Waiting for a ram
You cannot just
worship God when you are on the mountaintop.
Our true test of faith and trust comes from our experiences in the
darkness of the valley. Are we able to
lift our hands and praise Him when things are not happening the way in which we
would choose?
Those moments in the
valley come when we are not expecting them.
Life seems to be happening the way we want and suddenly, the floor falls
out from under us. We begin to ask where
has God gone. It suddenly seems as if we
have been left to our own devices. For
me, I now recognize these moments as what I like to call, Spiritual intervention.
God is placing us in time out.
When life is good, we
can become quite busy. We become wrapped
up in our families, church activities, and all the other events that life
throws our way. We still take time to
attend church and read our bibles but because life is going so well, we often forget
just Whom it is that is blessing us. So
that moment arrives when He must gain our attention and then we find ourselves
in another valley.
God wants us totally
and completely for Himself. It is why we
were created. We are here only for His
glory and no one else’s. Quite a tough
pill to swallow when you are a wife or mother.
I have to be confident
that God knows what He is doing and only has my good in mind. His Word says “For
I know the plans that I have for you. They are plans for good and not for
disaster, to give you a future and hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) I find great comfort in those words as I
enter into a valley because I know that there is a reason and it is for my
good.
Now this was not
always the case. As I entered my first
dark valley, I was scared, lost, confused and felt alone. I truly believed that God had deserted
me. I wanted to give up and walk away
but He began to work in my heart.
It began with
returning to the story of Abraham. For years,
the story of Abraham and the command to sacrifice Isaac had been very meaningful
to me. It reminded me of God’s
faithfulness and provision but it was not until I experienced my first big valley
that I fully understood the greatness of this entire story.
Throughout the story
of Abraham, there are moments where God gives commands, makes promises and
follows through but that moment comes when Isaac is on the altar that would
make me wonder, “Could my faith ever be that strong?” It was not until I took
in the entire story from beginning to end that I was able to get through my
valley and understand that yes, my faith could and would be that strong.
Life and praising God
are easy when things are good and we are on the top of that mountain. We find it easy to share His goodness with
everyone but then suddenly that moment of testing arrives. It is easy to trust Him when things are going
our way but when the tables turn, where do we find ourselves. The game changes and
we begin doubting God. Untrue thoughts enter our minds and we believe that He
has forgotten about us.
Back to Abraham. God gives him a son and then asks him to
sacrifice his son. Why? I am sure Abraham did not understand God’s
request. Possibly, he thought, “Why
would You promise me a son, give him to me and then take him away?” but God had an answer. God knew there would be a ram in those bushes
and Abraham had seen with his eyes and heard with his ears enough to trust Him.
He trusted God and knew that His plan was perfect and there was no reason to
doubt what God was doing.
Imagine if you will
the confusion that would be felt if God asked you to sacrifice your child. Who
would you trust enough to confide in to tell?
Would you feel alone? Where would
you gather the strength and courage to follow through with the plan? Abraham
was able because he had seen God move.
God had made promises and had followed through. He knew God was
faithful. Abraham had no need to doubt Him now.
That is where I stand
today. God has a plan. His plan is perfect. There is a reason for everything. Just like Abraham, I am a part of this
story. Just like Abraham, I now wait for my ram because God has kept His
promises this far and HE IS FAITHFUL!!!
Though my story may
not play out as I would have written it or as anyone else for that matter would
have written it, it will end the way in which God ordained it. My children, one day, will look back on their
mother's life and know that she walked by faith and trusted God above all
else. They will know that when nothing
made sense in life, she knew God was in control and there was no need to
fear. I WILL leave my children a legacy
that they will be proud to share with their children some day. I will walk away
with my integrity and a life that glorified God.
You
can make this choice by loving the Lord your
God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is
the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live
long in the land the Lord swore
to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy
30:20
Comments
Post a Comment