GOD CARES FOR US ALL

PART TWO

In the Valley

We all have to go through the valley at times and we all have mountains so steep that seem impossible to climb. Things may look so dark and the light seems to be diffused. We know spiritually what we have to do and yet we feel so paralyzed it is impossible to take one step further. We send desperate prayers up on a wing but it doesn't seem to go all the way up and it falls right back in our faces, or so it seems. Then plagued with questions: what am I doing wrong that I can't seem to move beyond this point of anguish, shame, and desperation? Where did I go wrong and why am I going through this hell when I do love the Lord. Then I hear a soft, still, voice saying to me, many are the afflictions of the righteous but God delivers us from them all (Ps. 34:19). Even bad things happens to good people but we have God's assurance He will deliver us from each and every trouble we face- but it is contingent on trust in Him.

Man of God

The widow trudged back up to her home with a few sticks at a time and the last time she went by the edge of her home she met what looked like to her possibly a man of God- he had that special air about him. He looked directly into her eyes and he could sum up what was going on with her. She had a look of desperation in her eyes and despair. He looked directly at her and said in a firm voice, "Please give me a drink of water. I have come a long way and I am thirsty." She put down the sticks she had in her hand and went to fetch him some water. As she made her way to get him the water he added, "and please bring me something to eat, I am so hungry." She turned to look at him with shame on her face and timidly stated, "Sir, as God as my witness, I barely have enough to make a small cake for my son and I. You see I am gathering these few sticks to make a fire, to make a small cake of what flour and oil I have left. I don't know what will happen to my son and I but I am pretty much sure we will die from starvation."

A Place Called Redemption

Have you ever been to a place where you thought in your wildest dreams would never happen to you? You did everything in your power to get a good education so you would not have to scrounge and end up like your parents or your neighbor or some destitute person. Sometimes God allows us to go through some difficult and challenging circumstances, trials or afflictions to bring us to a place called 'redemption.' We get so caught up in ourselves, our lives, our things, our dreams, or hurts and pain and the list goes on. We unknowingly become slaves to what we believe or perceive to be of some importance or significance. We are held in bondage by the very things we hold close to our breasts. We elevate or hold high esteem to things that seem so fleeting and fugacious. Only God's redemption can free us and deliver us from our puny small-minded minds and lives.

Things Happen all the Time

The widow once had everything she thought meant a whole lot to her. She had a loving husband, who was hard-working and a man of principle. He provided for her and their son and even though it was difficult at times she felt secured and content. She didn't foresee anything happening to them because they were relatively young and seemed to have the whole world to their disposal. But things happen all the time. It happened to her. The drought killed everything and she knew instinctively because of all the idolatry and wickedness in the land God had left them to fend for themselves. After all they had deserted Him and worshipped their own hand-created wooden gods, their own evil amplified.

Stress is From the Enemy

Stress is one of the major reasons for a whole myriad of problems both in our bodies and our minds. When you under stress you are more susceptible to attacks by the enemy. These are not random attacks but strategic and targeted attacks to cripple or annihilate you. Basically, you are living in fear and anxiety and ultimately separated from the Lord God Almighty, Your Savior and Redeemer and Friend. Succumbing to stress sometimes seems unavoidable and the pressure is intensified and you feel boxed in a corner with no place to go. You feel nauseated from fear and panic attacks until your mind and body surrender to the onslaught of what you magnified in your mind. As the widow prayed for deliverance, redemption and salvation yet she still cling to death. She said, after eating her last meal she would die. God advises us to guard our hearts and mind-with His Word. (Prov.4). James advises us to ask for what we need with faith with no doubting, and he warns, he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind-and it makes him a double-minded man. He will receive absolutely nothing from the Lord, (James 1.)


(See Part Three)