God’s Mercy in Disguise (Oct 13)

Verses for the day

• Matt 26:39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Thoughts

The past couple days have been rough. Between everything going on at church, Robin and I struggling through some things in our marriage, struggling with some things between other family members, as well as some issues with my employees here… etc. It’s been rough.

Of course, on Thursday I also shared with our e2 students from 1 Peter, a theology of suffering. That in everything, in all circumstances, .our Father is calling us to trust our case in His hands and respond as Jesus did in his suffering. He left his case in His Father’s hands (1 Peter 2:22-23) He was willing to say, “It’s not about what I want, I want your will to be done!” (Matt 26:39) I guess the Father is giving me an opportunity to practice what I am preaching.

As I worked on building replacement tables that the termites ate up, I listened through a couple messages in a series of messages from Charles Price titled, “From Tragedy to Triumph,” about the life of Job. In the 4th message, he shared these thoughts:

When we are faced with something we don’t understand, don’t look for an explanation. Look to the Father. In Job 23:8 Job says, “I looked to the east, you weren’t there, I looked to the west, but I couldn’t find Him. I don’t know where He is in all of this, but He knows where I am (Job 23:10). That is the basis of my safety and security, with NO EXPLANATION. Just knowing the Father is there, and He is watching (Ps 121:5)

Price went on to say, “Is there something in your life where there is no explanation. Our natural instinct is to feel something in me is wrong. I’m the problem… but silence that voice. It may be true, but it may not be. It may even be because you are doing so well. As the Father said of Job, “He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears me and stays away from evil.” (Job 1:8) What you are facing, may be because there is a conversation going on in heaven about you… And the Father has invited Satan to test you.”

We are never promised an answer to the why question. We are simply asked to trust what we know is true. Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Last night, Robin and I played some music together, and a lot of the songs that we played followed this theme. Casting Crowns, God of all my days.. Aaron Schust Forevermore… but the one that was most challenging to me was Blessings by Laura Story.

Prayer

I’ll end with this. I’m praying that whatever you are facing today that you will be able to see it as the Father’s blessing in disguise.

What if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near?
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
When friends betray us and when darkness seems to win. We know that pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home. It’s not our home

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy. And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights are Your mercies in disguise?