Reality #4 Part 11 God Speaks through Circumstances
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
You may have heard people say, "Well, I don't care what you say; I've experienced this."
A good response is, "I do not deny your experience. I do question your interpretation of what you experienced because it is contrary to what I see in the Word of God."
Our experiences alone cannot be our Guide! Every experience must be controlled and understood by the Scriptures. The God revealed in Scripture does not change. Throughout your life, you will have times when you want to respond based on you experiences or your wisdom. Seeking to know God's will based on circumstances alone can be misleading. This should be your guideline: Always go back to the Bible for truth (or for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth.) When you study the Scriptures, look to see how God works throughout the Scriptures. Don't rely on one isolated case. When you learn how God has worked throughout history, you can depend on His working in a similar way with you. Your experience is valid only as it is confirmed in the Scriptures. I never deny any experience that a person has had, but I always reserve the right to interpret it according to what I understand in the Scripture.
The Bible is your Guide!
I use the Word of God as a guide to what we should be doing. Some people say, "Hey, that is not practical." They want to move me away from the Bible and rely on the world's ways or on personal experience. As a Christian disciple, I cannot abandon the guidance I find in the Bible. The Bible is my guide for faith and practice. How do you let the Word of God become you guide? When I seek God's direction, I insist on following the directives that I see in the Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible, prayer, and circumstances to speak to us or show us the Father's will.
Jesus knew the Father's will for His life and daily activity by watching the Father's activity. Jesus described the process in John 5:17,19-20 "But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working.' So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.'
Jesus said that He did not take the initiative in what to do for the Father (v. 19). Only the Father has that right. The Father had been working up until Jesus' earthly time, and was still working (v. 17). The Father would let the Son know what He was doing (v. 20). When the Son saw the Father's activity, that was the invitation for the Son to join Him. God used circumstances to reveal to Jesus what He was to do. The circumstances were the things Jesus saw the Father doing. There are some things that only the Father can do. Jesus always looked for where the Father was at work and then joined Him. The Father loved the Son and showed Him everything He was doing. Jesus did not have to guess what to do. Jesus did not have to dream up what He could do for the Father. He watched to see what the Father was doing around His life, and Jesus put His life there. The Father could then accomplish His purposes through Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus wants us to do with His Lordship in our lives. We see what He is doing and adjust our lives, our plans, and our goals to Him. We are to place our lives at His disposal -- where He is working -- so He can accomplish His purposes through us. The example of Jesus is a positive way God speaks through circumstances. Sometimes circumstances appear to be "bad." Maybe you have found yourself in the middle of a "bad" circumstance and you wanted to ask God, "Why is this happening to me?" You are not alone.
God's perspective is vital!
Job had a similar experience. He did not understand why everything he owned was destroyed, why his children were killed, and why he developed sores all over his body (Job 1-2). Job wrestled with understanding his circumstances. He did not know what was happening from God's perspective (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). Neither did he know the last chapter (Job 42:12-17) where God would restore his property, his family, and his health.
Job's friends thought they had God's perspective and told Job to confess his sin. Job could not find any unrighteousness in his life to confess. If you didn't have that last chapter and didn't know God's perspective, whose side do you think you would be on? God's or Job's? You probably would be with Job, saying, "I want to ask God what is going on. Why is He allowing this to happen?" Without God's perspective, you would think God was being cruel to Job.
When you face difficult or confusing circumstances, they can overwhelm you. If you put yourself in the middle of the circumstances and try to look at God, you will always have a distorted understanding of God. For instance you might say, "God doesn't love me" or "God is not fair." Both of those statements about God are false. Have you ever been in the middle of a tragic or confusing circumstance where, in your prayers, you began to accuse God of some things that you know are not really true? Perhaps you began to question God's love or His wisdom. Maybe you were afraid to say that He was wrong, but you sort of said, "God, you deceived me in letting me believe that this was the right thing to do. Why didn't you stop me?" A whole lot of wrong conclusions can result if you try to look at God from the middle of a painful circumstance.
What do you do?
