195 - God using the crooked things

Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13)

Life ain't easy.

Our family, for example, in just this month, have seen

- Broken appliances
- Faulty cars
- Ended relationships
- Jobs being made redundant
- The threat of ill health

I don't say this to moan, to say look at how hard we have it.

I say it because the verse I quoted at the top of this post was a verse I heard in a very timely sermon.

A sermon that reminded us God is sovereign and His way is best.

That reminded us He uses crooked and imperfect things in our life to work out His perfect will.

We would like life to be simple and straight-forward.

We would like to glide from one job to another without the uncertainty of unemployment.

We would like easy relationships with mutual feelings and no drama.

We would like perfection now, with no work at all.

But that's not how God works.

It's when fear tries to grip us that we learn how to pull out of its grasp and cling to the Rock who never falters, Jesus Christ.

It's when the things we lean on are whipped out from under us that we realise God will catch us even when we think we have been left without support.

And it's when the things we try to find our happiness and identity in our removed, we realise one thing is true.

We are God's children.

He will never change. So that will never change.

His ways are higher.

His methods may seem confusing. Unfair.

But when we look at His dying Son on the Cross, we can be sure.

We may not know what He is doing with the crooked things.

But He loves us.

Because His Son endured it all first.

Thank you God for using the bad to create the good.

194 - Tears

'You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?'  (Psalm 56:8)


And I'm back! First post of 2018. Whoops...

Tears may seem like a strange subject to start with on a blog all about being thankful. After all, what's good about tears? Your eyes go red and blotchy, your nose runs, your cheeks are wet and your voice is all hoarse.

Well, it's because they are a kind of release. A way of being honest.

Tears say 'No, I'm not alright. I can't pretend I'm alright anymore.'

Tears get rid of that tight ache in your chest and the overwhelming misery in your heart.

The Bible assures us that God sees and cares about each tear we shed. When we hide in the bathrooms and feel like no-one else sees or cares, He does see. And He does care. Oh, He cares so much.

He weeps with us.

But He will do more than that.

The Bible promises us that there will be a day when we shall never again cry tears of grief. God Himself will personally wipe them away.

And if we do cry again, you can bet it will be tears of laughter.