Saturday, March 9, 2013

Rambling thoughts

I'm stepping away from what I had planned to write. Hopefully you'll be able to follow my rambles. There have been a lot of emotions swirling around in my heart and mind lately, and I would like to try to get some of them out. Recently, in something that I wrote here, I mentioned that it's been five years since we were kicked out of our beloved Russia. The end of those five years--my official term of "exile"--is probably what has stirred up my emotions. That, and we're trying to move again now.

So, recently I took a look at our blogroll. (Have you added your own blog there yet?) That led me to Early Morning Missionary. (So nice to "meet" you Casey!) From there, I ended up on this post and discovered a whole world of missions blogging that I hadn't seen before. (I did see some familiar faces from here, though.)

But back to "this post," as I call it....
The questions asked there have been ringing in my head all week. This statement, too:
"If you follow and obey God, it will always work out for God. There’s no promise about it working out for you."
I have the exact same response that she did: "Sigh."

Here we are. Trying as hard as we can to follow. And yet it feels like we've been wandering in the wilderness for 5 years. Our time here hasn't been wasted; I won't go so far as to say that. But it has just been hard and has often seemed pointless. So--strangely--what I quoted above has been a real encouragement to me in what I have been wresting with. As I ask God why He has had us here, what we have been supposed to be doing, if we missed His direction, and so on, I think I have finally found the answer. And it's a strange one: I may never know! How is that an answer? What feels like an answer is the assurance that it is working out for God.

It is also working out for good. I have been able to cling to "All things work together for good," but it has been so hard to understand the how and why. I guess what is just sinking in now is that this is good. It may not look good to me, but I can't see the whole picture. It is working out for God's glory, and I will trust. His glory is also ultimately for my good. That is what is promised.

To the quote above, I think I have to add a little bit: If you follow and obey God, it will always work out for God. There’s no promise about it working out for you in this life. Then I can agree with it.

What about you? Do you agree? Does obedience necessarily mean a thriving ministry and rewards in this life? I would also love to hear you explain it another way, if you disagree.

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And a little bonus--a poem from the Daily Strength for Daily Needs that I am coming to love so much: 

"All is of God that is, and is to be;
And God is good."
Let this suffice us still,
Resting in childlike trust upon His will,
Who moves to His great ends, unthwarted by the ill.
J. G. WHITTIER.

2 comments:

  1. We too, had to leave our original country of service due to civil war in 2002. We didn't make it to our present country until 2008. He is working in our waiting, sanctifying us, when beyond our understanding he is teaching us to trust. Now my husband has been diagnosed with cancer and once again we wait on Him to meet us in our mourning with a love that casts out fear. Have you ever heard of Aaron Keyes? This song of his is full of Scripture and is strangely comforting. Even in the dark night of the soul we remember that our God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Not only that, He actively works all things--even the schemes of the enemy-- for our good and for His glory...

    Sovereign over us by Aaron Keyes,

    I have the words on my blog, saheldormparents.blogspot.com the March 4, 2013 post.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I had never heard of Aaron Keyes. Those words are incredible, and I'm going to see if I can find the song to listen to somewhere. I just stopped and prayed for you, too.

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