Praising God in the storm.
I have an incredible story to tell, but even I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Please bear with me because this might get long, and in typical Dale fashion, it might go in about twenty different directions and gel at the end.
When I write the blog, I start out with the story I want to tell, then it just kind of runs its course. As with a lot of my little experiences, it's this thing over here, that thing over there, and then comes the whipped cream and cherry on top. For this one, though, there's no whipped cream or cherry. It's just a synopsis of the last two weeks of my life.
I spend my lunch time at work usually listening to a Bible study program on the radio. I get quite a bit out of it. A couple of weeks ago, I heard a lesson explaining a bit of human nature. The man was talking about the stoning of Stephen which is described in the book of Acts. Overseeing the events, was Saul, who would later become Paul. The pastor theorized that it was at that time the Holy Spirit began working in Saul, after seeing the things Stephen had done in the name of Jesus. His thought was that Saul was fighting the Truth and in doing so, that's why he became so zealous in persecuting the early Church. As many of you know, Saul had an encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. He was heading there to persecute members of "The Way", as the early Church was known back in those days. His transformation was remarkable. The theory presented was that the Holy Spirit had been working on Saul and Saul was fighting it because it went counter to everything he thought was right and true.
Fast forward to a couple of days ago. I was reading my Our Daily Bread devotional the other day. It built upon that premise by saying the more radical the transformation, the more zealous the transformed person seems to be for Christ. It built upon the first ideal I heard in the Bible study program by explaining the more radical the transformation, the more zeal and passion the transformed seems to have for sharing the Good News. That should explain a lot about me to y'all. If you take the first story of Saul and how he fought against Christ, then after his encounter with the Lord, became the author of a fair part of the New Testament.
Fast forward to Saturday. I was out running some errands and I heard a question and answer program. One of the questions was about a couple of verses of scripture talking about God creating man. The creation of man is mentioned first in Genesis 1, then in more detail in Genesis 2. The question was whether this accounted for two creations of man, or just one. The answer was that God sometimes says things twice in the Bible to make a point. There's a lot of that in the book of Jeremiah, for instance. I think that's an interesting thought and one worth remembering.
I've had an interesting week or two. I prayed to God a week ago for the money to pay the lawyer so that I could get myself out of a situation I don't like. I forgot one very important thing: This is where God put me and for His purposes and His glory, I'm in that situation. God instead sent a flood. There is a huge gift in that flood. My basement is now cleaned out. I know what I have to do to get it fixed, and pussycats are no longer occupying the lower floor of my home. I learned that I need to pay more attention to what happens in my home and that you can be firm and loving at the same time, when you don't yell and act like an iron-fisted dictator. I put in a lot of hard work. There is a bit more to do and I have plenty of time to get it done. The gift is that the basement will have to be completely redone. The blessings came from the lessons about praying for the wrong thing, and taking better care of what God has given me. That's important to know.
A week ago, I was listening to a radio program that was about forgiveness. There was a sweet prayer at the end for all the couples in the radio audience that needed reconciliation. The body of the program was on 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, the love chapter. On Monday night, I asked the Lord if there was anything I needed to know. I randomly opened my Bible to, you guessed it, 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. I needed that twice because I would need to show a great deal of that love to someone on Wednesday. God knew what was going to happen and He gave me the tools I needed to deal with a very bad and a very embarrassing situation. Oddly, it had absolutely nothing to do with the wife...
