This is God. Over and out.
(Author's note: the following account is going to come off to some as a sappy attempt at a pity party, and some who know me/us may be upset that they didn't know what was going on and weren't able to do anything. This entry is intended only to articulate what has been going through my head on my journey, and is not intended to be anything other than that. Please try to read it in that light.)
"What's God trying to tell us?"
Kristy posed the question at the end of a challenging series of events.
After we got home from a challenging weekend car-repairwise, we examined our financial position and realized that, basically, we didn't have one. The repair costs had set us back, and our food arrangements have been more costly since Kristy has been unable to cook recently.
So we sat at the table, and we talked to God. We told Him that we needed help; we told Him that we didn't understand why we were still here when we knew what He wanted us to do; we told Him that Kristy was really struggling with this pregnancy, physically and emotionally; we told Him that I was trying to keep up with the housework, with varying levels of mostly non-success, and I was gettting tired.
We told Him these things, because we believe He listens, and with Him being God and all, He's in a position to, well, do something about it. We assured God that we weren't expecting Ed McMahon on our doorstep or anything, just give us what we need. And Him being God, we assumed He knew what was best for us. 'Cause that's the kind of God He is.
So, wouldn't you know it: the next afternoon, Derek goes into the hospital with an asthma attack.
-----
"The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away: blessed be the name of the Lord."
"Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."
Whenever these quotes from the Bible are referenced in sermons or whatnot, the immense faith of these men (Job in the former instance, Jehoshaphat in the latter) often is the emphasis. But as I was sitting next to Derek's bed in the hospital, I thought about those statements, and I thought about the contexts for them, and it hit me like a ton of bricks:
Those are a couple of dudes that didn't have a clue.
Job went from Rich, Successful, Fulfilled Guy to zero in a day or so, and he had no idea why. His spirituality was above reproach, his relationship with God a source of cosmic trash talk (God: Hey Satan, have you checked out Job? Boo-yah!). Yet there he was, oxenless and covered in boils.
Jehoshaphat skipped the boils part, but an entire nation turned to him when it was discovered that three larger nations had ganged up for the purpose of making sure they no longer existed. No plan, no contingency, no weapon, was going to make up for how lopsided this fight was before it had even started. And Jehoshaphat had his relationship with God squared around, too. Yet there he was: responsible for the apparent impending doom of millions of people.
If these guys had just read their Bibles, they would have known that Job was going to get all his stuff back and more, Jehoshaphat was going to lead his nation out to start singing as their enemies started killing each other, and everything was gonna work out. But they didn't read their Bibles, and they couldn't read the back of the book, and they still made these statements.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. Our eyes are upon thee.
Even though I don't have a clue.
-----
So I'm measuring my spirituality up against these guys, and I'm thinking, These guys were on the up-and-up with God, and they went through tough stuff. And what they went through wasn't tied to some wake-up call: it turns out God is God, and stuff just happens. To us, even. For a reason, because all things work together for good, but it's still in the "just happens" category.
Do I deserve an explanation? Not anymore than Job or Jehoshaphat did in the middle of their situations. Perhaps less so.
So as I pondered what God was saying, it ocurred to me that I knew what He was saying:
Be still, and know that I am God.
-----
Derek had an asthma attack, and was treated for 24 hours because he'd been getting little oxygen for some time. He felt much better afterward, and now that we know he's an asthmatic, we're able to give him breathing treatments and occasional medication that is helping greatly. He's more active and energetic than He's been in some time.
After we returned from the hospital, we called Kristy's parents to let them know what happened, and they decided on the spot that they were coming to help out. They loaded their SUV full of food and pulled in late last night, buying groceries for us, catching up the housework, helping with the kids, allowing Kristy and I some rest.
I'm pretty sure we're not to the sing-as-our-enemies-slaughter-each-other part of our story of faith, but I've been still, and I know He's God.
And for now, that's enough.