First, go to God and ask Him to show you His perspective on your circumstance. Look back at you circumstances from the heart of God. When you face difficult or confusing circumstances, the Spirit of God again will take the Word of God and help you understand you circumstances from God's perspective. He will reveal to you the truth of the circumstance. Then you can adjust yourself and your thinking to God's perspective.
For His Glory
Everything that God does or allows to happen is for His Glory! You may ask, "How is God Glorified in the devastation left by the two recent hurricanes and the Tsunami? Or, How was God Glorified in 9/11?" The easy answer to those questions is, how many people got back into church? How many people started to pray again? How many people responded to help those in need? But, only God truly knows in what ways He was truly Glorified.
A story I heard about the Tsunami and Katrina:
The Tsunami completely wiped out an Island that was 100% a Gay and Lesbian population. And Katrina put a stop to a huge homosexual festival that was to be held in New Orleans the following week, where the previous year there were orgies out in public and the police completely ignored it. (I don't know how much truth there is in these stories, but I would say those things didn't Glorify God, and He graciously allowed them to be ended.) (My stance on Homosexuality: It is wrong and detestable in the eyes of the LORD! Love the sinner, hate the sin. The only difference between a homosexual and me is that I have Christ living within me. I am just as guilty of sexual sin as they are, but Christ has redeemed me and wants to redeem them as well.)
Back to Circumstances:
Let me summarize how you can respond when circumstances are difficult or confusing:
1. Settle in your own mind that God has forever demonstrated His absolute love for you on the cross. That love will never change.
2. Do not try to understand what God is like from the middle of your circumstances.
3. God to God and ask Him to help you see His perspective on your situation.
4. Wait on the Holy Spirit. He may take that Word of God and help you understand your circumstances.
5. Adjust your life to God and what you see Him doing in your circumstances.
6. Do all He tells you to do.
7. Experience God working in and through you to accomplish His purposes.
Remember that God is sovereign. You may face a situation like Job experienced where God does not tell you what He is doing. In those instances acknowledge God's love and sovereignty and depend on His sustaining grace to see you through the situation.
In Christ,
David
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
You may have heard people say, "Well, I don't care what you say; I've experienced this."
A good response is, "I do not deny your experience. I do question your interpretation of what you experienced because it is contrary to what I see in the Word of God."
Our experiences alone cannot be our Guide! Every experience must be controlled and understood by the Scriptures. The God revealed in Scripture does not change. Throughout your life, you will have times when you want to respond based on you experiences or your wisdom. Seeking to know God's will based on circumstances alone can be misleading. This should be your guideline: Always go back to the Bible for truth (or for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth.) When you study the Scriptures, look to see how God works throughout the Scriptures. Don't rely on one isolated case. When you learn how God has worked throughout history, you can depend on His working in a similar way with you. Your experience is valid only as it is confirmed in the Scriptures. I never deny any experience that a person has had, but I always reserve the right to interpret it according to what I understand in the Scripture.
The Bible is your Guide!
I use the Word of God as a guide to what we should be doing. Some people say, "Hey, that is not practical." They want to move me away from the Bible and rely on the world's ways or on personal experience. As a Christian disciple, I cannot abandon the guidance I find in the Bible. The Bible is my guide for faith and practice. How do you let the Word of God become you guide? When I seek God's direction, I insist on following the directives that I see in the Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible, prayer, and circumstances to speak to us or show us the Father's will.
Jesus knew the Father's will for His life and daily activity by watching the Father's activity. Jesus described the process in John 5:17,19-20 "But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working.' So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.'
