My (Aimee's) brother told me about this book that he was reading. He was really enjoying it and asked me if I had ever heard of it. I hadn't, so the next time I was over for a visit I borrowed it. It's a tiny book and only took me a couple of hours to read.The author of the book has been working as an Army chaplain for longer than I've been alive. The focus of his short book was on joy and thanksgiving, finding joy in the Lord and offering Him our thanks no matter our circumstances. He said that he felt that God was leading him to this understanding. Bringing Bible verses to mind. Through circumstances in his own life as well as among the lives of the people that he served in the armies.
His point was that we need to praise God for whatever situation we find ourselves in. Not praising God when we recognize that it could be worse (that's true, but not his point), but actually praising God for all of it, the good and the bad. He gave the example of a man who came to see him because he was afraid that his wife was going to try to commit suicide because he was being deployed. She had threatened it the last time that he was deployed. The chaplain asked the man to come back with his wife. He encouraged the man and his wife to pray, thanking God that he was being deployed and that she felt like killing herself.
In the book, he admitted that they looked at him like he was crazy at first. And I have to admit that as I was reading I paused and wondered to myself whether he was crazy. Why would someone thank God for feeling like committing suicide?! I didn't understand. But as I read more, I started to understand.
He pointed to verses like Romans 8:28,
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
He talked about God being in charge. Totally and completely in charge of everything. Not in charge of most things or at most times. But everything! All the time!
So what does all of this mean?
Nothing is ever a surprise to God. He knows the choices you are going to make. The situations that you are going to find yourself in. He has a plan for you and His plans will not be thwarted. We can thank God for the stuff that is bad because we can have faith that He's going to use. Like the woman who wanted to kill herself: it's true that the situation was not great, but if she hadn't gotten to that place, then she wouldn't have gone to see the chaplain, she wouldn't have opened herself up to God, and she wouldn't have found herself on the path of joy and growing faith that she wound up on. And it all started with wanting to commit suicide. I think, when you think about it that way, that you can see why you should thank God for something even like the feeling of wanting to commit suicide.
Are you confused?
When I finished the book I still had to think about it for a while. And pray about it. But I'm understanding it more and more as time goes.
What do you think? What circumstances should you be thanking God for? What's keeping you from connecting to your joy?
What's your story?
He talked about God being in charge. Totally and completely in charge of everything. Not in charge of most things or at most times. But everything! All the time!
So what does all of this mean?
Nothing is ever a surprise to God. He knows the choices you are going to make. The situations that you are going to find yourself in. He has a plan for you and His plans will not be thwarted. We can thank God for the stuff that is bad because we can have faith that He's going to use. Like the woman who wanted to kill herself: it's true that the situation was not great, but if she hadn't gotten to that place, then she wouldn't have gone to see the chaplain, she wouldn't have opened herself up to God, and she wouldn't have found herself on the path of joy and growing faith that she wound up on. And it all started with wanting to commit suicide. I think, when you think about it that way, that you can see why you should thank God for something even like the feeling of wanting to commit suicide.
Are you confused?
When I finished the book I still had to think about it for a while. And pray about it. But I'm understanding it more and more as time goes.
What do you think? What circumstances should you be thanking God for? What's keeping you from connecting to your joy?
What's your story?
This post comes at a perfect time in my life as I have been hit with many negative and/or difficult circumstances. The biggest was on Thanksgiving Day (you know, the day that we are thankful for). I ruptured ACL on my right knee in the morning & I got hit with a fireball from the fireplace that burned my face & arms with 2nd degree burns in the evening. Talk about a Thanksgiving I will never forget!
ReplyDeleteBeing thankful for all of these trials is what I should be thankful FOR. God is always in charge & that is why we can hold onto the verse that Aimee mentioned:
'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.'
Romans 8:28
For some reason, I have to go through it. But what is my attitude going to be? Will I be able to stand & be a positive witness for Christ? This is my desire & pray that I will be strong. There is also the concept that we seek God more when we go through 'the wilderness' because He wants us to be more dependent on Him. It was in the wilderness that Moses met God on Mt. Sinai, not while he was in the comfort of Pharaoh. Jesus was led into the wilderness to fight Satan. It is through these wilderness settings that Godly character is formed, prayer is desperate, & the love of Christ becomes tender & essential; This is exactly where God wants us to be.