"The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made"
(Psalm 145:9 NIV).
Do we believe that simply because the Psalmist says it's so?
Do we simply take it on blind faith that God is good?
What do we say to people who honestly question
whether God is good?
And what's the word for our own hearts
when WE go through tragedy
and difficulty?
Whenever we have questions
about the character or nature of God,
we need to look at Jesus
to find answers and solutions
for the problems and difficulties.
When we look at Jesus,
we see that He freely acknowledged
the problem of pain
and the existence of evil.
"In this world, you shall have tribulation,"
He said in John 16:33.
Jesus not only acknowledged evil and pain,
but He confronted them.
Sailing across the Sea of Galilee,
He was resting in the boat
when a storm suddenly arose that
beat the boat around.
"Master! We're dying!"
His disciples cried.
"Peace. Be still,"
Jesus said to the storm. (Mark 4:39)
In the Greek language,
the command is literally
"Be muzzled."
It's the same command Jesus used
when talking to people who were possessed with demons.
This tells us that when a typhoon strikes
or an earthquake hits,
they're not necessarily acts of God.
In fact, the apostle Paul tells us in John 12:31
that satan is currently the prince of this world.
I'm going to stop here and wait for your thoughts.
Think this through and share your hearts with me.
I'll come back in a few days and post some more.
I love you, Girls!
Susie Shellenberger
That is awesome Susie! I think that sometimes when we are going through troubles we forget that sometimes God has those planned for us. One of my favorite songs by Third Day says "You must go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God!"
ReplyDeleteAnd I think that is 100% true....
Thanks for the thought!
~~Meg♥♥♥
"Just a thought from what i've experienced"
ReplyDeleteSo maybe God plans things throughout our lives to draw us nearer to his heart, if you have faith In him, he'll bring you through it all while giving us his blessings ,because our heart is Fully dependent on Him and the strength that he provides .
-magilicutty- :o)
-meg-
ReplyDeleteI believe that statement is very true.
He's the same God of our valleys as he is of our mountains
~<~~<~~({@
*Optimism is nothing without works!*
"Faith without works is as useless as a screen door on a submarine. "
~Magilicutty :o)
I know that personally,I forget that God is not human.When I remember that He's not human-He's God-I find myself more peaceful.
ReplyDeleteAlso,I like Psalms 18:30 especially the first part..it says "As for God,his way is perfect."
That helps me when things I don't understand are going on. It doesn't mean that I enjoy the hard things...but knowing that the situation was allowed by God,who loves me with an everlasting love and whose way is perfect definently makes me have more peace about things.
Hi Susie, I received brio & beyond mags for more than 7 years. When I found out you would no longer be the editor I was hearbroken. I can't believe it took me all this time to find out about susiemag but I'm so glad that I have!! you helped me through many issues as a teen and I am so thankful for your life. God Bless!!
ReplyDeleteJess
Hi, Girls!
ReplyDeleteI love your comments. You're really thinking about this question and the scripture. And, Jess, I'm so glad you found SUSIE Mag. Hope you'll subscribe. The printed issue comes monthly to your house and is TWICE the size as Brio was! You can subscribe at susiemag.com or by calling 1-888-81-SUSIE.
I'll post more on these thoughts in a few days. Right now I'm visiting my family out of state for the Christmas holidays and my access to the internet is extremely limited.
Dad is 85 and doesn't do email. Ha!
Love you!
Susie Shellenberger
God is So Good-!
ReplyDeleteMy step brother,was just a few seconeds away from a 100ft tree falling him,it was nothing but the grace of God that he was able to run before it fell on him.
Yes God is Good all the Time! :o)
I hope you post again soon Susie! I usually check to see if you've written anything new daily.... so I'm anxious for an update from you! Happy New Year! God bless! :D
ReplyDelete