In Between Times

Difficult times in our lives not only reveal who we are but also sets the stage for who we are becoming.  I call these times the 'In Between Times'.  The time between deliverance out of Egypt and arrival into the Promised Land.  Usually during these times we allow ourselves to become bitter and resentful over the smallest things.  One of the easiest places to develop these emotions is when dealing with loss.  Whether it be the loss of a loved one to illness, the loss of a child to drugs, the loss of a job to someone younger but less experienced than you or the loss of a spouse to another man or woman.  All of these losses affect your deepest emotions and it is easy to allow your heart to become hardened.  We, of course, think that the decisions we are making now will only affect the present but I beg to differ.  It is those decisions that shape who we are in the future.  Take for example the loss of a spouse in a divorce.  Often times there are court battles over who gets what...the house, the car, the children.  Want to see the worse in somebody just sit in divorce court one day.  People are fighting so hard to get even that they lose sight of God altogether.  Think about the loss of a dear friend.  Someone you have trusted with your innermost thoughts only to have them share them with someone else.  Realizing that person can't be trusted.  It is during these times that we must really rely on God to guard our hearts and our minds.  To keep our tongue from harsh words.  To keep our ears from ungodly advice.  To keep our feet from evil.  Yes, we all go through the necessary grieving stages but we cannot use that as an excuse to treat others wrong.  This is actually the time you should spend dedicated to prayer and reading your Word.  You should surround yourself with spiritual friends, those who will pray with you and pull you back in when you are out there on that ledge about to put something in concrete that should only be in the sand.  One of the most valuable assets you can have are Godly friends.  Those that will pray with you and for you.

Each and every time we go through a difficult season of life God is waiting to see if we are going to trust him.  Will we stand still and see the salvation of the Lord? If we are going to hold our peace and let the Lord fight our battles? We are ensured victory when we trust Him.  The thing that I have learned through my failure is that my attitude while riding through the storm helps to determine how long I have to spend in the situation and also how much repair work has to be done after it's all over.  A while back I was watching TBN and the minister who was talking asked a question that is very relevant to the subject matter I am talking about today.  'Is is possible to possess a vital faith that prompts you to be at your best while passing through a season of profound disappointment, unnerving chaos, or deliberating pain?  If you had asked me this question six or seven years ago I would say no.  Six or seven years ago when I was going through my worst wilderness experience yet, it did not bring out the best in me. In fact, I crumbled.  I couldn't take it.  I wasn't prepared to fight with Satan.  I wasn't strong enough to hold on to God's unchanging hand.  I locked myself up in my house and did nothing else.  I had my own private pity party, shut everyone out of my life and just gave up.  I still remember the exact moment God spoke to me and told me to get myself up, He had work for me to do.  It took me a minute to move in obedience but eventually I did.  My life hasn't been the same since.  Now when difficult times arrive in my life they really aren't that unexpected.  It amazes me how I am able to see things that are not good in my life.  I no longer have time to be looking at every body else because I am so busy asking God to change me.  Had I allowed myself to become bitter and resentful at the way my life had turned out I would not have been open to receive the blessings that I now have.  It was in the desert that I was reshaped and established a greater connection with God.  I won't say that it was easy.  In fact the desert is a hard place.  But never in my experience in the desert was God not with me.  I had known God for most of my life but now I have a true, personal relationship with Him.  Bottom line is that He had to grow me up.  He had to show me that I am not just the God of your mother and father but I am your God.  The one who you can depend on.  I believe there is nothing more powerful than the words God spoke to Moses at the burning bush.  "I AM..."  (Exodus 3:6) Every time I read those verses I add something new.  Last week He was my Healer.  Just today He was my Mind Regulator.  Those two words say so much.  When I was explaining it to my children, I put it like this.  God is simply saying I AM whatever you need me to be.  That is why I know that through my difficult times I do possess the faith that is vital for me to be at my best when all hell is going on all around me.  How do I know this because it is in my weakest moments God stands up in me the tallest.  You see, in the desert when God spoke to Moses telling Him who He was, he then went on to tell Him that He saw the affliction and heard their cry.  Our greatest assurance is in knowing that God sees and hears everything that is going on in our lives.  And because we know that, we can have peace while riding through the storm.  I don't know what it is you may be going through but I do know a God who is big enough to handle it.   God is awesome.  God is Sovereign.  God reigns over the heaven and the earth.  That means He is in control.  Never doubt for one second that He doesn't see what is going on in your life.  Because He sees you, you have something to shout about.  I will leave you with this thought.  It is no secret what God can do, what He has done for other He will do the same for you.  Just continue to hold to His unchanging hand. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

God who sees and knows everything that is going on in my life right now.  I confess that I am weak.  The flesh keeps telling me to give up but I know that I can make it because I have You, O Lord living on the inside of me.  I'm asking you today to guard my mind.  Guard my heart.  Forgive me of all my sins and remove anything within me that is not of You.  Lord I am doing my best to hold on.  Help me not to do permanent damage while in a temporary situation.  I am leaning and depending on You.  I know You will see me through.  I thank you God because You are gracious and merciful towards me.  I love you and I praise You.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.