12-48pm
Over breakfast this morning, Mike & I had a deep & meaningful conversation. Mike suggested that one of the biggest errors we make in life is judging God without knowing the facts and without knowing the outcome. We all do it when our circumstances over a long, or short, period of time seem to be saying ‘God does not have a plan.’ If you are suffering, you are actually in good company. Many, many saints who have gone before were where you are and the greatest of these was Jesus Himself. Look also at John the Baptist ….imprisoned, struggling to understand where Jesus was, WHO He was. We are not told if Jesus went to visit John, but we are told that when John’s disciples visited him in jail, he asked them to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah or if they should expect someone else. Was it a disguised way of John really wanting to say, ‘When I baptised You, God told us You are His Son & He is pleased with You. Why then am I in jail and you are not visiting me or doing anything about it? Surely if You are really God’s Son, you would be here getting me out of this place…at least standing up for me. At least visiting me. At least encouraging me.” When John’s disciples asked Jesus if He was the Messiah and if they should expect someone else, His answer was not what they expected….Jesus told them to go and tell John the miracles they had seen. Jesus spoke very highly of John the Baptist. In Matthew 11:11 we read, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” But we still are not told that Jesus went to see John. The next time we hear about John the Baptist is when he is executed and Jesus finds out about it (Matthew 14) and withdraws to a solitary place (vs 13). He must have been devastated. There is no record of Jesus even visiting John the Baptist. It’s all very baffling.
The hardest thing about life is when you feel that God has let you down.
BUT, time proves God’s character is true. That is your comfort when you are in the midst of suffering. God is there. He has not abandoned you. He has compassion on you. He sees the future. He knows the outcome. He won’t ever leave you. He will strengthen you.
1 Peter 5:10
And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
God is bigger than your faith – even if you have none. If you look at it from God’s point of view, He is desperate to save you and HE WILL NOT FAIL! So hang in there. Don’t give up! God has not abandoned you. He sees your suffering and He has great compassion on you.
It was a good conversation today over breakfast.
Back home, Truffles has completely settled in. She has found Granny’s ‘poof’ and she loves it…I took a whole bunch of photos in about 30 seconds….
Funny cat…
God bless you loads!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