The bedside clock glares (like a lighthouse) in the darkened room….
4:35 a.m.
Ugh!
The neon numbers taunt me with each minute that passes- “you know you can’t sleep, why even bother?”
{Side Note: I go through spells with insomnia, like some strange internal clock that gets off-kilter and causes me to struggle with sleep. Terrible because sleep is one of my favorite things. Nothing better than a good 8 hours of blissful sleep to awaken to a beautiful new day. The flip side- misery as I struggle through the day tired and cranky from lack of sleep. Uncomfortable is the word!}
I reluctantly get up.
Now what to do at 4:30 in the morning?
Watch TV? No.
Clean the kitchen? No.
Check email? No.
Talk with God? YES!
So, I ask God- “Why have you woken me at this unnatural hour?”
His response- “So you know I am here.“
As much as I am NOT a morning person, I have to admit that it is in the early morning hours that I appreciate and feel the presence of God.
I delight knowing that I don’t have to worry about waking Him up, calling at an inconvenient time or Him being too busy to listen.
God is always there.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.” ~ Psalm 46:10
It is in the stillness of the morning that God's presence is magnified. Even in my tired, bleary-eyed, wild hair condition I can come and spend time with Him without rush or distraction.
It is during this early morning that I’m reminded that it is in the uncomfortable, the trials and hardships that we can find God and we are instructed that in everything we are to rejoice, pray and give thanks!
“Rejoice always, pray continually, and be thankful in all circumstances, for it is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
It is in the uncomfortable, unpleasant, and painful that we have the opportunity to realize our lack of power and appreciate the might and capability of God. The painful circumstances force us to admit we cannot make it through this life without Him.
When we find ourselves in a season of pain or facing the unimaginable (Hurricane Harvey victims immediately come to mind), we first want to question God’s goodness.
How can God really be good when he allows such suffering in this world? We rationalize that suffering must mean either God doesn’t exist, doesn’t care or is punishing us.
Oh, how we have it all wrong!
What we fail to understand is that God DOESN'T CAUSE the suffering! Tragedies, calamities, disease, destruction, natural disasters, and death are all byproducts of our separation from God and our rejection of Him.
God never intended that we would have to live in such a broken world, but because of His love for us, He gave us free will. He allows us to choose Him or what we believe best for ourselves. (The classic story of Adam & Eve.)
Free will -- Cue Sin – Consequences of paradise lost.
God intends that one day He will remedy this world through Christ. He cares so much for humankind that He delays the solution in the hopes that all that are lost will come to Him as Father, Creator, and Savior.
In the meantime, we suffer in this broken world and view it as a punishment; failing to grasp that God uses the hardships in this life to bring us closer to Him!
What’s the saying about lemons? "When given lemons, make lemonade."
Have you ever considered that God uses the sour in our lives to make lemonade (if we let Him?)
The hardships, the uncomfortable, the painful, the difficulties can be the impetus for our spiritual growth or maybe even the push for our reconnection back to God.
When you find yourself in the uncomfortable eye of the storm--
Rejoice, pray and give thanks because God is present and
He is reaching out His hand to save the drowning.
(All you have to do is grasp it!)
Thank you Father that you are always near and that your heart overflows with love for this lost and suffering world. May we learn to rejoice, pray and give thanks in times that are hard and painful, knowing that you have the power to save and to turn any situation into our good.
"It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." ~ 1 Timothy 1:15