GOD IS OUR SOURCE OF SECURITY AND HAPPINESS
_______________________________________________________
“Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us. We ‘have all we want’ is a terrible saying when ‘all’ does not include God. We find God an interruption.” – C.S. Lewis –
At times God rocks our world to awaken us. Winds of change that blow through our lives are intended to rouse us from our complacency. They cause us to see where our absolute trust resides. They are meant to turn our focus back to the Lord and deepen our faith.
We may be lulled into complacency when life is good… when the sun is shining and the sky is clear. Our thoughts are turned toward ourselves instead of toward our Creator. His words are ignored… His nudgings are seen as a disturbance. We live life apart from the One who gave us life.
A complacent lifestyle is a self-satisfied life. Trust is placed in oneself instead of the Lord. Glory is focused on oneself rather than God. Pride is in one’s own accomplishments instead of what the Lord has done. A complacent person basks in their own perceived righteousness rather than the righteousness of Christ.
“While what we call ‘our own life’ remains agreeable, we will not surrender it to Him. What, then, can God do in our interests but make ‘our own life’ less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible sources of false happiness?” – C.S. Lewis
When times are good, we tend to relax into life. Our focus is on our own goals, interests and happiness. Our times with the Lord are squeezed out of our schedules. Our Bibles sit unopened. Our faith ebbs away.
When all is going smoothly, we feel in control of our lives. Nothing can stop us. When things do go wrong, we attempt to fix them using our own wits and power… instead of looking to the Lord, trusting His guidance, wisdom and supernatural power.
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!… You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” – Revelation 3:15, 17
In Revelation, we see Jesus rebuking the Laodiceans for their complacent lifestyles… their lukewarm lives. Times were good. The people had relaxed into their own comfortable lives. Their zest for the Lord had dissipated. Their passion had ebbed away. Their trust was in themselves instead of the Lord. They had forgotten their First Love… their Savior and King.
“For the Lord is the One who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals His thoughts to mankind.” – Amos 4:13
We ought not to be surprised when God blows winds of change through our world. Sometimes merely a rustling breeze stirs up our lives a bit… rearranging our priorities… refocusing our pursuits… turning our thoughts back to the Lord.
Other times a gale force wind roars through our lives… upsetting our complacent lifestyle… revealing our misplaced trust… awakening us to how far we’ve drifted from the One who loves us unconditionally.
“The superior Christian lets God strip him of everything that might serve as a false refuge, a secondary trust.” – A.W. Tozer
Have winds of change shaken up your world? Have you discovered that your life has become complacent? Have you found your trust to be misplaced?
When God sends winds of change into our lives, they are meant to unsettle us. His intent is not to discourage us or quench our faith. He seeks to stir us from our complacency and remind us how important we are to Him. For He desires to be first place in our lives, not second best.
Welcome God’s winds of change. His heart is for us. He longs for us to grow stronger for our Christian walk. He attempts to strip away all that distracts us… all that lures us away from Him… so our faith is rekindled. He wants us to remember that He is the true Source of our comfort, security and happiness.
“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” – Peter Marshall, Scottish preacher
We have a choice… to let the winds of change God sends our way knock us down… or to allow them to make us stronger. Make this a time of renewal. Be roused from any complacency you discover in your life. Let the winds blow away all temporal sources of comfort and security. Cling to the Lord. Find your happiness in Him. Place your absolute trust in Him alone.
