It occurs to
me that people are becoming more and more unhappy with each other and with
life, or maybe because they are more unhappy with life they are becoming more
unhappy with people. Today I was
pondering my ‘easy to be frustrated with people’ issues of late, when I
realized it has become a problem that needs to be solved. It was then I realized that most of the
people I see seem unhappy. Growing up,
there were many smiling faces, and now there’s just stress. It’s sad to say for all our advances in
science, technology and discoveries that none of it has made us a happier
people.
Truth is,
there was a time and place when I was one of the unhappiest people around. I was a Christian of 22ish years and in the
fiercest trial of my life- one I couldn’t predict we’d come out alive-
literally. Anyway, as is typical in my
past, I was angry at God for not fixing the problem and so the problem became
bigger than I could handle. Eventually
on my knees before a mighty God, I finally surrendered all- of me, my dreams
and hopes, my family, my reputation, my very life and the life of my
family. That was when I KNEW some of the
greatest verses in Scripture REALLY are true!
God really is with us through everything- even the really
bad parts:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be
burned; nor shall the flame kindle on you. Is. 43:2
God remains with us when our hearts are hurting:
Jehovah is
near to the broken-hearted; and saves those who are of a contrite spirit. Ps.
34:18
Joy, peace, and hope will remain if God remains with us,
even in times of great distress:
And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Rm. 15:13
God will comfort us when the aching is painful and the
heart is shattering:
Blessed be
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the
God of all comfort, He comforting us in all our trouble… 2Cr. 1:3,4
When we can’t stand anymore, His strength can bear us up:
Therefore I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am
weak, then I am powerful. 2Cr. 12:10
There are always troubles, but peace in Him is possible
through them all, and He wins in the end so we do to:
I have spoken these things to you so that you might
have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good
cheer. I have overcome the world. Jh. 16:33
We still have that final hope of glory one day where there
is no more pain, sickness, grief, etc:
Through Him we also have access by faith into this
grace in which we stand, and we rejoice on the hope of the glory of God. Rm.
5:2
We can have joy in Him, because of Him- who He is, even in
the worst times possible- for He is with us always:
whom having not seen, you love; in whom not yet
seeing, but believing in Him you exult with unspeakable joy, and having been
glorified, 1Pt. 1:8
…And, behold, I am with you all the days until the
end of the world. Amen. Mt. 28:20
Most
people are unhappy because they are not born again and so have no true
relationship with God, the Father- Jesus- Holy Spirit.
Without them in our lives, our lives are too difficult to get through,
boring, stressful, hopeless, callous, lonely, miserable, painful- basically troubled, unhappy times. Christians ought not be that
way. With them and through them we have
all sorts of promises that can keep us going… so the more we surrender to the
Lord of glory, the Creator of us all, the more of the promises we will see
fulfilled in our lives. Maybe then we
will shine the peace, love and joy of the Lord on our faces even in the
toughest of times.
Lord, every day help me to surrender even more of my
life to You, and let nothing (from me) remain between us to stop us from getting
closer!