Self or God, that is the question

I along with billions of other people on this planet throughout time as we know it, often wonder why God allows tribulation to enter our lives. I think it might be because tribulation empties us of any sense of pride or self edification and once we are humbled before Him, that in turn makes us realize that we are utterly dependent upon God for everything and thereby draws us closer to him. We should realize it anyway, but alas sometimes I guess we need to be reminded. Even the best of us.

It is ironic, but if my theory is correct or even partially correct it makes me smile all the wider in spite of suffering through a trial just to know that almighty God, creator of all things seen and unseen, wants to draw little old me, a black sinner, closer to Him. What a tremendous compliment and how wonderful to know that we are individually loved by our Creator. If He did not love us, why would He care if we drew close or not? I assume that sometimes applying affliction, trials, and tribulation is the lone way that He can really get our attention. I think I might worry more if I never had any affliction.

Hmmm Why does He want us to draw close to Him? Is it because He sees danger coming towards us and He knows that we need to hurry and get under His wings of protection like a dozen baby chicks run under a hen’s wings when a shadow of a hawk lurks overhead?

Does He want to teach us something so important that it just cannot be learned without it being a stern lesson?

Is it because He just wants to have a close relationship, much the way parents yearn, (or at least “should” yearn), to be close to their children?

Maybe it is all of the above. Only God could ever answer a question like that. Prayer often reveals the answer to us if we are that interested.

Personally I think the important thing is to know that no matter the affliction, that God is directly calling to us to turn to Him and draw near when it happens. That is what is important. We should immediately draw close and he will draw close to us.

We all need to have more faith that God will guide us through our affliction to the bitter end and not get overly lost in unanswerable questions like: Why?

God humbles us before Him, and make us realize that we must rely on Him and not ourselves. “He” will see us through to a victorious end and He wants us to have unswerving “faith” in him in that regard.

We must always keep foremost in our minds that God has all of the resources in creation at His beck and call to help us. Nothing is too big for our God. Problems that confound the geniuses of this age are nothing more than child’s play to our God. He has resources galore. he owns it all and if He wants it to happen, He can annie up the resources for us without making a dent in his pile of chips. The problem is that we try to take these problems upon ourselves exclusive of God. We try to figure out how “we” can solve this problem. God is often just an afterthought. Not smart!

All it does is frustrate, overwhelm, discourage, and worry us to a frazzle. The magnitude of it all is just too overwhelming. Sigh… Instead we should draw close and turn it over to Him. What a team we make when God is leading the charge! Piece of cake!

And when God does step in and perform His miraculous work, then we should be quick to give Him all of the glory when our mess suddenly disappears.

How I wish our great country could bring itself to its knees before almighty God. If these politicians who are so filled with pride and drunk with power could only realize that they must first lose those monstrous egos and get down on their knees and ask God for divine help. If they will do so, He will once again bless this wonderful country. It happened for a short period of time after 9/11 and people flocked to churches throughout America in record numbers, but alas only for a short time.

It looks like our affliction might not have been severe enough to draw us near to the Lord, at least as far as I can tell when I see our country is once again shutting Him out instead of drawing closer. That does not say much for our memory when it comes to “Lessons learned”. Does it?

It also worries the heck out of me concerning what might be next. How about you? God is not mocked.

James 4;8
Draw near to God and he will
draw near to you.