I have been in the book of Exodus recently, and through the whole book we see the Israelites walking more in their feelings than in the confidence that they are children of God. We can’t judge them either because clearly we have all been there, we have all let our feelings lead us from trusting that the Almighty God truly is in control, that He has seen our present, and future, and that he indeed is with us, has gone before us, and has placed strategic people to lead us into the stages he has for us, and specific tools that we will need along the way so that He alone would be praised and glorified. Today, may we simply rest in the truth of Psalms 46:10-11 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude”
How often do you pause and know that He indeed is God and know that He indeed is among you and He indeed has gone before you to show you how He truly desires you to know His deep love for you and that you don’t have to doubt His faithfulness?
LET’S READ THIS TOGETHER
“All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?””
Exodus 17:1-7 ESV
I am a very high feelings gal I would say, and my husband would agree and tell you stories, and probably even my five littles. I get in my feelings the most when I am not in control and things are spinning out of control to the point where I have swept my house ten times all before 10 am, and the kids are screaming their heads off just for fun and asking for chocolate and marshmallows as soon as their head lifts from their pillow and before I have even gotten up from bed. In that moment we decide what comes out of our mouth. Will it be, ‘be quiet now’, or will it be, ‘we will have snacks after breakfast, and coloring’? We all have our blow up moments where we lose it. And it is in those moments where we either choose to look up and find our strength in the Lord and remember the grace God has for us and has given us or we can choose to not remember and not represent God well. At the end of the day we are called to represent Him well, that He would receive all glory, honor and praise through our lives as we walk day by day and night by night with him.
We are called to have faith in God. No matter what the circumstance looks like can we truly say that we are walking by faith that God is in control, that God is sovereign, that God has a plan for us all and the outcome of it is that we would see him all the more clearer so we can worship Him all the more purer so that those around us would say, the God that worship is the one and only God.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” Daniel 3:28-29
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have walked in their feelings, but if you read that chapter we never see them sway to walk in their feelings, they didn’t even seem to fear death because they knew whether they lived or died they would be with God. We read that story and say, ‘So beautiful. Good for them. But I am not them.’ My reaction to that story usually and sadly, ‘umm burn up in flames? I think I am good.’ But when we look at this story it is encouraging us to remain steadfast in the goodness and faithfulness of God, that in Him we have all we need to be unfazed by this world that desires to take our hearts, smash it up, and make us go totally insane with there ideology all for their benefit and our destruction, IF we let them get that far. So to end, why should we walk by faith in God and not walk in our feelings, because who we are surrounded by will either see God or will see more of this world, we are called to point this world to the Lord and to give the good news of this not being our home. We awaiting Kingdom come. We are awaiting an eternal home where there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more loss, no more anger, no more lack of patience, no more stress or anxiety over bills, when a project will be over so we can get paid and get what we need and even want. We live in a world where striving is done to the max because we don’t trust in God, we don’t think he is faithful still today as he was in the Bible days, but if we really are in a gospel centered community we will see how the God of the Bible is the same, as he was yesterday and thousands of years ago, and will be the same God today and for eternity. No matter how much darker the world gets his faithfulness remains the same. Matthew 6 tells us: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
WORRY IS A FEELING. ANXIETY IS A FEELING. FEAR IS A FEELING. GOD IS NOT SAYING DON’T FEEL, HE’S SIMPLY ASKING US AND ENCOURAGING US, ‘I know you feel this way, I know it is hard, I know its frustrating that things aren’t going to plan, I know you think that people are talking about your parenting and saying negative things (if I can encourage you mom, ‘all parents have the same emotions, we all lose our cool in front of our kids, yet what sets us apart as parents is repenting to God and to our kids that they would see humility which is a quality that pleases God.) , I know you think everything is falling apart, but I have everything under control, I never told you you have to do everything perfectly, I never told you that you had to rely on your spouse for everything, I never told you that that friend would be your friend forever, I never told you that your kid would be the perfect listener, eater, player, sister, brother, cousin, grandkid. I just want you to know that I AM WITH YOU AND I HAVE EQUIPPED YOU WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BE WHO I HAVE CALLED YOU TO BE, AND ALL THAT I HAVE CALLED YOU TO BE IS MINE.”
When we know this simple truth that we are His, everything flows out of the joy of knowing that we are loved, graced, and equipped to walk steadfast in God and know that as we trust him, and walk by faith all that we need will be provided for us, the doors that need to be opened and closed will happen, you just be obedient today, and tomorrow He is already there and already has all you need, we just rest and sit in knowing that our faith in God is all we need to be at perfect peace in every circumstance and in every stage He leads us on, with whoever He has tagging alongside beside us. Our sole responsibility is to be ambassadors that proclaim His good news through whatever tool He has given us, through whatever gift He has given us. He wired us for glorifying and praising Him, remember that as you wake up every morning, and before you rise from your bed and before you lay down. Ask yourself, am I praising you through what you have placed in my hand? Is your name being magnified through me? or is my heart leading? am I allowing my emotions dictate which direction to take, what verses to obey or ignore?
God is so kind to us, and knows our frame and isn’t surprised when we do get in our feels but may our feelings brings us to His throne room of grace where He generously desires to supply us with all that we need to continue to abide in Him and worship Him through everything.
My prayer is that TODAY we would look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our FAITH, wow as I am writing this I am hit with the umm, He penned faith, and He will finish it when he returns for us His bride and we are sitting with Him for eternity face to face, when everything will fully make sense. Oh the eternity that will be. All we can do today is have faith in Him that He has given us all we need, to make lemonade out of lemons, and to remain in Him, there is no better place to be than at his feet, like he told Martha, Mary has chosen the better thing that cannot be taken away from her. Everything will get done, everything will get paid for, the best thing we can do is walk by faith that He is already gone before us to show us all the more of His deep care for us and those HE gives us to serve.
Extra Reading:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Jeremiah 17:8-9
Proverbs 4:23
Cafe Enciende 
Leave a comment