Jesus said that He did not take the initiative in what to do for the Father (v. 19). Only the Father has that right. The Father had been working up until Jesus' earthly time, and was still working (v. 17). The Father would let the Son know what He was doing (v. 20). When the Son saw the Father's activity, that was the invitation for the Son to join Him. God used circumstances to reveal to Jesus what He was to do. The circumstances were the things Jesus saw the Father doing. There are some things that only the Father can do. Jesus always looked for where the Father was at work and then joined Him. The Father loved the Son and showed Him everything He was doing. Jesus did not have to guess what to do. Jesus did not have to dream up what He could do for the Father. He watched to see what the Father was doing around His life, and Jesus put His life there. The Father could then accomplish His purposes through Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus wants us to do with His Lordship in our lives. We see what He is doing and adjust our lives, our plans, and our goals to Him. We are to place our lives at His disposal -- where He is working -- so He can accomplish His purposes through us. The example of Jesus is a positive way God speaks through circumstances. Sometimes circumstances appear to be "bad." Maybe you have found yourself in the middle of a "bad" circumstance and you wanted to ask God, "Why is this happening to me?" You are not alone.
God's perspective is vital!
Job had a similar experience. He did not understand why everything he owned was destroyed, why his children were killed, and why he developed sores all over his body (Job 1-2). Job wrestled with understanding his circumstances. He did not know what was happening from God's perspective (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). Neither did he know the last chapter (Job 42:12-17) where God would restore his property, his family, and his health.
Job's friends thought they had God's perspective and told Job to confess his sin. Job could not find any unrighteousness in his life to confess. If you didn't have that last chapter and didn't know God's perspective, whose side do you think you would be on? God's or Job's? You probably would be with Job, saying, "I want to ask God what is going on. Why is He allowing this to happen?" Without God's perspective, you would think God was being cruel to Job.
When you face difficult or confusing circumstances, they can overwhelm you. If you put yourself in the middle of the circumstances and try to look at God, you will always have a distorted understanding of God. For instance you might say, "God doesn't love me" or "God is not fair." Both of those statements about God are false. Have you ever been in the middle of a tragic or confusing circumstance where, in your prayers, you began to accuse God of some things that you know are not really true? Perhaps you began to question God's love or His wisdom. Maybe you were afraid to say that He was wrong, but you sort of said, "God, you deceived me in letting me believe that this was the right thing to do. Why didn't you stop me?" A whole lot of wrong conclusions can result if you try to look at God from the middle of a painful circumstance.
What do you do?
First, go to God and ask Him to show you His perspective on your circumstance. Look back at you circumstances from the heart of God. When you face difficult or confusing circumstances, the Spirit of God again will take the Word of God and help you understand you circumstances from God's perspective. He will reveal to you the truth of the circumstance. Then you can adjust yourself and your thinking to God's perspective.
For His Glory
Everything that God does or allows to happen is for His Glory! You may ask, "How is God Glorified in the devastation left by the two recent hurricanes and the Tsunami? Or, How was God Glorified in 9/11?" The easy answer to those questions is, how many people got back into church? How many people started to pray again? How many people responded to help those in need? But, only God truly knows in what ways He was truly Glorified.
A story I heard about the Tsunami and Katrina:
The Tsunami completely wiped out an Island that was 100% a Gay and Lesbian population. And Katrina put a stop to a huge homosexual festival that was to be held in New Orleans the following week, where the previous year there were orgies out in public and the police completely ignored it. (I don't know how much truth there is in these stories, but I would say those things didn't Glorify God, and He graciously allowed them to be ended.) (My stance on Homosexuality: It is wrong and detestable in the eyes of the LORD! Love the sinner, hate the sin. The only difference between a homosexual and me is that I have Christ living within me. I am just as guilty of sexual sin as they are, but Christ has redeemed me and wants to redeem them as well.)
Back to Circumstances:
Let me summarize how you can respond when circumstances are difficult or confusing:
1. Settle in your own mind that God has forever demonstrated His absolute love for you on the cross. That love will never change.
2. Do not try to understand what God is like from the middle of your circumstances.
3. God to God and ask Him to help you see His perspective on your situation.
4. Wait on the Holy Spirit. He may take that Word of God and help you understand your circumstances.
5. Adjust your life to God and what you see Him doing in your circumstances.
6. Do all He tells you to do.
7. Experience God working in and through you to accomplish His purposes.
Remember that God is sovereign. You may face a situation like Job experienced where God does not tell you what He is doing. In those instances acknowledge God's love and sovereignty and depend on His sustaining grace to see you through the situation.
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 3:39 PM
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