By Pastor Andrew Farland
When I was stuck in the middle of a season of anxiety and depression, I daily asked myself, “Why is this happening to me? When is this going to end?”
On one of those days, God spoke to me in a still, soft whisper and gave me a Truth that I will never forget.
I was on an airplane getting situated in my window seat while the flight attendants gave a lesson on using oxygen masks. As I was settling in for a long flight, God’s voice hit me square in the heart and said,
“I didn’t just give you grace, I gave you myself.”
In those simple words, God showed me His master plan for why He was allowing me to go through such a difficult time and gave me a small glimpse of His purpose.
His words taught me that God is more than just a magic genie that doles out grace. More than that, He gives all of Himself and is intricately involved in our lives.
It means that if He allows you to go through something, He promises to get you through it!
In the Bible, there is a perfect example of God giving all of Himself to suffering people. The Israelites had been rescued from slavery in Egypt. After leaving captivity, they traveled for 40 years, through the desert, to get to the Promised Land, a beautiful place that God had prepared. When you read the story, you’ll see that God’s people grumbled, complained, doubted, and cried for a large portion of their time in the desert. What did God do through it all? He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
The mind-blowing thing is that God led His people through the desert. He allowed them to go through something extremely difficult and promised to get them through it.
You may not be ready to receive this Truth today, but I can assure you that God is leading you somewhere. He uses everything for the good of those who love Him. For me, He led me through the fire so that I could go back in and rescue other people. Stay strong and remember that God is giving you all of Himself to see you through to the other side.
Galatians 1:3-4
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”
Be encouraged today because God is with you.
