When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.
The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.
My steps were awash in cream,
and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.
“And now my life seeps away.
Depression haunts my days.
At night my bones are filled with pain,
which gnaws at me relentlessly.
Job 29:4-6, 30:16-17
What power do you give your circumstances when it comes to your beliefs about God?
If there is one thing I have learned about life in my 43 years it is this: Some days are easier than others.
Job knew all about this. He had experienced the highest of highs. He also experienced the lowest of lows.
It’s not the highs and lows of the roller coaster that get to me over time. It is just how quickly things can change. In a moment we can be experiencing one thing. Just a moment later, we can be experiencing the opposite.
The question isn’t if we’ll experience these things. Jesus makes it clear saying that in this life we WILL have trouble. (John 16:33)
The question is about our response when these things happen. Will we choose to believe the rest of the verse in John where Jesus says we can “take heart because he has overcome the world?”
Compared to many I know, I have not experienced the deepest and most gut-wrenching heartbreak and loss this world can deliver, but I have been confronted in my own mind with the question, “God, are you good?”
I’ve also encountered the second question, “And if so, why is (fill in the blank with whatever the world is throwing at you today) happening to me and/or people I love?”
These questions come naturally to us and they are appropriate in times of pain, but we also must remember our circumstances are completely disconnected from our identity in Christ.
Whether we feel God’s friendship deeply, or the pain of the world is clearly residing in our bones, the truth is we are all ransomed and rescued. We have been adopted into God’s family. He has called us his sons and daughters.
Some days are better than others, but in the roller coaster of life, the truth is what God says about us is the firmest foundation we have; definitely one worth building our life on.
Questions for reflection:
- What breaks your heart most about the world around us?
- How do you tend to respond on the days when things aren’t going so well?
- What truth about God and his love for us has the power to override these reactions we have?
- What do you see as the relationship between your circumstances and the way you see God these days?
- Where can you reconnect more deeply with God’s truth about you and let that wash over you?