Closing the door on God

I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me here in the land of the living.

Psalm 27:13-14, tlb

When your world collapses, it’s like a sharp blow to the head that momentarily jars you, and for a moment you forget what you know about God and His Word. OK, what do you do when you suffer spiritual amnesia?

First, be careful what you say and argue for. True, God usually doesn’t take our discourses very seriously when our world comes apart. David wrote that the Lord remembers our frame; He knows that we are dust.

Then get encouragement from the right sources – friends who will listen to you, sifting the wheat from the chaff, empathizing with you but not letting you get away with walking away from what you know is right. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Talk to those who will keep confidence and really care about you.

Be absolutely honest with God. A dad, having lost his four-year-old son, sat listening to the pastor speaking at the boy’s memorial service. Muttering under his breath, he found himself saying, “God, I’ll get even with You if it’s the last thing I ever do.” And then coming to his senses, he realized, how foolish! How could I get even with God? he thought, and then let the tears of grief flow.

Don’t blame God for that which He is not responsible for. Don’t stand outside the place of refuge to which you can run. Don’t believe your doubts or doubt your beliefs. Realize God knows. God understands. And God will heal your broken heart.

Remember you can either turn to Him when your world reels and crumbles, or you can turn on Him, but when you close the door of your life on God, it’s a very dark, dark world out there.

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit www. guidelines.org.

 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. Micah  5:2-5a