Moving along:
To further complicate matters in my personal life, someone I used to date called me Friday night. My phone was dead and we had no power for a good part of Saturday so I didn't get the call. This person and I have remained friends and in other circumstances, maybe things would have been different but I can honestly say that God had a strong hand in ending that romance. I could tell you stories about a broken down boat, a dead lawnmower, and two very difficult weeks at my house. Conversely, the other person could tell you stories about losing a job and having her car "keyed" by some anonymous stranger. I tell you this story to tell you about my yesterday. In addition to calling me, she texted me. I texted her back. It was just asking her if she was going to call me back. I was kinda curious why she texted & called out of the blue. I should know better. Minutes after doing so, I broke the toe on my left foot. In my defense, the Mrs. has informed me that in two weeks, she'll be re-filing the divorce and has made it abundantly clear to me there's no room in her life for me. I so get that. I saw a look that went far beyond hate in her eyes; murderous rage would be a more apt description. So I didn't see the harm in texting my friend (and that's all we are!) back. In that instance, I forgot to FEAR God. I'm remembering that today as I limp around the house. Besides, the last time we spoke, I reminded my friend that God pretty much made it clear to me anyway that He said NO.
Anyway, the power went out up here as I mentioned in the KABOOM post. My phone went dead so I didn't get the text. Or the phone call. I woke up on Saturday thinking that, well the power was out, and I've been wanting to take that trip up north, so maybe I should go. I quickly dismissed that thought though. Then as the morning wore on, something kept nagging me that thee was something on my phone I needed to see. While driving around, after the Lowe's experience I'll tell you about next, I thought I'd buy a car charger for my phone. I went to Best Buy and purchased a charger. I inadvertently grabbed the wrong one, so I took it right back into the store and got the right one. And I opened it on my way out of the store. It fit my phone so I thought, all set. I won't junk up my clean truck with the box. I plugged the phone in, then the charger, and the phone lit up like it was charging.
Except it wasn't. It comes up with a message that says Incompatible charger. OK, maybe it'll work with my iPod. Delay. Just a way for God to keep me from doing what He didn't want me to. My friend and I will talk but it'll be a short conversation. That's a good thing.
It really bothers me that I get to re-do my basement but I have no help to pick out the things. I don't have a good decorating sense and I have a pretty good budget to work with for materials. I get to pick out carpet, vinyl tile, and paneling. I get to pick out paint colors. I have to buy my own vanity for the bathroom but the one in there needs to go. We'll see about the kitchenette cabinets. They may just get painted and repaired. That's up to the contractor I choose. But I digress... I decided though, just to go to Lowe's and look around at what kinds of stuff is available. I know we're not gonna go with the paneling from the 60's. I was just looking around. And the lights went out. Apparently I'm not going to be picking out stuff on Saturday. I gave up and went to get the phone charger I told you about.
The last thing I want to tell you is this, and it's kind of a do-over from last year. I saw a car in Ogden again with Delaware license plates. Hey the Mrs. hasn't lived there in a year. OK, I'm thinking this isn't anything. See, I don't read things into things that aren't there. I'm just saying I saw it. Then, I went to the grocery store to get food for dinner last night. The car I got behind in the turn lane from Country Hills Drive to Harrison had a Colorado vanity plate that said "THAFUTUR". My friend doesn't live in Colorado anymore, either. I'm just telling you what I saw.
So what does it all mean?
The first thing is this: I know enough about how God talks to us today, (and if you have that personal relationship with Him through accepting Christ as Savior, He does speak to us) to know that God sometimes tells us what He's about to do. The thing about God saying important things twice was a good reminder of this. When you see it twice, you need to pay attention to it. That's important to remember. I saw the 1 Corinthians 13 thing twice. I've heard the verse about creation the pastor used to make his case for God saying something, three times in the last 8 days. I'm paying my attention
If God is in charge of my life, is it such a stretch to believe that God sent the flood? Well, maybe, and maybe not, but He definitely USED the flood to remind me not to pray for things that go against His nature. He taught me lessons I would need to move forward. And in the middle of it, I remembered the Bible instructs believers to give thanks in all circumstances. In the middle of the worst of it, I just lifted my head to the heavens and said "Lord, I just praise You in this storm." It really helped me get through the worst part of this. But if, as Christians, isn't it more of a stretch to think that God loves us and just lets us go willy-nilly through life?
I heard another radio program today that spoke to this very issue. If you're a believer, unless you're involved in some ongoing sinful situation, you're right where God wants you to be. I can accept that this is what God has for me right now. I just don't know why.
