“‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.”
~Jeremiah 1:19 (NIV, 2010).
What is a tenuous moment for Jeremiah is also a moment whereby a prophet was born. He says at his calling, “Alas, Sovereign Lord... I do not know how to speak; I am too young” (Jeremiah 1:6). Twice God reaffirms to Jeremiah that he will go with him and rescue him.
Of all the prophets perhaps it was Jeremiah who needed this most. His was to be a most depressing and discouraged ministry.
This is, of course, the most wonderful encouragement for us, because we’ll go through many times during our lives when we’ll feel incapable of overcoming the issues against us. Just knowing God’s there during our ‘Jeremiah moments’ is a victory all its own.
A Vital Truth - Seeing ‘Over’ the Range
Our most natural default is to see the mountainous issue right before us and to, in some way, cower because of it. The issue has such influence over our reaction.
Yet, we somehow often negate what’s on the other side of the steep mountain range which attends as almost insurmountable. We don’t see the gentling green and streaming valley below that awaits us as we conquer the issues coming at us in our present moments or immediate futures.
And still, it is there, the majestic valley.
Why we isolate the issues in fear is quite a remarkable prospect, as it reveals how important our wellbeing is to us. This is natural. Our best response, though, is to think spiritually and not naturally.
Thinking Spiritually
God is always with us; for us and never against us. It’s a truth that commands our attention—to sit up and take notice of—if we’ll only have the situational awareness.
This is a general life principle as much as it’s a spiritual truth.
Anytime we reject the sense of defeat where we have recourse for recovery, and take a different tack, not letting go, we’ll find that beautiful green valley location on the opposite side of our mountainous problems, eventually.
What we have to do is keep the Presence of God broadly in mind and deeply at heart as we venture on. With this mindset we don’t resent our pain so much and we’re not reticent to it nearly as we were. We know things will turn for the better of their own accord—to God’s timeframe. And we trust this timeframe.
Best of All...
Perhaps most important to recognise is the general truth that if we do wait, accepting our disappointments the best we can, we’ll stand most certainly to be blessed, and most often via means and devices completely unexpected. These are the best kinds of blessings.
When God is for us, nothing really that threatening can be against us—not in comparison to God.
© 2010 S. J. Wickham.
No comments:
Post a Comment