When God formed Adam, (Genesis 2:7), He breathed into his nostrils and Adam became a living soul. Every person born has a natural destiny to fulfil, but not everyone achieves it. When a person is born again spiritually, God breathes His life into them at their second birth and they have divine purpose and destiny for God’s glory.
Consider this: It takes the same God given breath to complain or praise Him. He grants me the breath of life for His purpose and glory, but how often do I fall short by using His gift to complain about situations or people, instead of consulting Him, finding Him in all things.
Waiting in the shadows of our every circumstance is our Beloved One, Jesus. He waits for us to invite Him in. He waits for us to crown Him Lord of our circumstances. That same voice that calmed the raging seas and stilled the storm, speaks to the turmoil of my inabilities and concerns: “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me”, John 14:1.
Our heavenly Father has the solution to all our concerns. Arthur used to say Jeremiah 33:3 is God’s telephone number, “333”. “Call unto Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that thou knowest not”. When the going gets tough, instead of using my God given breath to complain, opportunity is knocking for me to call out to the Lord and press in to Him. These are the times to declare Him Lord of all and trust Him for His plan to unfold. All life is a test!
Some tests are more difficult than others. A friend shared how, in the natural, in a schoolroom situation, the teacher prepares an examination to test the pupils on the knowledge they have been taught. During the examination, the teacher is silent, the pupils are being tested.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation that has overwhelmed you because you have felt God is silent, you cannot hear Him. Be encouraged, you are just being tested by the Master to believe all you have ever read or heard about Him. Now is the time to trust and believe in His unchanging Word. He is who He says He is. The test of His silence is to believe and trust. “Prove Me now”, says the Lord, and assure your heart before Him. “Being confident of this very thing that He who began a good work in you, will perform it to the day of Jesus Christ”, Philippians 1:6.
Does God ever forsake me? Never! His word declares in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave nor forsake you”. He never forsakes, but His silence can produce confusion in a lack of understanding the testing periods.
Isaiah 54: 7-10 “For a small moment have I forsaken you, but with great mercies will I gather you. In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer……..For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says the Lord that has mercy on you”.
God calls His peace, the covenant of His peace. God never breaks His side in the covenant. If I lose my peace, it is because I have moved away in my believing, not God. In this position I begin to doubt, question and open the door to self pity, giving the devil a foothold in my life. This is the time to repent and get back on track with the Saviour. Learning to encourage ourselves in God opens the door to heaven’s supply.
Remember God’s telephone number in times of trial. Let God have the last word, not my emotions/feelings. “…..My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed”.
Let us use the breath of life that God has given us to bring a grateful attitude to God, and the life He has granted us, to praise Him in everything.
Photo by Wesley Hilario on Unsplash