So what does the front part of the story have to do with this? To tell you the truth, I don't know. I'd be a fool to say with any certainty that I know what God is going to do with my life. I know He's transforming things in it and I know that the Mrs. has promised me that title is only temporary, so we'll see. She's tried to divorce me twice now. I tired to help her out once by paying for it to be reinstated when it was dismissed.
This will be attempt #3.
In the mean time, when it seems like I can't seem to catch a break, well, maybe right now I can't, from a worldly point of view. From mine, I rest in knowing that all thing work for God's glory and my good. I know God loves me and He taught me a few things this week. At the end of the lesson, I'm going to have my basement redone.
God works in my life. Sometimes, I need to have things impressed upon me with hard lessons. I've always been a bit dense and hard headed so sometimes it takes something extra like a broken toe and a flooded basement to get the message across. And sometimes those lessons come with blessings.
There is one last thing I'd like to share. I spoke about a radio program I heard today, the one where the man said that, in a nutshell, if we're walking with God, sometimes we're where He wants us to be. I ran into the grocery store during this program so I missed a good deal of it. The premise of his talk at this point was accepting we're where God wants us to be. It doesn't mean we're staying there, but for now that's where we are... and we're to give thanks to God for that situation. I talked about how I did that earlier. That's God's love for me in action. Knowing that it's hard, but it's His hand in my life. I'm really great with that. Well, as I got into the car, the program was just about over, but the last point the man was making was that we should not go on our own and receive a lesser blessing. Remember what I said about things twice? This is from my Facebook page just a little while ago:
Yes, boys and girls... yes He has. Even if it doesn't look like it from the outside looking in, where you are, from my point of view, this is right on the money!
OUR GOD IS SO GOOD!
As an addendum, there's a link on my Facebook page that's for Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns. During our worship service, we have a time to share praises and prayer concerns. I mentioned that the Bible tells us to give thanks to God in all circumstances, so I offered my praises to Him and asked for prayers that the storm will soon pass.
Just another thing that proves that, although it's not the smooth ride I'd like, God is in control!
When I write the blog, I start out with the story I want to tell, then it just kind of runs its course. As with a lot of my little experiences, it's this thing over here, that thing over there, and then comes the whipped cream and cherry on top. For this one, though, there's no whipped cream or cherry. It's just a synopsis of the last two weeks of my life.
I spend my lunch time at work usually listening to a Bible study program on the radio. I get quite a bit out of it. A couple of weeks ago, I heard a lesson explaining a bit of human nature. The man was talking about the stoning of Stephen which is described in the book of Acts. Overseeing the events, was Saul, who would later become Paul. The pastor theorized that it was at that time the Holy Spirit began working in Saul, after seeing the things Stephen had done in the name of Jesus. His thought was that Saul was fighting the Truth and in doing so, that's why he became so zealous in persecuting the early Church. As many of you know, Saul had an encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. He was heading there to persecute members of "The Way", as the early Church was known back in those days. His transformation was remarkable. The theory presented was that the Holy Spirit had been working on Saul and Saul was fighting it because it went counter to everything he thought was right and true.
Fast forward to a couple of days ago. I was reading my Our Daily Bread devotional the other day. It built upon that premise by saying the more radical the transformation, the more zealous the transformed person seems to be for Christ. It built upon the first ideal I heard in the Bible study program by explaining the more radical the transformation, the more zeal and passion the transformed seems to have for sharing the Good News. That should explain a lot about me to y'all. If you take the first story of Saul and how he fought against Christ, then after his encounter with the Lord, became the author of a fair part of the New Testament.
Fast forward to Saturday. I was out running some errands and I heard a question and answer program. One of the questions was about a couple of verses of scripture talking about God creating man. The creation of man is mentioned first in Genesis 1, then in more detail in Genesis 2. The question was whether this accounted for two creations of man, or just one. The answer was that God sometimes says things twice in the Bible to make a point. There's a lot of that in the book of Jeremiah, for instance. I think that's an interesting thought and one worth remembering.
