Mighty to save..

In many cases, I find myself asking for "saving," or, "get me out of this mess" type prayer requests...Often having specific requests on what my idea of the "saving" should and will look like. And as a result of this thinking I often end up getting incredibly discouraged almost instantly when my request for a solution is not answered the way "I" planned.

Sound familiar? The problem with this way of thinking is this, that God (although I feel like I should know this..) does not answer our prayers always in the way we think, desire or plan for ourselves. And then we either conclude that #1 God has not heard us, or #2 God does not care.

Both lines of thought are not only flawed, they lead us down paths of resentment, discouragement, anxiousness, worry and eventually, depression. None of those states of mind are places the Lord wants us to dwell...and they provide us no peace for our daily living. Also I might add, take our minds off of what the Lord desires for us, which is living in peace and contentment in Him. Here my friends is what I am learning, and all I say are things that I am currently learning, so by no means do I want to sound as if I have "got this one in the bag.."

When I listen to the lie of the enemy that if God loved, and cared for me, He would answer me not only NOW but in the fashion that I desire..but I have learned my flaw in the this line of thought, it turns God into my cosmic genie as opposed to my reverent savior who is might to save on His ultimate timeline, and plan-line.

Then if I do believe the above lies of the enemies I am led to believe further lies, that ring to the tune of, "Maybe God is punishing you.." Or the big one, " You have to figure out this one on your own," I wish I could stand here right now and say that I recognized the lies for what they were, but I did not, I swallowed them hook, line and sinker.. and although I still sought the Lord desperately for more answers, I still felt as though he was saying every possible answer except the one desired..."All your hopes and dreams will come true..."

But the hopes and dreams we have are based off of our limited view, and not the Lords all over, all knowing view..

He sees the roads ahead, where we friends, can barely see the road we are on. The desires of this world fill our heart, and fog our vision so greatly that we are confused by what way is up, and which is down...

We are human, God knows this friends, and I praise Him daily for his gifts of grace and mercy, but once I recognized my flawed perspective, and the pain I was living in was mainly self inflicted, I crumbled at the foot of the cross. With tears streaming down my face I confessed not only my selfishness, but my self-focused responses, that left me mainly wallowing in self pity, worry, anxiety and even a little anger.

When the devil got ahold of my thoughts, he ran wild..and I listened like crazy because what he was saying sounded like the truth, only, what only "sounds" like truth often reveals in time the lie that is at the center.

So when God might have been answering me, "Look beyond the desires of "right now"..." the enemy so kindly translated that to me as, "It will never happen for you because you don't deserve it."

Does that sound like something the Lord would say? No friends, it is not. "God is not the author of confusion but of peace.."(1 Cor. 14:33)

So whenever you have an answer that rings in your ears that even sounds a little fishy, run in through the "God filter" and see if it lines up with scripture.

Now being just slightly on the other side of this bridge, I can clearly see the lies I believed and the things the enemy was quietly whispering in my ears and desiring me to translate them as Christ's truth. Believing lies do in fact lead you to a life filled with sorrow and agony, for many reasons, but a few of them being that you are no longer are listening to God's promises for you, you are hearing things that not true about you, and they are being shouted into your mind, heart and ears constantly. You get to a point where all you can hear is the lie, and the truth is lost in all of the enemies confusion, and this is exactly where the enemy wants you, broken, depressed, full of fear, and quite honestly, wondering where God went in all of this.

Friends, recognize the lie for what it is, and then see the truth of the Lord, His answers and how He answers do not always mimic the answer we think they should, but this does not mean He has forgotten about us nor is punishing us. It simply could mean that God is teaching you something along the way, and if your prayer is answer instantly, the valuable lessons you need to learn BEFORE your done would not be learned.

I know I always say this friends, but I really know how true it is, I am a work in progress, and these days I have realized that even if the answers are different than what I expected, My God, Your God, is still MIGHTY TO SAVE. He saves us with His peace, and His contentment.

I feel so free friends to tell you, He has not only set me free from my sinful past, present and future, He has set me free from the want and lust for more. To me, this is a priceless gift and something no amount of "more" could ever replace. Contentment with what you have is greater that receiving more of what you have.

So here is my point friends, the next time you have a twinge of "this prayer has not been answered in the time or fashion is which I desire" stop, and check your sources. Where did you hear this phrase come from, and if it's just simply welling up inside of you with anxiousness surrounding it, I'm going to venture to say, it is not from the Lord.

His answers are never filled with confusion, anxiousness or worry. Take it from me friends, my prayers are still not "answered" but I have been saved and have experienced the saving peace of the Savior. SO know this, "Thou has made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they learn to rest in Thee." (St. Augustine)

And in that rest, we find our God MIGHTY TO SAVE.