Have you ever felt that your life is sometimes like a roller coaster ride? One minute you are in control of your emotions; you feel strong and ready to tackle anything that may come your way. You are happy lifting your arms up enjoying the breeze, when suddenly there is an unexpected sharp turn and you lose your confidence, you feel weak and afraid. Although we know difficulties are a part of life and we are certain God is by our side, it is still hard to be constant in all the ups and downs of life.
There is a continuous inner battle between what we feel, what we want, what we are facing and what God has promised, and many times everything seems to be pulling in different directions. Have you ever felt that way? It is hard to do what is right when everything in us is saying to do the opposite. It is hard to be happy when we are in the middle of a mess. So how do we remain the same through it all? We read the answer in Nehemiah 8:10 “The joy of the Lord is your strength” Only God can give us the patience and wisdom to learn the lessons we need to continue growing.
I know you know this, but sometimes knowing it doesn’t make it easier does it? Sometimes we need to hear it over and over. We need to be reminded that God is in control. My friend Shelly said it very nicely… “our highs and our lows are all safely contained in a structure that God designed and that He controls and maintains to the highest safety standards. The trust in the Maker-Maintainer is what keeps our faith intact.” That is the key, we don’t take this roller coaster ride on our own, we hold on to the One in charge, and we trust Him to give us everything we need to face the ups and downs. Knowing Who God is and what He is capable of gives us peace when everything around is changing.
It is all written, but I think sometimes we read the Bible too fast, we don’t take our time to savour each word, to meditate on them and to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with awe. “For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken.” (Isaiah 54:10) Please keep this verse in a visible place, so next time you are down you can remember that God’s love for you and for me is a serious thing. He has made a covenant that will never be broken, no matter what happens He will be with us; He promises to be loyal. Not only that but “God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given us both his promise and his oath.” (Hebrews 6:17-18) Isn’t that amazing? Next time you feel a dip coming, hold on tight to His promises; they are for real and they are for all of us.
Everything in life is continuously changing; we can’t ask God to use us and expect to stay in our comfort zone; we can’t ask God to draw us closer to Him and continue doing what we have been doing for years. We may think our life is in chaos, but for God is the unfolding of His perfect plan “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace”. (1 Corinthians 14:33) He can take our mess and turn it into something beautiful, something useful and something that will glorify Him, because that is our purpose in life.
With everything changing around us it is nice to hold on to our God “I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end, says the Lord God. I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One.” (Revelations 1:8) God is our rock, our refuge, our shelter, our peace. He is everything we need.
The ups and downs in life are necessary, they are teaching material God uses to polish us, to bring us to a new level, to teach us and to love us. When we remember who He is and rely completely on Him we can jump into the little roller coaster car, buckle up, hold on tight to our Maker and close our eyes saying “My life is in Your hands… let the ride begin”
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