Lately it seems the weather can't seem to make up it's mind. This past Thursday for instance, it was sunny and bright most of the day, and then all of the sudden I heard the pitter patter of something outside.
What is that?
I sat up and looked out the window, and noticed it had begun to gently rain. Lo and behold, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. It was like a colorful gift the heavens were displaying for the world to see and I remembered the promise God made to Noah after he sent the great flood to destroy the earth.
"Never again shall I destroy the earth by water," God said in Genesis 9:11.
Imagine how Noah must have felt when God told him to build the ark. Until that time, there had never been rain upon the earth. People must have thought he was crazy and scratched their heads in bewildermint. Noah might even have thought the same thing, but he carried out God's instructions in faith and obedience.
Sometimes God asks us to do things we don't understand. We all have our plans and agendas, but do we stop and take time to ask God if we are headed in the right direction? We think we have it all figured out but then God interrupts. It could be a financial loss, a loss of a relationship, a dream, or even an illness. Sometimes God uses the difficult situations in life to get our attention back on Him.
I have learned it is always best to obey that still small voice and do it quickly, even if I don't understand why. I have also learned it is important to check in every step of the way, because sometimes the plan changes very quickly. Recently, I don't even know what the plan is, but still I follow, I trust, and I obey.
"Man makes his plans, but God directs his steps," (Prov. 16:9)
What do you do when the most bizarre or painful things start happening and you don't understand why? Chalk it up to coincidence? Fate? Have you considered it might be God?
No matter what ordeal you may be going through today, rest assured that God knows what He is doing. God is a good God and He works everything, including the painful circumstances in our lives for our good and for His glory. He says he has captured every tear in a cup (Ps. 56:8) and He promises to wash away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4).
Some of us have shed a lot of tears in our lives, but God understands. I'm sure God grieved when he saw his creation perish before his very eyes and His only precious Son, die a horrible death on the cross.
What tears have you shed, dear one? Are they tears of sorrow, grief, loss? Be at peace and fear not. God has the plan and his promises are all true. Just as surely as Mother Nature brings new life to earth every spring, so too, God brings new life to us in our seasons. The mighty Resurrection power of Christ is still available to each of us today who put their faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Lamb of God.
"This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it," (Ps. 118:24) hangs in my office where I can see it every morning to remind me that no matter what my circumstances, I am to rejoice. Even when we don't see the sun, we know that it will shine again another day and the rainbow reminds us that even if we don't see how or when, God's promises are still true today.
Until next time, choose to believe, keep the faith, and keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
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