"What's God trying to tell us?"
Kristy posed the question at the end of a challenging series of events.
After we got home from a challenging weekend car-repairwise, we examined our financial position and realized that, basically, we didn't have one. The repair costs had set us back, and our food arrangements have been more costly since Kristy has been unable to cook recently.
So we sat at the table, and we talked to God. We told Him that we needed help; we told Him that we didn't understand why we were still here when we knew what He wanted us to do; we told Him that Kristy was really struggling with this pregnancy, physically and emotionally; we told Him that I was trying to keep up with the housework, with varying levels of mostly non-success, and I was gettting tired.
We told Him these things, because we believe He listens, and with Him being God and all, He's in a position to, well, do something about it. We assured God that we weren't expecting Ed McMahon on our doorstep or anything, just give us what we need. And Him being God, we assumed He knew what was best for us. 'Cause that's the kind of God He is.
So, wouldn't you know it: the next afternoon, Derek goes into the hospital with an asthma attack.
-----
"The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away: blessed be the name of the Lord."
"Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."
Whenever these quotes from the Bible are referenced in sermons or whatnot, the immense faith of these men (Job in the former instance, Jehoshaphat in the latter) often is the emphasis. But as I was sitting next to Derek's bed in the hospital, I thought about those statements, and I thought about the contexts for them, and it hit me like a ton of bricks:
Those are a couple of dudes that didn't have a clue.
Job went from Rich, Successful, Fulfilled Guy to zero in a day or so, and he had no idea why. His spirituality was above reproach, his relationship with God a source of cosmic trash talk (God: Hey Satan, have you checked out Job? Boo-yah!). Yet there he was, oxenless and covered in boils.
Jehoshaphat skipped the boils part, but an entire nation turned to him when it was discovered that three larger nations had ganged up for the purpose of making sure they no longer existed. No plan, no contingency, no weapon, was going to make up for how lopsided this fight was before it had even started. And Jehoshaphat had his relationship with God squared around, too. Yet there he was: responsible for the apparent impending doom of millions of people.
If these guys had just read their Bibles, they would have known that Job was going to get all his stuff back and more, Jehoshaphat was going to lead his nation out to start singing as their enemies started killing each other, and everything was gonna work out. But they didn't read their Bibles, and they couldn't read the back of the book, and they still made these statements.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. Our eyes are upon thee.
Even though I don't have a clue.
-----
So I'm measuring my spirituality up against these guys, and I'm thinking, These guys were on the up-and-up with God, and they went through tough stuff. And what they went through wasn't tied to some wake-up call: it turns out God is God, and stuff just happens. To us, even. For a reason, because all things work together for good, but it's still in the "just happens" category.
Do I deserve an explanation? Not anymore than Job or Jehoshaphat did in the middle of their situations. Perhaps less so.
So as I pondered what God was saying, it ocurred to me that I knew what He was saying:
Be still, and know that I am God.
-----
Derek had an asthma attack, and was treated for 24 hours because he'd been getting little oxygen for some time. He felt much better afterward, and now that we know he's an asthmatic, we're able to give him breathing treatments and occasional medication that is helping greatly. He's more active and energetic than He's been in some time.
After we returned from the hospital, we called Kristy's parents to let them know what happened, and they decided on the spot that they were coming to help out. They loaded their SUV full of food and pulled in late last night, buying groceries for us, catching up the housework, helping with the kids, allowing Kristy and I some rest.
I'm pretty sure we're not to the sing-as-our-enemies-slaughter-each-other part of our story of faith, but I've been still, and I know He's God.
And for now, that's enough.
posted by pastor mike at 5:20 PM
1 Comments:
Awe...
I don't think I have to tell you that you're a really blessed man, bueno. In a lot of different areas too. Thank you so much for sharing that; it's been a big blessing. I'm totally praying for the little Oompah.
...Yeah. Just him though; him and no one else. That'll teach 'em.
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