The Point of Dispair
Think hard about what I’m about to ask you … has there been a time of “drought” or suffering in your life, where you got to a point of despair…rock-bottom … and your only hope left was God ? Knowin if He didn’t do a miracle, you were good as gone ? And He DID ?! God proved Himself, once more, and His mercy made your tears run unashamedly before Him. You thanked Him profusely and made heartfelt vows to Him…and maybe even to others that you’d wronged along the wayward way you’d been traveling. A move of God cannot be ignored, although they’re often referred to as “lucky”, a “coincidence” or “fate”. The truth is, nothing happens out of shear luck, fate or coincidence … God either allows it to happen or He makes it happen … good or bad. Too often, we humans think we’re controlling things…this world…and God would remind us real fast that we’re here because He created us…and He created us to serve Him. Period. If we don’t accept this fact and responsibility, that’s on us…and God’ll let us go on with our wicked behavior and unfaithfulness until we flush ourselves down the toilet bowls we’ve set ourselves up in. He uses the unrighteous and righteous alike to accomplish His will … at “His” discretion. Hell even knows Him and trembles ( James 2:19 )… but it’s too late for them. All their chances…GONE ! We tend to fall into a pattern, though. We human beings have no problem praising God and worshipping Him when we’re “up”…when our money’s in the bank and we’ve got plenty in the frig… but what happens when God slows down the blessings…withholds His favor…seems to’ve “left the building”? What then ? How do we feel towards Him and about Him, then ? Like He says…He’s GOD…He makes the rules…He’s in charge and He can make it rain on the just as well as the unjust ( Matthew 5:45 ). He dont answer to nobody. So…what will you do if “the well runs dry” or the “oil stops flowing”( 2 Kings 4 ) ? Will you turn around and go back to the familiar…to those “friends” that threw in with you in your rebellious living ( Proverbs 26:11 )…before you began loving God ? King Hezekiah knew what it was to bask in the blessings and favor of God Almighty. He became wealthy beyond imagination, “ for God had given him very great riches” ( 2 Chronicles 32:31 ) … but it’s also recorded that “God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart “ ( verse 31b ). Here’s the question to ponder…to chew on…”How you gonna act / treat God if He chooses to leave you…to withhold His blessings…or to remove His favor”? He’ll test us to see where our true allegiance lies. He’ll test us to see our heart’s condition. He’s God…and He already knows which way we’ll go… He just wants “us” to know it. If He’s tryin to tell us to repent, then we need to repent …and thank Him for giving is another chance ! Loving God and “playin church” ain’t hard when things are good … it’s those tough times that’s gonna prove whether our devotion is “for real” or not. If we’ll love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength ( Matthew 22:37-40 ), there won’t be any part of us that won’t be devoted to honoring and glorifying God… regardless of our circumstances ! Examine your heart and know it … GOD does.