God Cherishes You

Connecting you to God's love regardless of your circumstances

Home/Archives for All in God's plan

All in God's plan

Don’t Let Your Circumstances Bring You Down

You know what I’m talking about. It happens to all of us when we go through the ‘valleys’ of our lives – when you shake your head in disbelief, despair, fear, frustration, maybe even anger. You find yourself lamenting, ‘Oh God, why me?’ Or worse, ‘Have you left me God?’ 

And yet, God is exactly who we want to reach out to. He is always watching and always ready to help:

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven… Eccl. 3:1 NKJV

In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him. Eccl. 7:14 CSB

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Is. 41:10 NASB

‘Even to your old age I will be the same, even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you.’ Is. 46:4 NASB

God is not idly sitting on the sidelines. Whatever is happening in your life, if you are a child of God, (in right relationship with Him), there is a purpose behind it, that many times we cannot fathom. (Is. 55:9) Nevertheless, He is always just a prayer away, waiting to come to your aid to get you through your trials. 

…they cried out to God in the battle, and He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him. 1 Chr. 5:20 NASB

And yes, sometimes it looks like your prayers are not being answered; but that’s where your faith is being tested and strengthened. While you wait, ask the Author of your faith for that strength:

He gives strength to the weary, and to him who has no might He increases power…those who wait for the LORD [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like the eagle [rising toward the sun]… Is. 40:29 & 31. AMP

“I do believe; help [me overcome] my unbelief.” Mk. 9:24 AMP

The foundation for faith comes from our trust in our all-powerful, truth-telling, ever-delivering God:

“For I am the LORD, I do not change [but remain faithful to My covenant with you]… Mal. 3:6 AMP

Now, we must also consider that some of the valleys in our lives are of our own manufacture – especially when we fall back into the ways of the world. There is always a price to pay:

Disaster pursues sinners… Pr. 13:21 ESV

“With reproofs you chasten a man for iniquity…” Ps. 39:11 NASB

That’s why we want to get those slips handled immediately by going forward in humility to the God whom we have sinned against:

Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Offer righteous sacrifices; Trust confidently in the LORD. Ps. 4:4, 5. AMP

The LORD is near to the heartbroken and He saves those who are crushed in spirit (truly sorry for their sin). Ps. 34:18 AMP

The LORD is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way. Ps. 25:8 CSB

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you. Ps. 86:5 NKJV

And when you are back on track, God starts helping you journey towards your new ‘peak’:

His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. Ps. 30:5 NASB

God is the only one who can deliver you from your trials, be they your fault or not. There is not any other kind of ‘idol’ (e.g. money or addictions) that can. They only leave behind hell to pay. 

Our Creator knows what He’s doing. Jehovah God has a good plan for each of His children; and as long as they stick with Him, He will make it come to pass. Furthermore, in a way that only He knows, God will dovetail the elements of your experience that were necessary for you to encounter, in a way for you to gain an ultimate eternal benefit:

…God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son… Rm. 8:28, 29. NASB

God’s grace in Christ is forever moving us through our peaks and valleys, toward our eternal redemption to an eternity that is unimaginable. Meanwhile, we need to keep our eye on that prize, and not on the moments of our life’s discontent. For help in that process, we can lay our sufferings regarding the parts of them that we seem to have no control over, at the feet of our blessed Savior:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mt. 11s:28 – 30. NASB

In fact, our entire focus should be on Jesus, and then all the aspects of our life will come together. He is the source of our satisfaction (Jn.6:35), He is the only way to the Father (Jn. 14:6), our doorway to heaven and eternity (Jn. 14:2; 8:51.) and the living Word of God that gives us all the answers and bolsters our faith, (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 12:2.)

We were put on this earth to do certain things that only we can do, to bring Him glory by reflecting it from ourselves to others in those deeds, which ultimately have their roots in loving the Godhead, ourselves and all others. (Mt. 22:37 – 39.) We do that by giving of ourselves in spite of what is going on in the world around us. 

All of a sudden you will notice, that those valleys in life will not be so deep or protracted as your problems shrink in the light of your servitude. And your life begins to take on the unbridled joy of your eternity, where your place in the world can no longer bring you down – because that place is God’s place…

Goodnight and God bless.

God Delivers Us From Our Circumstances

God never said that life would be easy. There are many setbacks in our lives that we must overcome. We set some obstacles in the middle of our own path, through lapses in our godly thinking and acting. Other setbacks come from other people who suffer from the same, and we also get blindsided, due to active interference from our spiritual adversary. 

