Friday, December 04, 2009
Sweet Aroma
The sweetest aroma is your heart lifted up to God, even when it is broken. When your words are too mixed up in your own head to pray, you offer up a mish-mash of blabbing. But, He loves your honesty. Sometimes you can't even pray, so you sing to the Lord instead. And He loves it because your heart is genuine. In these moments of weakness and hardship, God is truly honored because your focus is fully on your need for Him. When you don't feel His presence, but you remain steady anyways, you show Him that you really believe.
If you're struggling to trust God, that's okay. When you keep on persevering in light of the difficulty, it reveals true devotion to your faith in God. Even when it seems easier to keep your eyes on your fears and doubts, it's best to keep your eyes on the history of God's faithfulness throughout your life. Remember the time He protected you during that scary car accident? Remember when He carried your child through that horrific sickness? Remember how he provided for you when you thought you weren't going to be able to pay that bill? What about the time you prayed to find that sand-dollar, and you did?
The Bible says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). In the next chapter, Paul says, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." When we do find ourselves in a season of struggle or silence, we must cling to God's word because our feelings can deceive us. I remember a cold winter morning during my college-years. I looked out my dormitory window with hope and optimism because the sun felt so warm as it touched my face. Based on what I felt, I thought it must have been warm outside. But, oh how deceiving that picture was because this moment occurred in Wheaton, IL. I stepped outside of Fisher Dormitory and soon realized that my turtleneck and thick wool sweater were insufficient for the whipping wind that bit like a venomous snake. I immediately bobbed back to my room for my down-feathered navy blue coat.
We can't base our realities on mere feelings. Instead, we have to use our other senses to validate our interpretation of reality. If you are experiencing a season of despair, test your feelings. Is your life really as bad as it seems? It might be pretty bleak, but on the other had, after reflecting on your blessings, you remember some of the good things as well. Use your eyes to focus on God's beauty through nature. Then, you will remember God's power because of the works of His awesome creation. Maybe you love music, so you decide to pump your MP3 player up with some uplifting praise tunes. The result is that your heart redirects itself towards God's goodness and provision even though you don't feel it in your own life at that exact moment.
Feelings matter because they reflect the state of your heart. They shouldn't be ignored or repressed because they validate who you are and what you're going through. But they are not supreme to your well-being. Instead of clinging to your feelings, you must anchor your heart in truth so that even when the storm hits, you will not be blown away by the violent winds. Sing! Pray! Listen! Look! These things offer perspective, especially when you're feeling run-down and weak. Keep going for today... you're not alone and you have God's word as a powerful weapon against the enemy! Be practical too, remembering that God gave you other resources other than your feelings so that you could distinguish between truth and lies.
Share some of the ways that God is carrying you through your tired or depressed feelings. How has He shown Himself when you've felt like giving up? I'd love to hear from you and to lift you up in prayer as well!
If you're struggling to trust God, that's okay. When you keep on persevering in light of the difficulty, it reveals true devotion to your faith in God. Even when it seems easier to keep your eyes on your fears and doubts, it's best to keep your eyes on the history of God's faithfulness throughout your life. Remember the time He protected you during that scary car accident? Remember when He carried your child through that horrific sickness? Remember how he provided for you when you thought you weren't going to be able to pay that bill? What about the time you prayed to find that sand-dollar, and you did?
The Bible says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). In the next chapter, Paul says, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." When we do find ourselves in a season of struggle or silence, we must cling to God's word because our feelings can deceive us. I remember a cold winter morning during my college-years. I looked out my dormitory window with hope and optimism because the sun felt so warm as it touched my face. Based on what I felt, I thought it must have been warm outside. But, oh how deceiving that picture was because this moment occurred in Wheaton, IL. I stepped outside of Fisher Dormitory and soon realized that my turtleneck and thick wool sweater were insufficient for the whipping wind that bit like a venomous snake. I immediately bobbed back to my room for my down-feathered navy blue coat.
We can't base our realities on mere feelings. Instead, we have to use our other senses to validate our interpretation of reality. If you are experiencing a season of despair, test your feelings. Is your life really as bad as it seems? It might be pretty bleak, but on the other had, after reflecting on your blessings, you remember some of the good things as well. Use your eyes to focus on God's beauty through nature. Then, you will remember God's power because of the works of His awesome creation. Maybe you love music, so you decide to pump your MP3 player up with some uplifting praise tunes. The result is that your heart redirects itself towards God's goodness and provision even though you don't feel it in your own life at that exact moment.
Feelings matter because they reflect the state of your heart. They shouldn't be ignored or repressed because they validate who you are and what you're going through. But they are not supreme to your well-being. Instead of clinging to your feelings, you must anchor your heart in truth so that even when the storm hits, you will not be blown away by the violent winds. Sing! Pray! Listen! Look! These things offer perspective, especially when you're feeling run-down and weak. Keep going for today... you're not alone and you have God's word as a powerful weapon against the enemy! Be practical too, remembering that God gave you other resources other than your feelings so that you could distinguish between truth and lies.
Share some of the ways that God is carrying you through your tired or depressed feelings. How has He shown Himself when you've felt like giving up? I'd love to hear from you and to lift you up in prayer as well!
Labels: Bible, encouragement, God's word
