I am going through a book called “Choosing
Forgiveness-Your Journey to Freedom” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It is an area in my life that I am struggling
with… and this book has been very convicting.
I am going to share only some of the quotes that have impacted my life
as I study this book and my own heart. I
have not been able to completely forgive those who have hurt me… I am a work in
progress but it is my desire to forgive completely. I don’t want to go into the details of the
pain but I would love prayer as I walk through this journey towards
freedom. The quotes in red come from the
book… the rest are my own personal thoughts.
”If He’s supposed to be
all-powerful, He could have stopped this.
If He’s supposed to be all-loving, He could have protected my heart and
spared me this pain. But He didn't. He turned away and chose not to. So how can I trust a God like that—a God who
would let something like this happen in my life?” Do we have the right to be angry at God?
*** Nope, we don’t have a right to be angry at God… we may
not understand why He allows some things into our lives… or allows us to endure
various trials but we can trust that He is good and has plans to use it all for
our ultimate good and for His Glory..!
I want to pause to explore this
quite natural reaction to pain and distress, this inclination to become angry
and displeased with God when we are harmed or injured by others. I have come to believe that, at one level,
all bitterness is ultimately directed toward God. We all seem to know intuitively that God’s
power is great enough to deal with our problems—if He wanted to.
**Unfortunately just because we don’t have the right to be
angry at God doesn't mean that at times we aren't angry with Him… I never
thought how our bitterness with others could ultimately be directed toward
God. Especially since God commands us to
love others… and that proof that we love Him is that we love others… therefore
the opposite could also be true… when we are bitter towards others we are also
bitter towards God. Lord, please remove
my heart of stone..!
In His inscrutable wisdom and love, He is able
to use even the most agonizing circumstances that touch your life in this
fallen world to refine and purify you, to make you fruitful and to magnify His
grace and glory through your life. I
know it’s sometimes hard to believe. I
know you may not see how you can possibly continue with this pain another week,
another day, another hour. But unleashed
anger toward God comes, I believe, from having a faulty view of Him, from
thinking that He is flippantly ignoring you, that He couldn't care less what
you’re going through. The truth is, He
is going through it with you and for you.
*** Lord, thank you for not leaving me alone through all
this pain… thank you for walking with me through it… patiently waiting for me
as I process everything… comforting me as I experience the pain over and over…
changing my thoughts when I am focused on things that aren't for my
benefit. Lord, help me to understand who
you are and allow me to see what you are doing through this situation… not only
in my own life but also in the lives of others.
Be glorified in me..!
God doesn't need forgiveness from
us. He is never guilty of making
mistakes. In fact, the thing you may
think is cruel injustice on His part may actually turn out to be the best thing
that has ever happened to you. For
believers, the Word of God is our instrument panel. There will be points in our lives when, in
the midst of “white-out conditions,” our feelings will betray us and contradict
His Word—insisting God doesn't care or that He’s made a mistake. At that point, we dare not rely on our
feelings but must choose to trust what the Instrument tells us is true. Do you feel that God has not lived up to His
name in your life? What are you saying
about Him? What is your life
communicating to others about Him?
*** Lord, even when I don’t understand I want to
communicate my trust in you to others through my words and actions. Help change my attitude and my thoughts when
they don’t bring glory to You… Help me to remember that you are perfect and in
control of all things… that I don’t have to understand it all but I can trust
you to get me through the storms of life.
Your love has yet to fail me… and it never will.
I’ve seen over and over again the damage that
“bitterness” can do—in a marriage, in a church, in a workplace, in a ministry,
in a friendship, in a family. Their
bitterness, their anger toward God and others, is toxic, though they are often
the last to recognize both their bitterness and the effect they have on
others.
*** Lord, please don’t allow me to become bitter… help me
to release this pain up to you. Be at
work in the lives of everyone involved… may you be at work in their own lives
as well...
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