“Believe & Receive” or “Expect & Collect”?

I’ve been pondering the “Believe & Receive” philosophy again lately. I have a friend who says she’s been believing & expecting very diligently for an outpouring of blessings from God, but lately has seen nothing but sorrow & bad news in her life. She is wondering how long she has to keep believing & expecting before she sees a breakthrough. She is in a period of trial…indeed, it has been a long one. I have many friends who are going through long trials. I bought someone a plaque once that says “Trying times are times to try more faith.” True. But does that mean just believe you’re going to get what you want from God? What ARE we to put our faith in, after all? A specific outcome (yes, ask!) or the goodness of our God? I believe God is good & wants to bless us. He responds to our prayers. But I do not believe that it is simply how much belief or expectation we have in the cash register of God that causes people to receive or not receive His blessings, financial or otherwise. I do expect good things from my good God. But when people start to look at God as a cosmic Santa Claus who will grant their every wish, & not as a very personal Being who wants a relationship with them, then I think we have gone astray. Part of what bothers me, is the wording. “Believe & Receive” is a little bit deceiving, pardon the rhyming – sometimes that just happens ;-). But we do not decide what God wants to give us. We cannot just simply expect to give Him our Christmas wish list & have it granted – & when it is not, think it’s just because of our lack of faith. Sometimes “Believe & Receive” sounds more like “Expect & Collect.” We can believe & expect good from God, but what He deems good might not be exactly what we ordered. I think as long as we leave the final decision to God & don’t think it is the amount of OUR faith in, or the strength of our expecting a certain outcome that is important, we will probably be alright. I think the key here is in our knowing that God is good & wants to bless us as believers, & that God wants our faith to be put in HIM & HIS goodwill & good judgment. I think that is the important thing. May we believe & trust our Heavenly Father as we go our way today!

Where are you, Lord?

It happens every time. A tragedy strikes someone near me, or someone I love. I begin to doubt God’s goodness. All the promises of help, protection, love, provision…. Well, I don’t doubt His love. That seems to be clear to me. But I doubt sometimes what good it does in a tragedy. Oh yes, it does good, I actually am I sure of that, too. Because without His love in a tragedy how would anyone get through it – in one piece, so to speak? But it has struck again. And once again I am questioning God – why? And what if it were me? And it could be me! And what am I to make of this. I felt His answer was that He would be near me, and to trust that He would work in and through me in a tragedy. I guess that will have to be good enough. To know that He is working in me, and through me. Because without that, why would He allow it to happen in the first place? Yes, free will. But if He holds the whole world in His hands, and me too, I must also believe He is not “hands off.” None of this was unforeseen to Him. I’m sure He planned for it in the lives of His children. I am glad it not did not happen to me… at least it did not this time. I would not want to go on. But we must go on, that is not our choice to make. I do believe life and death are in His hands…at least after the choices that we make have been made. So I must choose to believe it has some meaning in the end and is not without His guidance, even though I know He would not have wanted this to happen to His children. My heart goes out to them. Lord, please take away the fear that has taken root in my own heart. I’m not supposed to worry for myself. Amen. “Child, your Lord is carrying you on wings of eagles.” (“They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” – Isa 40:31, ESV)

WHOSE nose is gonna’ grow?

When we disobey God, I wonder if we are saying He is a liar. We are saying He doesn’t have what it takes to give us strength to resist. He doesn’t have what it takes to fulfill us, we must reach for it elsewhere. We are failing to believe He has our best interests at heart and loves us and knows what is best for us. Wow. I never thought about it that way before.