Does God Care When You Feel Alone?

Sometimes we feel alone in our struggles as if no one sees and no one cares. We wish someone will come alongside to give support.

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him." Isaiah 30:18, NIV.

This verse is taken from the Bible where The Lord describes future judgment, and then in the middle of doom and woe he says, 'yet...' it is a turning point where the heart of God shines through to give comfort and hope. Though his people have sinned and rebelled, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious."  We cannot excuse sin and wrongs but in life's mess, but we can know that God longs to be gracious to us.

LONGS
To long for something is deeper than just a desire. It fills up your thoughts until everything else is pushed out; it is "a heart-deep preoccupation," or even an obsession. It is wonderful that God longs this way to be gracious to each of us.

GRACIOUS
One may see gracious as the forgiving kindness of God to those who are far from him. When God is gracious he is giving mercy to those who do not deserve it and love to those who are lost from love.

RISES
The Almighty is never complacent. From his heavenly throne he "rises" to show us compassion. Ancient kings always sat, you did not want to be in the room if the situation called for the king to stand up- it meant war or death. God doesn't just sit in heaven wallowing in mushy feelings- he acts.

COMPASSION
Compassion here seems to be love-inspired acts of kindness to those who are helpless. Who isn't helpless in some way? We all have hurt, or guilt, or have experienced injustice, but God longs to be gracious and compassionate to us.

WAIT
Many find it hard to apply faith in some situations; we may hurt too much, or face high mountains of difficulty. This verse ends with an encouragement, "Blessed are all who wait for him." The ancient passage quoted above may have referred to a coming Messiah, but we wait daily for victories small and great. We wait for the Lord to reveal himself in a situation, we wait for the Lord to answer prayer, and we wait for him to deliver us from a situation. We must not give up on God we must continue to hold on in faith; and according to the above promise, we will be blessed.

To learn more about finding God see my other post follow this link: Click Here.

(c)Adron Dozat 3/6/13

Why Does God Take So Long?

Why does God take so long? We have situations and needs and we are desperate for solutions. We pray and look to God but in the back of our mind is the question, "What's taking so long?"

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." Psalm 130:5-7, NIV.

IMPATIENT
We want results immediately; like the TV shows we want all the problems are solved in half an hour. We are impatient, but to wait on the Lord is a major principle of faith, the Bible is full of it and we hurry over it.

FAITH
The Psalmist mastered this discipline; he says, "I wait... my soul waits... I put my hope... my soul waits... more than watchmen wait for morning... hope in the lord..." If you do not have Jesus this kind of waiting is impossible, because it is an act of faith. "With the Lord is unfailing Love and with him is full redemption." The author could wait in faith since he had the facts of God. He knew there was a loving and redeeming purpose in the wait.

Remember the facts about God, like the verse says, "in his word I put my hope." My life is not my own, it is his and he has a purpose in my situation. We may not understand it but he does. He has a timetable, it is not ours; we want him to hurry up but it is not for us to dictate to God.

IT IS NOT ABOUT US
Verse 7 reminds us, to put our hope in the Lord. We want to take short cuts, and hurry things along; instead we must wait for God to do what needs to be done. We must not hope in ourselves and our ways of solving situations but just focus on the Lord and wait to see Him in it. This does not mean sit back and do nothing, we must do what is right but let God be sovereign in the results.

COMFORT
It is comforting that, "with the Lord is unfailing love, and with him is full redemption." The difficulties we face are designed by God with His love right in the middle. We will be better for it. We want Him to hurry- but we must resolve to patiently wait on the Lord.

To learn more about finding God follow this link: click here.

(c)Adron Dozat

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Why Doesn't God Hurry Up And Fix Our Problems? 2 Peter 3:8

Why doesn’t God just hurry up and fix our problem or give us the blessing we need now?

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends; with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Pet 3:8. NIV.

FORGET
We do forget. The Bible and man’s history are full of examples of how we forget the Lord’s great wonders and awesome blessings. We need to keep reminding ourselves and others of God's goodness.

King James uses the word "ignorant." We are very ignorant of God and His ways. In our foolishness, we make rash decisions and judgments; we criticize God and make demands of Him. If we knew Him better, we would be different people. It is wise to admit we know very little about God and His ways.