However, God is bigger than all of that; and He can lift you out of any affliction that you find yourself mired in. There is no better Biblical account of this than in the book of Job. 

Job is introduced to us as a man of great wealth and one who possesses righteous character – always bent on doing his best to serve God. (Job 1:1 – 3.)

The narrative then shifts heavenward to the throne of God. Satan approaches and tells God that he has been roaming the earth. God responds by asking him if he’d seen his righteous servant, Job. The devil retorts by claiming that Job only acts righteous because He has blessed him so mightily. Moreover, he asserts that if those blessings were stripped away, Job would turn against Jehovah and curse Him. 

God is so sure of Job’s righteousness and devotion, that He allows Satan to take away everything Job has, except his life. On the surface, this seems cruel and unjust on God’s part; but God is going to use Job’s upcoming trials and tribulations to show him (and all of us) His glory, in how He honors those faithful to Him, andso that He can provide hope and assurance to anyone who is afflicted in life.

The devil takes away all of Job’s material wealth and even his children. How did Job respond? He grieved, as anyone would, but he did not curse God:

And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Job 1:21, 22. NKJV

(There’s a huge lesson about the fleeting meaning of material things.)

Heavenward, God is pleased with Job. Satan protests, saying that if Job suffered personal injury, he would turn on God. So, he afflicts Job with painful boils. 

Job sits in the dirt in resignation. Even his wife screams at him to curse God. Job responds:

“Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2:10 NKJV

Life happens. But God never throws things towards you at random. If God is placing something in your way, it has to do with spurring you on towards your highest purpose – love lessons sent repeatedly, until you get it. It’s always about bringing you closer to Him…

Three of Job’s friends come to comfort him, but Job responds by indulging in self-pity. Yet even in his despair, we find jewels of God-inspired wisdom:

“Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?” Job 3:23 NKJV

I believe that Job was wondering as to why God would bring the good news of His love and salvation to those whose situation would seem to be hopeless. There is no doubt that some people have a rougher time in life than others, with no apparent reason. But it is how we respond to our circumstances that determine whether we expand as a human being. 

We must make ourselves available to learn from the lessons that we receive, or from those that others have gotten. I also believe that God uses adversity to bring people to Him.

Job wails again: 

“For the thing that I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” Job 3:25 NKJV

Another great pearl of wisdom. Job was apparently a worrywart – even when things were going his way. Fear leads to worry, worry keeps your fear on the center stage of your mind, and what you think about comes about. You must sweep off that stage and recast it with thoughts of God, His love and abundant provision, and His protective arms. 

After Job’s little fit, his ‘friends’ lambaste him – telling him that it is his sins that are the cause of his situation. Job retorts with a little self-righteousness.

A fourth friend shows up and condemns the first three for their attack on Job, tells Job to quit trying to justify himself and adds that he is wasting his time trying to figure out the true nature of God.

True enough. God’s big picture will always elude us to some degree, because we cannot grasp plans that were made on a universal scale. Yet, God does not leave us totally blind. He tells us what we need to know, to wisely navigate through the part that He wants us to play in His grand design:

“In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.” Job 33:15 – 18. NKJV

Finally, the fourth friend tells Job to be patient and wait upon God, keeping his righteousness in the face of duress:

“Although you say you do not see Him, yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him.” Job 35:14 NKJV

“He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted.” Job 36:7 ESV

At this point, God Himself enters the fray – telling Job that none of his assumptions are true. Then He asks Job if he could possibly have any comprehension of the galactic scale that He operates on. 

Job does the wise thing. He humbles himself before His Maker:

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted…Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” Job 42:2, 3. ESV

“Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:6 NASB

God is a loving and merciful God. It doesn’t matter what we have done – even if it includes blaming Him and doubting His ways. He knows that we cannot grasp His ‘Big Picture’ (which always has our highest and best purpose in it). 

He is demonstrating His unchanging character and His desire for us to turn around, (confess and repent). Love, forgiveness and mercy will always follows. 

What was Job’s outcome?

And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10 AMP

And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. Job 42:12 ESV

Notice that Job grew prosperous again after he prayed for someone else. Notice too, that even though Job indulged in self-righteousness and self-pity, he never cursed God or lost faith in who He was. 

God loves you. There is a reason for everything that is happening around you. Ask God what it is, (especially when it doesn’t make sense), so that you can learn from it. Ask Him to strengthen you, so that you can move through it and grow thereby. 

There are no bad times with God. There are only lessons that we need. And God always delivers those lessons (including a way out of them) with love in mind…

Goodnight and God bless.

Discover more

Archives