Wow, I finally figured out how to use a blog. =)
Does your faith more resemble the childlike faith of Psalm 23 or the barely-hanging-on faith of Psalm 22?
Psalm 23 is the familiar psalm by David that has been seen or heard countless times. It depicts the Lord as a shepherd who takes care of us, the sheep. He nurtures, guides, and protects us from all evil. God is always there for us regardless of whether or not we believe He is. This psalm shows how as the sheep, we are blind and clueless to our surroundings and easily stray away. However, God, our shepherd never leaves us alone and takes care of all our needs. We follow God wherever He wants to take us and put our complete trust in Him. In Psalm 22, David first describes how he feels that God sometimes abandons him in his time of need.
Psalm 23 reminded me of the song "Never Let Go". The words, "Even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life, I won't turn back I know you are near" reminded me of how no matter how terrible the situation is or any situation at all, whether it be good or bad, God is always near us, never letting go, never failing to protect and love us, as our caring God and father. Just what is there to fear when God is always by our side? The answer is simply nothing. However, I believe that many of us, including myself, sometimes forget how great our God truly is and that He is sufficient for us. Why should we worry? Why should we be afraid of anything? There is nothing that our God cannot do. If we learn to put our trust in Him there is nothing that can hold us back. "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26. As Christians we need to put our complete trust in God that He will take care of us and will carry us through any trial. At winter retreat we learned that we can't do anything by ourselves and that we should let God take control of us completely.
As to the daily contemplation, honestly, I feel that my faith resembles both a childlike faith and a barely-hanging-on faith. I feel that my faith fluctuates. Sometimes I have mountain-top experiences and feelings in which I feel i am extremely close to God, knowing that He will take care of everything, and expressing my love and appreciation for all He has done for me. However, at other times, I can drop to the lowest of valleys, feeling completely distanced from God and wondering why I find it so hard to feel His presence. I believe that as a Christian, it is nearly impossible to always have mountain-top experiences/feelings constantly. At some point we will be thrown out of our comfort zones and left to feel the pressures and hardships of the world. Sometimes these may come in the form of trials or perhaps from our lack of faith and perspective of our hardships. But I also believe that at these times it is also a struggle with God. But struggling with God isn't a bad thing, I feel that my struggles with God is what helps me to understand Him more and grow as a Christian. Don't let your hardships distance you from God, but allow it to be an experience that you can learn from. Regardless of your high and low moments with God, your praises and struggles with Him, always place God and Christ in the center of your lives. Doing this, and you'll reap the blessings of what God has to offer you and a whole perception and attitude on life.
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yay Eric!
ReplyDelete*applause applause* I am so happy that you posted something up. I especially like how you incorporated the song "never let go" and what we learned at winter retreat into your post. Honestly, today i felt sort of down and kind of out of it. Coming home and reading your post made me feel a bit better, it reminded me that God is by my side and He always has been. Life is hard, but your post reminded me that He is in control and that I need to trust and rely on Him. Thank you so much.........it really did lift my spirits up a bit.