"Mom, bubbles are pouring out of the washing machine onto the floor!" "Dad, the bumper is kind of gone from the back of the car.... I don't know what happened!" Mail that has words like "Final notice before disconnection", "Foreclosure proceedings", "Collection Action". Our initial reaction to any of these life circumstances is to panic. Let's be real. Even as believers, we know in our minds that God has everything under control but when stuff starts blowing up around us, we tend to forget. We fall into the familiar, which is a state of panic. "Oh no- how am I going to get that fixed." "Where are we going to get the money for that?"
The thing is this, nothing that happens is a surprise to God. He already has things orchestrated for us. There's something we are supposed to gain from the experience. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 gives us some guidance in what we can do when stuff happens. First, we need to rejoice. Sure- that sounds crazy. But Paul isn't the only one who said it. James also told us that when stuff happens we are supposed to be joyful [James 1:2]. God put it in the Word for a reason, so guess that's what we are to do- no matter how crazy it sounds! What's next? Secondly, we are to pray without ceasing. We know that a lot of what goes on around us we have no control over it. We need to realize as J. Moss' song indicates "God's Got it". Let's give it to Him in prayer. Lastly, we are to give thanks. That's right- be thankful. It doesn't matter if stuff isn't working out the way we thought it should. We are still supposed to give thanks. God's will is what we want in our lives. He's got it, so let's just thank Him. During this Thanksgiving season, while we're sitting down enjoying the turkey and dressing, let's remember to give Him thanks for everything- cause He's got it covered!
The thing is this, nothing that happens is a surprise to God. He already has things orchestrated for us. There's something we are supposed to gain from the experience. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 gives us some guidance in what we can do when stuff happens. First, we need to rejoice. Sure- that sounds crazy. But Paul isn't the only one who said it. James also told us that when stuff happens we are supposed to be joyful [James 1:2]. God put it in the Word for a reason, so guess that's what we are to do- no matter how crazy it sounds! What's next? Secondly, we are to pray without ceasing. We know that a lot of what goes on around us we have no control over it. We need to realize as J. Moss' song indicates "God's Got it". Let's give it to Him in prayer. Lastly, we are to give thanks. That's right- be thankful. It doesn't matter if stuff isn't working out the way we thought it should. We are still supposed to give thanks. God's will is what we want in our lives. He's got it, so let's just thank Him. During this Thanksgiving season, while we're sitting down enjoying the turkey and dressing, let's remember to give Him thanks for everything- cause He's got it covered!