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How Long, O Lord!
How many times have we said this too
ourselves when things were going badly...
"How Long, O Lord? How long must I go through these difficulties, this
illness, this addiction?" "How long must I continue to be hurt? How
long must I suffer?"
So many times we've uttered these words through our struggle with addictions or
any problems we go through. It gets to the point we have no where else to turn
and begin to wonder "What did I do to deserve this?" Sometimes we do
cause our own problems when we resort to our addictive behaviors, but sometimes
we don't...as when we fall ill. Sometimes problems go on for so long and seem
so hopeless that we can hardly bear to ask God for more help.
I was reading a devotional one morning and in it came understanding regarding
the "whys". It stated that we may never be able to answer the
question "Why does God allow such bad things to happen to us", but we
can begin to realize that we can learn and grow through them. It went on to
talk about how a seed sprouts in the darkness of the earth and when you look at
spiritual growth, it begins in the darkness of sickness, pain, loss and
disappointment. In this life, suffering with never be eliminated, but Romans
8:28 states:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
St.
Augustine wrote: "Faith
sometimes falters because He does not reward us immediately, but hold out, be
steadfast, bear the delay and you have carried the cross."
God is never a God of
hopelessness. Even if God does not change the situation, He can change us.
No, we may not ever be completely healed of our addictions, meaning, we may
always struggle here and there with them, we may not always be well physically,
but with a renewing of the mind through Jesus Christ, we can learn how to deal
with our day to day afflictions. We can find that inner peace that will make
our struggles more bearable. We can only find this through our faith in Christ.
God has a way of keeping us humble so we may see things through His eyes. If I
had not been brought to my breaking point with unforgiveness issues, I would
not have been able to look past the outer shell of a person to realize what I
see on the outside isn't what's always on the inside. I renewed my mind the way
Paul told us too in Romans 12:2:
Do not conform any longer to
the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing
and perfect will.
We often remember Job and David
in Psalms when we have difficulties. But we must also remember Peter when he
saw Jesus walking on the water towards them in Matthew 14:22-33. When all was
calm, Peter said "Lord, if it's you,tell me to come to you on
the water." Jesus simply said "Come". With his eyes
fixed only on Christ, Peter got out of the boat and walked confidently in faith
towards Christ. But then the wind picked up and the waves came crashing around
him, he became afraid, most likely removing his eyes from Christ and he began
to sink, crying out "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus
reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said,
"why did you doubt?" Then the wind died down.
How many times have we done this...had our eyes fixed on Christ when our
struggles were low but as soon as the waves came crashing around us, we removed
our eyes from Christ in fear and doubt and began to sink thinking "why is
this happening to me? Lord, save me!". It is through the storms of life
where we gather our strength from Christ because through each storm we face,
our eyes remaining soley on Christ, we become stronger when we proceed through
it to the end. Sometimes this takes only a short time, sometimes a while and
sometimes through most of our lives with small breaks in between. But with
faith in Christ, we never pass through the storms and struggles alone.
Isaiah 43:1-2 states:
But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
This week, lets make it a point to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, even when the
waves come crashing around us...never removing our gaze and never doubting
Christ's ability to see us through to the end.
copyright ©2008 Breaking The Chains Biblical Recovery Ministry
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