any failing olive crop, I did have a tremendous financial trauma: a failing business plus a disintegrating marriage. It was hard to trust in God when everything seemed like it was disintegrating. But that’s when I made the conscience decision to trust in the One that had taken care of me when things were good. It’s also was when my praise became a real sacrifice for me, at the same time when I started to die to self. As I entered into this time of tribulation in my life this past year or so--I always knew in my head that God would bring good things out of my current circumstances, but I kept trying to tell Him how and when to do it. When He didn't resolve things in the time or the way that I expected, in turn I would sometimes get angry and would doubt His goodness. It’s awesome when we see God’s divine provision as well as a miraculous answer to prayer. But I almost wonder if the depth of our relationship is cultivated through the hard times? Almost like a marriage. It’s easy to love your spouse when they are lovable--but what do you choose to do when your love isn't reciprocated? My mother has a neighbor/friend who lives in a small condo near her with his wife of 40 plus years. This man's wife has Alzheimer’s and has slowly degraded to the point where she barely recognizes people she has known for decades. Eventually, she will probably get to the point where she doesn't even recognize her husband. But, he is still committed to her, gently taking care of her, guiding and protecting her. He so obviously still loves her, though she is quite different than the young girl he married as a youth. That kind of love is a sacrifice: yet a beautiful one at that! I pray that I eventually get to the point where I can trust fully in God’s goodness regardless of the circumstances I see around me and keep my eyes fixed on the One Who works all things for my good.
Daneille Snowden [Blog Editor]: Brian and I are friends from our high school youth group and had recently reconnected on facebook. Also, I was there when he first accepted Christ in 1982 at a Keith Green concert. I have been following his Facebook posts on his journey back into intimacy with God and offered to share them on a blog. Check out my blog: http://snowdenwiththefam-daneille.blogspot.com/
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"It's easy to be a "Christian" when life is good. The real sign of a person's relationship with Jesus is who they are when things are hard and it seems like life is falling apart." ~Brian