I've had an interesting week or two. I prayed to God a week ago for the money to pay the lawyer so that I could get myself out of a situation I don't like. I forgot one very important thing: This is where God put me and for His purposes and His glory, I'm in that situation. God instead sent a flood. There is a huge gift in that flood. My basement is now cleaned out. I know what I have to do to get it fixed, and pussycats are no longer occupying the lower floor of my home. I learned that I need to pay more attention to what happens in my home and that you can be firm and loving at the same time, when you don't yell and act like an iron-fisted dictator. I put in a lot of hard work. There is a bit more to do and I have plenty of time to get it done. The gift is that the basement will have to be completely redone. The blessings came from the lessons about praying for the wrong thing, and taking better care of what God has given me. That's important to know.
A week ago, I was listening to a radio program that was about forgiveness. There was a sweet prayer at the end for all the couples in the radio audience that needed reconciliation. The body of the program was on 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, the love chapter. On Monday night, I asked the Lord if there was anything I needed to know. I randomly opened my Bible to, you guessed it, 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. I needed that twice because I would need to show a great deal of that love to someone on Wednesday. God knew what was going to happen and He gave me the tools I needed to deal with a very bad and a very embarrassing situation. Oddly, it had absolutely nothing to do with the wife...
Moving along:
To further complicate matters in my personal life, someone I used to date called me Friday night. My phone was dead and we had no power for a good part of Saturday so I didn't get the call. This person and I have remained friends and in other circumstances, maybe things would have been different but I can honestly say that God had a strong hand in ending that romance. I could tell you stories about a broken down boat, a dead lawnmower, and two very difficult weeks at my house. Conversely, the other person could tell you stories about losing a job and having her car "keyed" by some anonymous stranger. I tell you this story to tell you about my yesterday. In addition to calling me, she texted me. I texted her back. It was just asking her if she was going to call me back. I was kinda curious why she texted & called out of the blue. I should know better. Minutes after doing so, I broke the toe on my left foot. In my defense, the Mrs. has informed me that in two weeks, she'll be re-filing the divorce and has made it abundantly clear to me there's no room in her life for me. I so get that. I saw a look that went far beyond hate in her eyes; murderous rage would be a more apt description. So I didn't see the harm in texting my friend (and that's all we are!) back. In that instance, I forgot to FEAR God. I'm remembering that today as I limp around the house. Besides, the last time we spoke, I reminded my friend that God pretty much made it clear to me anyway that He said NO.
Anyway, the power went out up here as I mentioned in the KABOOM post. My phone went dead so I didn't get the text. Or the phone call. I woke up on Saturday thinking that, well the power was out, and I've been wanting to take that trip up north, so maybe I should go. I quickly dismissed that thought though. Then as the morning wore on, something kept nagging me that thee was something on my phone I needed to see. While driving around, after the Lowe's experience I'll tell you about next, I thought I'd buy a car charger for my phone. I went to Best Buy and purchased a charger. I inadvertently grabbed the wrong one, so I took it right back into the store and got the right one. And I opened it on my way out of the store. It fit my phone so I thought, all set. I won't junk up my clean truck with the box. I plugged the phone in, then the charger, and the phone lit up like it was charging.
Except it wasn't. It comes up with a message that says Incompatible charger. OK, maybe it'll work with my iPod. Delay. Just a way for God to keep me from doing what He didn't want me to. My friend and I will talk but it'll be a short conversation. That's a good thing.
It really bothers me that I get to re-do my basement but I have no help to pick out the things. I don't have a good decorating sense and I have a pretty good budget to work with for materials. I get to pick out carpet, vinyl tile, and paneling. I get to pick out paint colors. I have to buy my own vanity for the bathroom but the one in there needs to go. We'll see about the kitchenette cabinets. They may just get painted and repaired. That's up to the contractor I choose. But I digress... I decided though, just to go to Lowe's and look around at what kinds of stuff is available. I know we're not gonna go with the paneling from the 60's. I was just looking around. And the lights went out. Apparently I'm not going to be picking out stuff on Saturday. I gave up and went to get the phone charger I told you about.