TIME
God is not on our timetable. We interpret His delays to act in many ways, such as our sin has robbed us of His favor, or that His love toward us is gone, or that maybe we have lost our salvation. God is not in a hurry- we just need to wait. He sees the end from a beginning that is over distant galactic horizons. His purposes are higher than our need to be free from a problem or our desire for a blessing.

It is a wonder and a terrific comfort that God is not bound by our ideas of the time- if, in fact, He dwells in time at all! For as creator of time, He must be outside it. It is a comfort that He is not trapped in time or subject to it and a testimony of his greatness.

A GOD OF LOVE
In the KJV, the verse begins with "Beloved." But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."You sense he is speaking kindly and fatherly to his followers and calls them "beloved. Peter is speaking to the Christians whom he loves, but the "beloved" is not just Peter's beloved, but we are God’s beloved. God, in His love, ordains time to serve his purposes and be a blessing to us.

We can't hurry God, and we can't out-wait him, but we can do something better; we can trust in his love.

(c) Adron 4/20/11

The Search of God, 1 Samuel 13:14

What kind of person is God looking for; is He looking for anybody at all, or someone special, and if so what kind of person?

"But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people because you have not kept the Lord's command." 1 Samuel 13:14 NIV.

These are the words of the prophet Samuel to King Saul when Saul presumed to take on the role of priest and offer the sacrifice. God reveals His mind; He seeks a man "after his own heart."

The word, "after" suggests one who is following, who is in step, and is pursuing after God.

BECAUSE
The word, because, leads us to God's reason. "Because you have not kept the Lord's command."  Obedience trumps zeal.  God wants your obedience,  He wants a person who learns His commands and follows them.  You would think God wanted someone who builds monuments, or cathedrals or set up some world-changing charity.  You would think God wants the smartest or most educated, or most talented that could sway people with elegant speech.  King Saul was many of these things: handsome, tall, a leader in battle, and charismatic; but they did not qualify him to fulfill God's greater purpose.

HEART
"The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart."  How can we be after the heart of God?

     * First, we must seek the Lord; seek Him in Bible reading, prayer, meditation, and the fellowship of others who are also seeking Him.
     * We must obey the light we are given, when aware of evil in our lives we must turn and repent, when aware of a deed we should perform then we should act. (Remember God will never contradict His Word).
     * We should pray and ask the Lord to make us a man or woman after His own heart; it is a prayer God will gladly grant.
     * We must be willing to serve him wherever the calling. God is looking for one who is willing to be a leader not of multitudes but things like a first grade Sunday School Class or of the Ushers Committee or to be the Van Driver of a Meals on Wheels Ministry.  Not everyone can be generals some must be sergeants and privates, but even a private can be a hero and receive the medal of honor.

SEARCHING
God is searching, His eyes and heart rove the earth looking for a man or woman after "his own heart" for this generation.  He is looking for someone who is willing to obey and to patiently wait for His command.  Are you the one who is following, who is in step, and who is pursuing God? Indeed, if ever there was a time for the man or woman after God's own heart it is this time.

To be a man after God's own heart you must know him. If you feel you do not have a personal relationship with the Lord then click here to see my post about the Gospel.

(c) Adron 9/12/10

Do People Hear God Speak Today? Psalm 95:7B-9

In ancient times, the prophets heard the voice of the Lord. But is He silent today, or are there some of us who still hear Him speak? Is there some reason we cannot hear Him speak?

THE BIBLE GIVES US SOME ANSWERS

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where you tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did." Psalm 95:7b-9. NIV.

IF

The Bible answers the question, 'Does God Speak today?' with the word "if." If sounds like it may or may not happen. We can't make demands on God; it is for Him to decide if He is going to speak or not.

HOW

God may speak in many ways, such as the prompting of the heart, conscience, a sermon, a Bible passage, an opportunity to do good, or the counsel of a godly mentor. (Beware of false "voices" that imitate God's voice. Knowing God's Word keeps us straight since He will never go against His Holy Bible).

THE BIGGER QUESTION

The bigger question is not, "Does God speak to us," but "What do we do with what we have heard?" That answer makes all the difference! We choose either to yield our obedience or to harden our hearts by refusal. If God prompts us to do good work, we should do it. If scripture speaks to give or serve, we should. If we rebel and hold back our tithe or refuse to teach Sunday School when offered or work in the church nursery, then we have begun to harden our hearts.

