PERFECT LOVE... "PERFECT LIFE"

It seems like as I have gotten older, there are seasons where tragic life events come in storms.  And the reality is tragedy is striking everywhere all of the time…but with the technology we have today, we are hearing and seeing so much more worldwide than ever before.  Internationally, nationally and locally there has been so much that has happened recently, that it has been shaking many to the core.   Serious health issues, surgeries, suicides, murders, accidental deaths, sudden and unexpected deaths are happening all around us.  Some are close family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Amongst the deaths, there are dying marriages and broken relationships in families as well. 

 It is times like these that God shows us where we may have started to hold onto to false security.  The world shakes around us, and sometimes we can start to listen to the fear, and find that we are only holding onto Him with one hand….  The "What if’s" in times like these can get really loud. The tendency to want to grab all of your family members and put them in a bubble may start to press into your mind.  And the time to stand, and declare the truth of who He says He is, is never more important for us to do, when those voices seem to be heard more than His.   Just because we can hear the voices of fear, doesn’t mean we are to listen to them, or believe them.  He truly is our security and our hope and our strength.  He never lets go of us.  He is who He says He is, He can do what His Word says He can and will do.  You are who He says you are in Him and His Word is alive and active in you.

 The Bible says we have an enemy… and he comes to steal kill and destroy.  The Bible also points over and over to our Savior Jesus Christ, who came that we might have life.  Satan can steal from us, but He can never take away what Christ has given us.  At all times it is so important for us to maintain a heart full of thanksgiving and gratitude for when the storms hit, and they will, we then will be focused on the one whose eyes run to and fro  throughout the whole earth, so He may show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 

Tragedy doesn’t make sense.  It is in times of tragedy, I have to remember Him, focus on Him and all the things He has already done for me; the miracles, and the day to day provision and supply. Lifting Him up over and above my circumstances, exalting Him to the highest place, where He belongs.  Because then, His light shows me where and how to move forward.  If shadows and darkness cover the light, I will not know which way to go. Chaos, confusion and every dark thing is lurking in a heart that is full of complaints.

God does not promise us a life that is picture perfect, but He does promise and does fulfill His promise to give us His peace in the storms.  For even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death His perfect love casts out all of our fear.  His rod and His staff will comfort us, He will restore our souls and His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.  His perfect love  does not guarantee a perfect life for today, but it does for eternity.