King Solomon, considered the wisest man alive in his day, had it right when he referred to the cycle, or season, of life in Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 2, 4: “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to sow; a time to reap. A time to laugh; a time to cry. A time to grieve and a time to dance; a time to live and a time to die.” That cycle is inescapable. We all will experience God’s goodness in this life, but unfortunately we will also be adversely affected by the wages of sin, which includes such ugliness as poverty, famine, wars, hatred, injustice, diseases, sickness, suffering and death.
Let me refer to the previous two blogs. We are told in 1John 4:8 that “God is love.” Therefore, God can only beget goodness. 1John 1:5 supports that statement: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” On the other hand, satan is the author is ALL evil. Ephesians 2; 2 confirms satan’s role, “He is the spirit at work in the hearts and minds of those who refuse to obey God”, and John 10:10, states: “Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.”
Now let me remind you…at Creation God’s world was Paradise. Does this world look like Paradise to you? Absolutely not! Therefore, everyone born after Adam has to contend with a world contaminated by the residue of sin, and an adversary who wants to do everything within his power to separate us from God’s love and keep our focus on ourselves and our circumstances. So I caution you to keep this truth in mind. The author of ALL sin and evil is satan. So if you are experiencing the curse of poverty, famine, wars, hatred, injustice, disease, sickness, and suffering in this fallen world, shake your fist at satan who authored sin, evil and death! Put the blame where blame is due. God is NOT responsible for such ugliness.
Now let’s look closely at the “cycle of life”. The very term “cycle” indicates finality because all cycles have a beginning and an end. But “life” itself is a process. It is a series of ups and downs that defines us by how we respond to them. For instance, there is a time to live – which includes sowing and reaping, laughing and dancing, but also a time for crying, grieving, sickness and suffering – AND a time to die. Many of those scenarios are a result of the choices we’ve made, but unfortunately… not all of them.
No doubt, the joyful times are our bright spot…our reward. But what about the challenging times; the crying, grieving, sickness, suffering and death? The simple answer is…it is just an inevitable part of the life cycle. Wow! Even though that is true, it certainly isn’t very comforting in our time of need, is it? And what about in the paragraph above, where it is stated, “God is love.” Where is God in my time of crisis?
Here are two truths that will provide comfort during trying times. God revealed to us in Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous…I will never leave you nor forsake you”, and in again in 4:29: “But if you seek the Lord your God with all your heart, you will find him.” These two truths are from a loving God who desires a relationship with each one of us. Notice the second promise begins with an effort on our part; “if you.” God IS with us to be our comforter in our time of need. All we have to do is ask, “God…I can’t do this alone…please help me!”
This is where the choices we make in our life come into play big-time. If you remember, it was the fall of man that severed the original spiritual relationship that existed between God and man. By yielding to satan’s temptation, man took the focus off of God and declared his own self-sufficiency. Therefore it is up to man to restore that relationship. But the good news is…we can make that restoration any time we want, and just like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is waiting with open arms to welcome us back home. (Luke 15: 11-2)
I talked in the previous two blogs about God’s divine plan that has been – is – and will continue to play out throughout eternity. It started even before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:3) and will continue even after the end of this world. (Revelation 22: 3-4) I referred to it as a spiritual morality play about the forces of “good” vs “evil”. Our option during this brief time on earth is to contribute our part to that play by either to “opting” into God’s plan or into satan’s plan. God’s plan for mankind has always been that we would accept his Gift of Grace so we can spend eternity with Him, Jesus and all fellow believers in Christ. Romans 5:8,10 tells us, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.”
If we accept His Gift, we are in Christ. Now we are capable of becoming God’s “masterpiece” because we can grow into the person he created us to be. (Ephesians 2:10) And as we become this new creation, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. So as our roots go down deeper into the soil of God’s marvelous love and we begin to see the reality of his promises coming alive in our life, we start building a platform of spiritual truth. This becomes the rock on which we stand, and it is this rock that empowers us to face life’s trials and tribulations with courage, strength and hope. We have no doubt, because we know where God is in our time of crisis. We have turned our will and our life over to His care, and we are resting in “the shadow of the Almighty. He alone is our refuge, our place of safety. He is our God and we are trusting Him.” (Psalm 91:1-2)
As God revealed to Apostle Paul when he struggled with the “thorn in his flesh”: “My gracious favor is all you need. My strength works best in your weakness.” As Christ-followers, also saved by His gracious favor, we are part of God’s divine plan of goodness, and our efforts will be realized eternally. As proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” This is the rock on which we stand as we face life’s challenges.
I hope you enjoyed this three part series on “Where is God in My Time of Crisis? Feel free to share your thoughts.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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