At Arm's Length

We sometimes have difficulty embracing God. Sometimes it's because we see things going on around us that we know God doesn't approve of; and yet, He doesn't seem to be doing anything about it. Sometimes it's because we have prayed about a real need, and His response has been silence. Sometimes it's because God answers our prayers, but it's not the answer we wanted. Sometimes it's because we see God working but in a way that doesn't seem to fit the theological box we have tried to stuff Him in. Whatever the reason, we often try to embrace God and hold Him away at the same time. Impatient, angry, and confused, we become frustrated with the God we love.
The dangers of such an attitude are obvious. We quit praying. We fail to sense His presence in our lives. We miss opportunities to praise Him. We become unteachable. We become even more frustrated because God goes on and does what He wants to do--and He doesn't even consult us. Who does He think He is?
And that's the cure to the problem: remembering who He is and what He is accomplishing. He is the sovereign God of the universe, the God of love. He is the God who never makes a mistake. His plan always glorifies Him--makes Him visible to the world. His plan for our lives has been bathed in His love and concern for our well-being. He knows exactly what needs to happen and when it needs to happen in order for us to become victorious Christians in all things. When He is silent, or responds in a way we don't want Him to, or responds in a way we don't understand at all, it is not because He no longer loves us or is picking on us. It is because in His wisdom and love this is precisely what is needed for His glory and our good. His plan is perfect. His love inescapable. His sovereign will flawless. What we must do, because we know who He is, is embrace Him even when everything seems lost and hopeless. Such an attitude of praise will not only magnify Him but lift our spirits as well. In the worst of times we will find ourselves filled with joy and confidence, wrapped in the everlasting arms of love. The worst of times will become the best of times. When the circumstances seem to suggest that He doesn't love us very much, we will sense His love more deeply than we have ever sensed it before. Our hearts will break forth in continuous song.

"Though the fig tree should not blossom,
And there is no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail,
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flocks should be cut off from the fold,
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
YET I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds feet,
And makes me walk in high places.

To the choir director on my stringed instruments."