Don’t Run From Hard

Sometimes walking with and obeying God means you get a really hard assignment. It’s not something you would choose, but it’s where God places you.

I can think of so many, like me, walking a road they didn’t choose. Circumstances they didn’t want. Things looking so different than expected at this point in life. It’s hard.

But it is also good. So much of it is God’s grace and mercy. It’s only through the hard do we grow and experience God in deeper and new ways that show us His glory as we learn to rejoice and accept God’s way as best.

As you wait on God and learn His ways, He does great work in hard places. That does not mean it will be easy or that the result will look like you thought it would. The blessed life is not a problem-free life with everything going the way you want. You may not get the results that make sense to you. You will get a deeper knowledge of who God is and His ability to do what we cannot do.

I’ve been reading in Hosea. In years past, I’ve considered and studied Gomer’s story and have identified with her in many ways. If you have read Francine River’s book, Redeeming Love, and was in a heap of tears by the end of it, you know.

Only recently has God seemed to open my eyes to Hosea’s story. He was given a really hard assignment. He was to marry an adulterous wife that would have children with other men. Hosea was told to marry her and love her in spite of her behavior.

Now that’s a hard assignment if you will stop and take it in. Think about it.

No where is Hosea’s preferences considered. No where is his comfort and happiness a priority. Only his obedience to God matters in this story. And why does it matter?

Because by obeying God and doing what He told him to do, his marriage was a living example of the relationship between Israel and God. Israel was the adulterous one who had turned to other gods and rebelled. God was showing, by this living example, how much He loved Israel and how far He would go to bring them back to Him.

I have some assignments in my life I could call hard. There are things that have made me uncomfortable and have stretched me farther than I thought I could go. Yet, when I look at the faithful obedience Hosea showed to God’s call on His life, I am in awe. And yes, that WAS God’s CALL on Hosea’s life. Being useful to God means saying YES to whatever He gives us to do.

Small or big. Public or hidden. Easy or Hard. Comfortable or Painful.

It’s NOT about me. It’s about bringing glory to God.

And often God uses our stories to tell His story. To tell who He is and show the world His love for His people.

There is an assignment in my life that is very hard. I don’t understand why the road has been so hard, but this hard road has grown me and my family more than anything. This hard road has been so good for us. Grieving, yet rejoicing. It just doesn’t make sense that our circumstances could cause us to grieve and rejoice. But it’s true.

We’ve learned to SING….to praise God when all is dark and we don’t understand.

There is a bigger picture of who God is in this story of mine. God is writing a story of His redemption in my situation. He is telling of how far He will go to save the wandering, prodigal soul. (And at times that prodigal soul has been my own). That nothing is too hard for Him.

I can’t do it. Only God can.

And what He promises to do, He will do. Over and over in the Bible we are told to believe and not doubt. This faith journey requires me to daily chose to believe and not doubt. As I choose to believe, shackles of unbelief and fear are removed from life. I am brought more to life – as I abide by God’s ability to do what I cannot.

Release.

We are wrapped up in control and pretense. Appearances can matter a lot. Pride in reputation is held in high esteem. Self righteousness oozes in our speech and private thoughts. Hearts are hard and judgmental. We are critical of one another and division sets in. Love is lost.

O Lord help us. We are so blind. We are called to humility. To suffering. To dying. In these things we find LIFE.

Father, break our hearts for what breaks yours. Give us compassion and a willingness to go where you lead.

Hosea obeyed God though it meant humbling himself and accepting God’s way. The hard way. He didn’t worry about His reputation. He only sought to be faithful to God.

I want to be faithful to God with my story. That’s why I write. It helps me process hard things. So here I am telling you there are things I wish I could change, but I can’t. And honestly, I have seen God do miracle after miracle in our lives through circumstances I would never choose- so I don’t know that I would want to go back to the way things were…

I know this story is His story. I know this hard road is the miracle I prayed for it just came wrapped in circumstances that were crushing and impossible. I know this hard road is not the end. It is the way God is working in ways I can’t always see to bring about His glory.

I have work to do in this story. This work requires me to stay dependent on God’s power to do what I can’t. This work requires me to intercede in prayer knowing that prayer moves the hand of God and that a spiritual battle is being fought for dearly loved souls. This story is full of miracles, mercy, hope, and grace.

The only reputation that matters is God’s. My life is His and I want everything in it to point the hopeless and lost to a God of Hope and Redemption- The God who saves! He saves through a cross. He brings to life what was dead. He brings beauty from pain and loss. His ways are not our ways.

I’ve always prayed that I would not live a comfortable life and miss out on God by seeking only safety. God answered my prayer.

It something like Hosea loving Gomer. It’s not my story, it’s God’s and I pray He is greatly gloried as I wait on Him. Turning loose of my own expectations and desires. Surrendered to His will. His way. His timing.

I pray we get out of our mindset of comfort and ease and embrace the stories God is writing all around us. He is telling the world who He is and What He can and will do for those who love, trust, and obey Him.

IN FAITH…..

Monica