Good Enough Here
What view of God have you become comfortable with? Do you only see Him fit to help in certain areas of your life when you really need Him? Do you view Him as someone you can only go to when something big happens that you know is so out of your control?
Maybe you believe that only certain areas of your life are important enough to bring God into the equation. But little do you know your Heavenly Father is concerned with every area of your life! He is able to help in any situation- big or small. We tend to forget to involve God in everything we think, say, and do. It is important to remember that He is there anyway, and we just need to acknowledge Him. I think a lot of times, without even realizing it, we try to take over and figure out situations in our lives on our own. In doing so, we are basically telling God “You were good enough up to here but let me try.”
Do not try to contain the God of the universe to a certain set of skills or attributes.
In this life, we are meant to realize just how little we know and can do on our own. Doing this brings us to the end of ourselves and to Someone so much bigger. God puts people in uncomfortable situations so they can learn about Him and from Him. In addition, He teaches us how the only option we really have to get through life is to rely on, and trust in, Him. Any other way that does not involve God, will involve despair and hopelessness.
Throughout the Bible we see God displaying different attributes of Himself in various situations. For example, in the book of Jeremiah from chapter thirty-one to forty-eight, I have identified seven characteristics of God described through different circumstances.
Sometimes all we see is the obstacle in front of us when we should really be looking to God and who He is!
Jeremiah 31:31-37and 33:5-9 illustrate how God is a restorer. We get to acknowledge how God does not just let consequences happen and then leave people to fend for themselves. Everything God does is part of His bigger plan. He corrects people, and if they still turn to Him afterwards, He brings healing and restoration. Jeremiah 33:7-8 backs this up as it reads, “I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.” Next, Jeremiah chapter thirty-nine verses eleven to eighteen describes how God is a promise keeper and rescuer. Verses 16-17 say, “..‘thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. But I will deliver you on that day, declares the LORD, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you were afraid.” As we move onto chapter forty-six, we get to see God take action as a warrior and protector of His people. Verses fifteen to sixteen of chapter forty-six state, “why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand because the LORD thrust them down… and they said to one another, ‘arise and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth..” Our God fights on behalf of His people!
Lastly, in Jeremiah 46:18and 48:15 we see God recognized as King and Judge, since He is over the nations and judges them. The reasoning behind God judging the nations is given in chapter forty-eight verse seven and chapter forty-nine verse four. Jeremiah 48:7 says, “for, because you trusted in your works and your treasures you also shall be taken..” Similarly, Jeremiah 49:4 says, “why do you boast of your valleys, O faithless daughter, who trusted in her treasures, saying, ‘who will come against me?’” After reading these last two verses we may see some of ourselves reflected in it. We may recognize how we become reliant on our temporary treasures, trusting and boasting in what we possess physically. In addition, we may notice in our self-reflection, how we get comfortable with our own abilities. However, when things become difficult, and what we bring to the table does not work, we start to panic. Also, when we try to do things on our own, we find we are limited in our approaches.
Yet, we acknowledge through the verses stated above, that God is many things and shows up in many ways for different situations.
He is all we need for anything we face! So, how could we try to limit Him to what we can see and understand in our lives? Instead, we should understand where we end and where He begins! We can then tell ourselves, “okay, I’ve done what God has taught me to through His Word, now let’s have Him do what only He can do.” In other words, when you find that you trust Him and go to Him in prayer, with thanks and praise, you leave it to God to do the rest. In doing so, we can relieve any pressure and panic we may experience during difficult circumstances. God is with you every step of the way in the good, bad, big, and small things of life. By reminding yourself of that, you begin to notice how God shows up in all different situations as anything you need. He is a Promise Keeper, Father, Friend, Protector, Provider, Rescuer, Warrior, Healer, Restorer, and all that you will ever need. God’s character and attributes are revealed to you as you involve Him in all areas of your life. Therefore, trust in Him, learning more of who He is and relying on Him, instead of yourself, your works, and your earthly treasures. Then, you can experience the fullness of who God is where you are!