HARD HEART

Hardening your heart is like Russian Roulette, sooner or later God will act with condemnation. In the wilderness, Israel suffered because they hardened their hearts. They didn't plan to, they saw more of the situation than they did of God, and complained. (Exodus 17:5-7). The lives of the Old Testament people serve as an example to us; we presume on God's grace when we rationalize inaction to His voice.

TO HEAR HIM SPEAK

God may speak, but we gag Him. We drown out His voice by crowding our lives with busyness, entertainment, and career; even good things like church service and family may create a volume that deafens us to Him. Jesus' words, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear," no longer apply to our generation. Let's resolve to live lives free of the complications stifling His voice. Let's seek Him afresh in prayer and His word. May we commit ourselves to obey His still small voice that may whisper in our hearts to do some service, make some sacrifice, or commit some good act in His Name.

(c) Adron 7/28/10

Can We Ever Know What God is Thinking? Amos 4:13

God seems hidden, mysterious, and certainly wonderful. Though we can see his handiwork in creation, can we know His thoughts?

“He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth- the Lord God Almighty is his name.” Amos 4:13, NIV.

God created mountains, whole ranges of them, some of which span continents and ascend a mile into the sky. He created wind, even hurricanes that can destroy cities. He changed the dark to dawn and daylight to night. He treads the high places of the earth where man dare not go as if they were the grit on the floor. He is awesome in every detail and dimension.

The list of His wonders includes the surprise that God “reveals his thoughts to man!” You would think the catalog would continue with God setting stars in orbit, scooping out the depths of the seas, or God being more powerful than millions of atomic bombs, but included with the wonders of God is that He “reveals His thoughts to man.” It becomes equal to the others. For God to honor us so is part of His glory.

The word “Reveal” suggests something hidden that is uncovered. Many truths about God are obvious to the average man, such as His mighty power, but there is more to God. He wants to reveal His thoughts to us; He could withhold them, and it would be to His glory to do so, but it is more glorious of God to reveal His thoughts to us.

But why man? No scripture says that God shares His thoughts with angels or any other beings, yet to rebellious mankind, God deigns to share His thoughts. Only mankind is in the image of God, and so only mankind can begin to understand and share intimacy with the Lord God Almighty. We were made to hear His thoughts.

God is a communicator and has communication for us.
• He speaks through the creation.
• He speaks in the human conscience.
• He has spoken through his Son, Jesus.
• And he speaks through the written Word.
• And he speaks to us in our personal communion of prayer.
• If we wait in the silence of prayer, we may hear Him communicate in the prompting of our hearts.

I want to know the thoughts of the Lord God Almighty. Thoughts are not just communication. They are the expression of the heart, plans, loves, wisdom, longings, and hurts. To think He “Reveals his thoughts to man,” makes me say WOW!

(c) Adron 4/30/10

How Your Heart Can Be A Guide, What The Bible Says, Exodus 25:2

People like to say, “Follow your heart,” or “Trust in your heart,” but the heart is fickle and generally a poor guide. So, can the heart be trustworthy guide?

“Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.” Exodus 25:2. NIV.

PROMPT
The word, “prompt,” can mean to cause somebody to act, or bring about something; it could mean to remind somebody of what they ought to do.

Many people of faith practice a daily worship and prayer time with Bible reading, prayer, and then "wait” in silence for the Lord to prompt them. The prompt may be A thought to encourage someone or an idea to do a service, sometimes it is awareness to forsake sin, and sometimes it is a sense of peace.

FALSE PROMPTING
There is a danger of false prompting because our hearts waver between the old worldly nature and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. People become fools and cause pain by following a longing of the heart that seemed to them like a spirit-led prompting.

PROMPTING IN CHECK
Moses spoke to a pre-Christian people who did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit; or God’s written revelation, the Bible, for guidance. So Moses gave specific instructions as to what to bring, gold, cloth, etc. We have God’s Word and we must weigh the “Prompt” against the Bible. The Spirit of God will never direct us to disobey the Word of God. When you receive a “prompting” ask yourself if there is a verse that supports this action; or one that opposes it? Then pray with thankfulness to the Lord for His leading and ask for His help to fulfill the command.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL
There are no formulas that promise a spiritual reward, instead, we must have a relationship with the Lord. The “seeking- waiting- and listening in stillness” for the prompting of the Lord is part of that relationship experience. May we develop the attitude of always listening for the prompting of the Lord in our hearts, not only in my daily personal morning worship but throughout your day.

(c) Adron 2/17/10