Much at Stake: The Risk

"Why are you cast down, O my inner self?  And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me?  Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my sad countenance, and my God." - Psalm 43:5 (amplified)

While running errands with my mom today, I remarked, "Everyone is going through something.  In fact . . . it seems like no one is ever not going through something!"

Some of you may be enduring a season of storms. 

Others may feel like a tornado just ripped through your situation.  

Then there are those of you who feel like you've got Hurricane Katrina absolutely devastating you, ravaging your heart, annihilating your hope.

Lately, God's been directing me to address EMOTIONAL PAIN in these blog posts.  I pray they are ministering to someone as they have ministered to me.

If you're in a season of "Hurricane Katrina" pain, one thing you must realize is that pain is blinding.  When people say they can't see past the pain, they're telling the truth.  Because pain will never allow you to see anything but IT.  

Did you know you have 2 sets of eyes??  

The only way to see through a season of pain is to stop looking through our human eyes -- reasoning, trying to understand, trying to figure it out -- and instead open our heart's eyes, eyes of faith.  You will never be able to see clearly if you're walking through fog.  But the fog hovers near the ground, so if you were to climb a hill or a tall tree, you'd be able to see over it!  This is a parallel of how you can see with your "eyes of faith."  Trust will open those eyes.

Suppose God see you clinging to something that we shouldn't be clinging to.  Maybe He sees that it's not good for you to cling to it.  Maybe He has something better.  Or maybe He sees that it is good, but it's not time for you to have it.  Whatever the reason, He takes it away.  And you're absolutely devastated.

Catch this: God ALWAYS acts in the way that will do us the MOST GOOD and bring Him the MOST GLORY.  And above all, He acts in unfathomable love. 

Unfathomable love.

In your human mind you cannot possibly see how this could be used for good.  All you see is . . . well, nothing.  You're blind.  Blinded by the pain.

Out of God's unfathomably tender love, He chose to bring about the hardest thing, that "worst case scenario", knowing the unspeakable pain it would cause, knowing there would be many opportunities for Satan to use it to destroy you, or for you to reject Him (God) altogether.  In His love, He saw what the end result would be and decided it was worth the risk.  

Look at Jesus.  He sweated blood as He begged God to let the cup of suffering pass from Him (Luke 22:42, 44).  And yet He ultimately surrendered Himself to His Father's will.  God saw that the end result of Jesus's suffering would be YOUR ADOPTION into His family, and He decided it was worth it.  Think about all the prophesies about Jesus, how much hung in the balance! 

For example,"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth." -Isaiah 53:7

If Jesus had opened his mouth, Satan would have won.  Something as small as that would have marred the way to our salvation.  Jesus was walking the ultimate tightrope. 

It was the ultimate risk.  

So what's risky about your situation?  Your response.  Suppose you have a child who is playing with something that is not good for them, or something they shouldn't have right now.  As a parent, you see what is best for your child and you lovingly take away that item.  The child is devastated.  In his mind, he cannot see that you have acted for his good.  He can't understand why mommy or daddy just took away his treasure.  He doesn't understand the purpose behind the pain.  What if he rebels against you?  What if he hates you and walks away?

"If the PURPOSE couldn't exceed the PAIN, the answer is NO." -Beth Moore

In other words, if God couldn't bring about a result that would exceed the level of pain it takes to get there, He wouldn't have taken away your treasure.  

But what if your child, with tears still streaming down his cheeks, turned to you, lifted his little hands, and in the only way he knew how, told you that he trusted you.  He doesn't understand why, but he knows you are good, that you would only act in his best interest, and that he is submitting to you.

Doesn't that stir your heart?  What do you feel in the moment?  Overflowing love?  Pride? 

Today as I drove home from school, I reflected on my own pain and, for the hundredth time, vocalized that I TRUST HIM.  In spite of my pain, in spite of my not being able to see the good yet, in spite of my own Hurricane Katrina, I trust Him to write my story.  I am handing over the pen.  

He whispered to my heart something I know He will speak to yours in that moment:

"My daughter, I am so proud of you."