It's Only Temporary.

In the still of the night,

when grasshoppers and creepy bugs compose the night's serenade, 

and all we hear is the light snoring of our tots, 

or our spouse's extremely loud heavy breathing...

When silence fills our home,

as we try to relax and destress from a busy day of appointments, 

non-stop phone calls and getting through piles of bills... 

When we're in bed with our thoughts, 

our real thoughts;

honest & authentic thoughts...

Is when confusion and worry make themselves comfortable in our minds,
and take the place of hope.

We easily get wrapped up in a mental rage of how, why and What The Heck!?

We want answers.  Reasons.  Understanding.

"How was my life so great 3 months ago and now suddenly turbulent?"

"Why has God allowed this to happen?"

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?"

But then we remember a well known bible verse written by King Solomon...

Proverbs 3:5 - "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;".

...and we immediately consider the fact that we must TRUST God.  

"But how can we, if we don't understand?", we wonder...

Which makes this all very amusing, in a way.

We can highlight this verse in our favorite color.

(right now, mine would be orange).

Sing a little song about it.

Write it on our facebook page.

Memorize it backwards.

Create a banner and hang it in our kitchen.

We can even preach about it.

But none of that does us any good if we don't really UNDERSTAND, 

that we will NEVER understand, 

what God is doing.

Obtaining insight and getting answers (about our current problem) are not requirements.

Trust, obey, and follow His lead.  

It's for a reason.

He's testing us.  Maturing us.  Increasing our faith.  And teaching us how to rely on Him.

Just walk.

The destination is unknown, but He is still God.

And if you know that you serve an Almighty, Powerful, Victorious, Omniscient, Glorious, Majestic, Eternal and Faithful God; Creator of the universe.  That parted the Red Sea.  That released His people from bondage in Egypt.  That sent His only Son to die a sinner's death for the redemption of our sins.  Then we'd be a fool to question His motives.  He sees all.  He knows all.  And has a predestined plan set for our lives.

If we're in despair, let's worship Him.

If we feel lonely, let's adore Him.

If we are worried, let's raise our hands and sing praises.

If we can't sleep, let's talk to Him.

If we're having feelings of depression, let's praise His holy name!

Because where we go in our worship, these things can't follow.

There is no place for anxiety in the presence of God.

There is no room for sadness in the secret place.
The bondage of an offended heart is not allowed to enter in.

Let's thank Him for the suffering.  

Rejoice in the midst of rejection.

Because this phase of our life is temporary, and we won't have to endure much more of it.

1 Peter 5:10 - "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

And once we've learned to 'Praise Him In The Storm';
and silence the chaotic, confusing, worrisome noise in our minds, 

we can go back to the lulling sounds of humming crickets, 

the gentle buzz of an old ceiling fan which barely provides relief from the heat, 

and the deafening snore, coming from the inner parts of our spouse's throat...

past the dining room...

at the other end of the living room.

[it's THAT LOUD people!, lol]

Casting Crowns - "Praise You In This Storm"