When We Try To Argue With God.....

   Arguing with God never works. God always wins. Maybe we don't obey Him right away but deep in our hearts we know that He is right. I often wonder why I keep choosing to argue when I always lose. There have been so many times when I would have a conversation with God similar to the one below.

   God, I've had it! I know you have this grand plan that I wanted to participate in but I don't like the way You're going about making it happen. I can't take the stress and uncertainty any longer. I've suffered to much pain to continue. I quit!

   Even if you quit, I won't quit. I still love you and always will. I created you for a purpose. My plan for you began before you were born.
   I don't really care right now. If I hadn't tried to follow You, I don't think my life would be so messy.
   I had a plan for Israel too. One much better than the path they chose. I still used them but if they had obeyed my voice and heeded my commands, I would have blessed them even more. I am giving you the same choice. I will use you no matter what but if you choose to follow me, I will bless you. My glory will become more evident in your life and the harvest will be greater.
   (Why can't I ever win an argument with God?)
   Which path will you choose?
   Why are you asking me? Don't you already know the answer?
   Remember when I established Ezekiel as a watchman for the Israelites and said that I would hold him responsible for every person he failed to warn?
   Sigh. Yes.
   I have called my church to a similar position and you are part of that church.
   (I don't like where this is going.)
   How many people do you want to be held responsible for?
   Ouch.
   I love you. I will never leave you or stop loving you. Nothing will ever change that. I will provide. Do you trust me enough to follow me through the pain?

Worldly Approval Vs. God-Given Worth

   Our desire for approval often drives us to do whatever it takes to gain the world's approval. We change our habits, clothes, hairstyle, etc. in an attempt to gain value in the world's eyes. The change is only on the outside and often temporary leaving us feeling dissatisfied and worthless. Basing our sense of worth on the world is not healthy. It will cause us to judge ourselves and everyone else based on some arbitrary ideas of whatever the world says is 'in' at the moment. In today's world, what is considered 'in' often changes every few days.

   Sometimes men achieve a sense of worth by attributing all their success to themselves. In their pride, they think that they have the power to control their own destinies. My favorite explanation of the ridiculousness of thinking this way comes from a fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson.
   "How foolish it would be for the violin and the bow to boast of their greatness! And yet, we men often do the same foolish thing - the poet, the artist, the scientist, the general - we all do it. We are only the instruments which the Almighty uses. He alone deserves the honor! We have nothing to be proud of. To Him be all the honor!" ~ The Pen and the Inkstand

   Everyone has value but it does not come from anything they did. It comes from God.

   "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27 ESV
    A simple but profound truth. God created you in HIS image. Nothing can ever change that. You are not a mistake so stop listening to the lies of the enemy. He hates you because he sees God's image in you.
   Sometimes we feel worthless but God sees us as His special creation who is worth every single drop of His Son's blood. Sometimes we feel hopeless but God gives us a hope that will never fail. Sometimes we feel depressed but God has given us a joy that is deeper than sorrow, despair, pain, sickness, and hardships combined.

   "Father, make us more like Jesus. Help us bear difficulty, pain, disappointment, and sorrow, knowing that in Your perfect working and design You can use such bitter experiences to mold our characters and make us more like our Lord. We look with hope to the day when we will be completely like Christ, because we will see Him as He is." ~ Ignatius

Prayer Changes Everything

   When most people think of prayer, they do not realize its power. They view prayer as some kind of magic charm or good luck spell that may or may not do any good. Prayer is often used as a last resort when everything else has failed. But what if we made prayer our first response to everything? After all the Bible contains example after example of times when prayer changed the course of history. Maybe you are afraid to pray because you worry that you might pray for something outside of God’s will. Allow me to present three examples of what happened when people in the Bible prayed for things outside of God’s will.

   When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then killed her husband Uriah, God sent the prophet Nathan to him with the message that God would kill David’s son as a punishment for his sin. David acknowledged his guilt and pleaded with the Lord for his son. Day and night David prayed and fasted, crying out for his son’s life. God chose not to answer David’s request and David’s son died. Then David praised the Lord and ended his fast. David did not praise the Lord for his son’s death, he praised God for his faithfulness. God had remained true to His word and David knew he did not deserve any of the mercy God showed him.

   With God’s chosen people, Israel, under attack and unable to mount an army large enough to repel the invaders, it did not seem like a good time for the king to become ill. Then God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah with the news that Hezekiah would soon die from the boil that currently inflicted him. Hezekiah immediately turned to the wall. Instead of focusing on the problem, he chose to focus on God. He pleaded for the safety of the people God had entrusted to him and asked that God would heal him and deliver the nation of Israel. Just like David, he acknowledged that he did not deserve God’s mercy. God heard Hezekiah’s plea and gave him fifteen more years to live. Israel was delivered and her next king was born during those years.

   While Moses spent time with God on the mountain of Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, the people of Israel grew restless. They built a golden calf and began to worship it instead of honoring the One who had brought them out of Egypt. God’s anger rose against them and he swore to destroy the multitude and rebuild the nation through Moses. Moses, however, would not hear of it. He reminded God that these people were chosen by the Lord to reveal His glory to the nations. If the Almighty destroyed them here in the desert after miraculously bringing them out of Egypt, the entire world would mock the name of the Lord. God relented. The fledgling nation of Israel was spared and God even renewed His covenant with them.

   In each of these examples God stated what His will was. Yet David, Hezekiah, and Moses all chose to pray for a different outcome. God did not rebuke them. He heard the prayers. God considered their pleas. In David’s case He chose to continue with His plan but in the stories of Hezekiah and Moses God actually changed His mind. I firmly believe that prayers have the power to change the course of history. Prayer invites God to reveal His glory and make His presence known. Prayers honor God when they focus on Him receiving the glory. God is willing to answer your prayers but you must ask first. If you do not pray, you will never see the miraculous.