Saturday, September 7, 2013

What is God to do?

My 7 year old, at times, has come to me complaining of a headache.  With her sensory stuff any illness or discomfort is a BIG deal. 

So I'll ask her, "Have you drank enough water today?"

"NO mom! That won't help my head.  It hurts!!!"

"Okay, Would you like some Tylenol?  Do you need to go lay down for a bit?"

"NO mom!  Tylenol tastes gross!  I hate laying down.  Moooom, my head hurts!"

It's so incredibly frustrating because I will go through all I know what to do to help with headaches and she refuses every single one.  And she's still mad at me because her problem hasn't been fixed yet.

It has been my experience - both personally and through others - that when we hit a crisis point, when we come to God to ask Him to fix something, we can be very specific and not always like His response.  There is nothing wrong with being specific but we tend to then become tunnel-visioned and don't see God doing anything else but what we've prayed for.  We can miss God's instructions that He's already given.

A couple examples:
A person is hurting in a specific relationship.  They pray and ask God to heal it/mend it/ fix it.  God answers (in His word) " Forgive them."

"Yeah God but they don't deserve it.  I'm too hurt.  Just fix them will ya?"

Again God says, "Forgive them, they don't know what they're doing."

"Yeah but..."

See how we tend to ignore what God is already speaking to us?

Another example:
Someone needs prayer for their finances.  They are struggling and anxious.  So they pray.

God's Word says, "Tithe.  Test me in this."

They respond, "No, I don't have the money to do that.  Just fix my financial situation."

We can totally ignore specific instructions from the Lord and then wonder why we aren't seeing things change.  How can God change us if we aren't obedient to what He's already saying to us? What is God to do?  We can get angry and frustrated with God because He's not doing what we want, the way we want.

Jesus' ultimate example to us while He was on this earth was obedience to the Father.  God's Word is Truth.  It works!  Every time it works...if we are willing to obey and walk it out.  

James 1:22  (MSG) "Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other.  Act on what you hear!"

This level of faith requires obedience.  If my kids won't listen and then do what I ask them to, how can they resolve their pain?  Their fights?  Their hurts?  How can we as God's kids?


No comments:

Post a Comment

Total Pageviews