Oswald Chambers observed that very often when we ask the Lord to bless our lives, it appears that He makes a ruin of everything instead. He likens this to a gardener plowing up a piece of land to make a beautiful garden. The process involves a lot of upheaval.
When times of upheaval come into our lives, we resist. Naturally. We wonder, “Why?”
A failure to accept what God is doing, arises out of a failure to grasp who He is. He is sovereignly in control of the world in general and our lives in particular. And He is good. He sees the end from the beginning and He knows how to accomplish His purposes. Nothing will thwart His plans. That is not to say that everything that happens in the world, or our lives is according to His perfect will. Evil and destruction are realities of a fallen world. There is a very real enemy behind the turmoil. But, that enemy, Satan, is on a leash. He can only do what God allows him to do. And the Bible promises that God works all of those things for good in the lives of believers, who love and trust Him. (Romans 8:28). So, when we see chaos, we just haven’t seen the end of the story yet.
Psalm 46 pictures the upheaval of mountains falling into the sea, the earth giving way, the waters roaring with foam. Yet, in the midst of natural calamity, God is our refuge. It pictures nations in uproar, kingdoms falling. Again, God is our refuge. He alone makes wars cease. The Psalm offers no explanations for the destruction and disorder. It only tells us to be still and know that He is God. It doesn’t tell us that when we are still we will know the reasons for the destruction around us. It tells us to be still and know Him.
Our certainty is not in our circumstances; Our faith is in the character of God. Our circumstances are ever-changing. God is not. He is our Rock; our Foundation. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
It is too easy to look at what appears to be bad and despair over it. But if we look beyond our circumstances to an all-powerful, loving God, we can know that He has a good reason for what He is doing; that He is fulfilling His purposes. We tend to look for earthly reasons and resolutions. God looks at the eternal. Romans 8:29 gives some insight. His purpose is to make us to be more like Christ. God always cares more about our character than our circumstances.
His ways are not our ways–but His ways are perfect. The key to having and experiencing peace, in the midst of unpeaceful circumstances, is to remember that God is good, his purposes are good, and His ways are perfect. He Himself is our peace. What looks like destruction in our lives is just part of the process of making something new and better.
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10
I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below.
Blessings,
Phyllis
Copyright 2022 Phyllis L. Farringer
Thank you for the encouragement, Phyllis, so timely for our world in turmoil, and also for each individual in every stage of life. In the words of a wonderful hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” Praise His name!
Thank you, Nora. I am glad you were encouraged.
Thank you for this reminder that God’s always working through the mess and problems of life to make something good in my life. I just need to quit trying to fix things and be still and know God.
Thanks, Vivian. It is good to remember who is in charge.
Phyllis,
Thank you for the scriptural perspective you shared. As you said, we need reminders that God’s purpose is to make us grow to be more like Christ. I think God deeply cares about our circumstances and is full of compassion. When we let him guide us, he helps our character to develop and become strong.
You are so right, Charlotte.