Draw a Little Closer

    When we are going through a tough season in life, things can get a little blurry sometimes. In the midst of tribulation it can be hard to see the big picture. Many of us spend these periods in life on our knees praying for God to come through with a miracle. Doing that is appropriate and to our benefit, but what happens when He comes through… and it doesn't look like what we hoped it would? What happens when God plays a different card than you expected?

    Will we recognize His answer to prayer as what it is? Or are we blinded by our broken hopes because we falsely believed there was only one right answer? An extreme example of this is death. There will always be times when we are praying for someone to be healed and given an extension on life, but what if that is not in His will? What if it is their time to go? How do we cope?

    These are convicting questions that have made me question myself. It is easy to forget how big, powerful, and in control our God is. We limit Him by restricting Him to our small minded ideas and understanding. He is far greater than we can imagine! Who are we to tell Him what to do?

1 Corinthians 2:16 for, "Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (NIV)

Job 37:5 God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. (ESV)

    So how do we get out of that mentality? I think the best way is to praise Him in all things. When we are upset over things we cannot understand, it can be very difficult to be happy with God. Whether we realize it or not, pain and confusion can put distance between us and God. We can become bitter with Him over our ignorance. We ignore Him because we don't like what He has to say.

    Instead, let us be conscious of the space between us and Jesus and always strive to draw closer to Him, especially when we do not understand what is happening around us. It makes it harder to see any clearer when we are slipping away from Him anyway! But whether we gain understanding or not, it is always best to draw near and trust Him with every detail in our lives.

    Turn the pain and confusion into praise today! Take a moment to recognize all the blessings he has given us and thank Him! Look around you at the wonders of nature and the earth and remind yourself of His greatness. Open your mind to the idea that He might see more than we do and exercise that knowledge-of-His-knowledge in your prayer life. Do not limit God.

Psalms 150:1-6 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! (ESV)

Psalms 100:1-5 A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (ESV)

Hebrews 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (ESV)