The last thing I want to tell you is this, and it's kind of a do-over from last year. I saw a car in Ogden again with Delaware license plates. Hey the Mrs. hasn't lived there in a year. OK, I'm thinking this isn't anything. See, I don't read things into things that aren't there. I'm just saying I saw it. Then, I went to the grocery store to get food for dinner last night. The car I got behind in the turn lane from Country Hills Drive to Harrison had a Colorado vanity plate that said "THAFUTUR". My friend doesn't live in Colorado anymore, either. I'm just telling you what I saw.
So what does it all mean?
The first thing is this: I know enough about how God talks to us today, (and if you have that personal relationship with Him through accepting Christ as Savior, He does speak to us) to know that God sometimes tells us what He's about to do. The thing about God saying important things twice was a good reminder of this. When you see it twice, you need to pay attention to it. That's important to remember. I saw the 1 Corinthians 13 thing twice. I've heard the verse about creation the pastor used to make his case for God saying something, three times in the last 8 days. I'm paying my attention
If God is in charge of my life, is it such a stretch to believe that God sent the flood? Well, maybe, and maybe not, but He definitely USED the flood to remind me not to pray for things that go against His nature. He taught me lessons I would need to move forward. And in the middle of it, I remembered the Bible instructs believers to give thanks in all circumstances. In the middle of the worst of it, I just lifted my head to the heavens and said "Lord, I just praise You in this storm." It really helped me get through the worst part of this. But if, as Christians, isn't it more of a stretch to think that God loves us and just lets us go willy-nilly through life?
I heard another radio program today that spoke to this very issue. If you're a believer, unless you're involved in some ongoing sinful situation, you're right where God wants you to be. I can accept that this is what God has for me right now. I just don't know why.
So what does the front part of the story have to do with this? To tell you the truth, I don't know. I'd be a fool to say with any certainty that I know what God is going to do with my life. I know He's transforming things in it and I know that the Mrs. has promised me that title is only temporary, so we'll see. She's tried to divorce me twice now. I tired to help her out once by paying for it to be reinstated when it was dismissed.
This will be attempt #3.
In the mean time, when it seems like I can't seem to catch a break, well, maybe right now I can't, from a worldly point of view. From mine, I rest in knowing that all thing work for God's glory and my good. I know God loves me and He taught me a few things this week. At the end of the lesson, I'm going to have my basement redone.
God works in my life. Sometimes, I need to have things impressed upon me with hard lessons. I've always been a bit dense and hard headed so sometimes it takes something extra like a broken toe and a flooded basement to get the message across. And sometimes those lessons come with blessings.
There is one last thing I'd like to share. I spoke about a radio program I heard today, the one where the man said that, in a nutshell, if we're walking with God, sometimes we're where He wants us to be. I ran into the grocery store during this program so I missed a good deal of it. The premise of his talk at this point was accepting we're where God wants us to be. It doesn't mean we're staying there, but for now that's where we are... and we're to give thanks to God for that situation. I talked about how I did that earlier. That's God's love for me in action. Knowing that it's hard, but it's His hand in my life. I'm really great with that. Well, as I got into the car, the program was just about over, but the last point the man was making was that we should not go on our own and receive a lesser blessing. Remember what I said about things twice? This is from my Facebook page just a little while ago:
Yes, boys and girls... yes He has. Even if it doesn't look like it from the outside looking in, where you are, from my point of view, this is right on the money!
OUR GOD IS SO GOOD!
As an addendum, there's a link on my Facebook page that's for Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns. During our worship service, we have a time to share praises and prayer concerns. I mentioned that the Bible tells us to give thanks to God in all circumstances, so I offered my praises to Him and asked for prayers that the storm will soon pass.
Just another thing that proves that, although it's not the smooth ride I'd like, God is in control!
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