It has been said that life goes in cycles. I guess some cycles are good - Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall. However, some cycles are not so good. Our family seems to be stuck in a particular cycle. The New Year has brought lay-offs to our household again. Both my wife and I have been laid off from our secular jobs -temporarily for me and more indefinitely for Robin. (I am a bi/tri- vocational associate pastor) It is easy to get frustrated and discouraged. The hardest thing for me is when my wife gets discouraged and depressed. Somehow, when these things happen, we tend to get a type of spiritual amnesia. We forget what God has done for us in the past and we wander through the same forrest of doubt, fear and uncertainty.
In my devos this morning I was reading in Mark about Jesus feeding the 4,000. The disciples asked how they were supposed to feed all of the people. See? This was a familiar cycle - one that they had been through before. The disciples apparently forgot about the feeding of the 5,000. Interestingly, in both of these instances, the disciples were looking to and questioning the human resources for these things. For the 5,000, they questioned the amount of money it would take to feed such a crowd. For the 4,000, the disciples questioned the availability of food in such a remote place. They forgot that their true source was right beside them - Jesus.
It is the same for us. We forget our source and we forget what God has brought us through in times past. When we forget, our faith waivers. When we remember, we can boldly proclaim that,
OUR GOD IS ABLE!
So, when you are in a familiar place of trial and test, remember your source and what He has done for you and what He will do again!
2 comments:
This Blog Really Helped me in what i am going through right now! thanks!
Love
~Britt
Perfect timing on this post! I am going through similar times. I have been laid off since Oct. 24th of 2008. My secular occupation is an Architectural Drafter, so the economy has not been good to that field of work. Any ways throughout all of this I have keeped my faith in God. I have been serving Him more than ever and trusting Him more than ever.
About a month ago my cousin came over my house and blessed us financially, that came out of nowhere but it was God. 2 week ago me and my wife received a check from our mortgage company for the exact amount we needed to pay our bills and last week a friend of ours bought us groceries. So I have seen the hand of God move throughout all of this.
Remember Mathew 6:33 "and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." I will keep you and your family in prayer.
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