11/08/2024
God is Able August 8, 2024
David was real. David’s life was real. David experienced some of the same things we have experienced. As a boy, David felt left out because he wasn’t big enough to go with his brothers when they went to war. When he was allowed to visit them and take them food and supplies, they still made fun of him. David wasn’t good looking, and he wasn’t built strong, but despite all this, God chose him to be the next king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:12-13).
David might have been stuck with taking care of the sheep, but he chose “in whatsoever state he was, to be content” just as Paul said he was in Philippians 4:11. David chose to allow God to direct his life. Wherever and whatever, it was up to God. Maybe he inherited that trait from his grandmother Ruth who happily gleaned grain from the leftovers of harvest to feed her and her mother-in-law Naomi. But even if Ruth was content in her life, David had to choose for himself to be that way in his.
Joseph was also chosen by God out of a family of many brothers. He was also treated badly as a child by those brothers, even worse than David was. He was thrown into a well and sold as a slave by those who should have been looking out for him. But Joseph also chose “in whatsoever state he was, to be content”. And he too, was rewarded by God. God gave Joseph the gift of interpreting dreams which enabled him to rise to power in Egypt and save his family and nation from starvation.
Some days our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us, and we struggle even to pray. And lots of times we just don’t feel like doing the things that we know we should do. That’s normal. Paul said he had this problem in Romans 7:15. And, the Psalms are filled with verses that express David’s frustration with his thoughts and actions. But we can also read how they overcame those moments and realized that God never abandoned them; He was faithful through it all.
If any of these boys had wallowed in bitterness, their lives, and their purpose, probably would have been ruined. But because they chose to trust God and wait for His good to appear, they are some of the best-known characters in the Bible.
Their circumstances or feelings did not change God. Their acceptance allowed Him to work.
God is the same God today as He was when He hung the stars in the sky, led the Israelites through the Red Sea, fed the five thousand and worked through David, Joseph and Paul.
Psalm 119:91 tells us that all things are God’s servants. All things, even the things affecting you right now, are God’s servants. The circumstance, people, and events around you are all subject to God. They are His servants, and can be used to help and bless you spiritually, emotionally, financially and physically. God controls and allows every detail of our lives. Nothing happens without His knowledge and allowance.
Every day, changes and irritations occur in our lives. Every day, we can choose to let these obstacles upset us, or we can rest in the knowledge that God lovingly ordained them to help us look to, and rely on, Him. Every day, we can complain and grumble about the things we have to do, or go through, that keep us from doing what we want to be doing, or we can remember that time also is God’s servant.
Sitting in traffic, in the doctor’s office, in the line at the checkout, in the drive thru, during commercials, waiting for the computer to load, in a wheelchair or being confined to bed are all opportunities to choose to be content; to use the time given to us wisely in prayer or communion with Him. We can complain, or we can rejoice.
Remembering that God is faithful and that He has control over everything gives us the strength to walk with Him even when we feel like giving up. Our feelings and circumstances don’t change God. He changes our feelings and our circumstances! God is, always has been, and always will be, perfectly capable of sustaining us if we will let Him. We simply need to remind ourselves of God’s precepts (how we should act) instead of how we feel.
Next time you feel spiritually drained or inadequate; remember that you have a choice. You can wrap yourself up in excuses and self-pity, or you can choose to draw your strength from an unchanging God. READ Psalm 119:141-144.
Be Blessed, Be a Blessing Lots of Love, Brenda and Prossy
