Remembering His Goodness..

We had a church retreat this weekend and if I could give it a name.. it would be the title of this post..”Remembering His Goodness.” That is the theme that I kept hearing in the stories the speakers shared with us. They were actually speaking on the hard times in life and how we need to learn to accept them as normal and be able to reach out to those around us when they reveal their struggles to us. A great topic in these times where there is so much fear and anxiety in everyday life.

The key for me was hearing this theme as we read through the psalms and discussed the issues they presented. Our Creator God is good, He is faithful and available in all circumstances. He is larger than our circumstances.. bigger than our fears..sovereign over everything that happens to us in this life. He is our refuge and our rock.. We are always able to cry out to Him… to rely on Him and lean into Him. Although His ways are not our ways.. we can trust Him to bring deliverance when we need it and to rescue us before it is too late!

Our part is to remember this and to act on it.. to nurture the relationship.. to remember Him and His promises… to dwell on His faithfulness and to count on Him when the darkness comes. We are in a battle and our faith is constantly being challenged by the trials and tests that we face..but He is there with us.. We are not alone. This is our road.. we signed up for it when we committed to follow Him and He will carry us when we cannot walk another step.

“I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
    Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.”   (psalm 27:13-14)

 

Never Give up..

How many times have you heard that phrase? It pops up periodically on my igoogle desktop app. I always get encouraged when I see it.  So many times in my life I have had to wait and wait and wait. With more than 6 decades under my belt.. I can remember things I have  hoped for 40 or 50 years.. Wow! That is hard for me to take in. Our sense of time and our perspective on waiting are very different from God’s. He is eternal and He is not in time. 50 years to Him is nothing.. He created time..imagine that!

So when we wait for something for a year, 5 years, 10 years or more..that does not mean we are to give up and believe that it will never happen. How do we continue to have hope? By trusting that the one who created us and gave us desires will bring them to completion..in His time not ours. It is reassuring to realize that every single thing that God intended for us on this side of eternity will come to pass if we don’t give up..if we don’t walk away..if we follow Him around every corner..through every dark tunnel..holding on as He takes us on detours and leads us into unknown territory.

Life with God is an adventure.. adventures are not always easy..they are often risky. If you are waiting and waiting..keep it up. Trust Him..remember His goodness..keep holding on..don’t give up. Here’s one of my favorite verses..from Psalm 27. It is for you!

“Wait for the LORD;
    be courageous and let your heart be strong.
    Wait for the LORD.”