But, I Am A Good Person

Picture taken at dawn, in Currytown,  New York, July 2012 
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD.
"And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." Isaiah 55:8

I am in an online bible study group on Facebook. It is a group compiled of people across the nation all corporately reading the four gospels together in one year. Today we read  Luke 1:26-56 .  I personally noted a few things about how it must have been to travel pregnant and what it must have been like to have an Angel appear and say hey you are going to be carrying Jesus, the Messiah. ::sigh::  

However, what stuck out to me the most was in verse 34 when Mary questions the Angel of the Lord Gabriel. Let me back up, yesterday we read about the priest Zechariah who had the same Angel appear to him and when he questioned him, he became mute.  See, Luke 1:1-25.  Why did Mary seem to have a different favor in the sight of the Angel Gabriel when it came to her questioning?   To save you from reading this, I will tell you already that I do not know. 

What I do know is this... Many, many people question why their prayers seem to go unanswered when they are "good" people and yet others are answered and they don't even seem to follow God or anyone besides themselves. We focus on and compare the blessings we each have and receive. In case you didn't know, that is also known as coveting. 

First of all, all prayers are answered. The answer might be yes, no or not now, but they are answered.  This business about having a more effective prayer practice is nonsense. I mean are you really telling me that is someone is dying of cancer doesn't get healed it is because of her faith or lack thereof? People lining up with this type of theology seem to be missing the point entirely and are very dangerous to new believers. 

Over and over we see these amazing men and women in the bible who didn't always get what they want. Job  had to go through it, Paul went through it and John the Baptist who was the only one I can find besides Jesus to have the Holy Spirit with him from conception went through it. They didn't get out of bad situations because they were "good" people. For whatever purpose, God chooses how things will be handled. This might be a miraculous healing or it might be the grace to get through it.  

The point I am trying to make is this: We either have to believe who God is or we don't. We have to surrender to the idea that we don't have all the answers and that His ways are far beyond our comprehension.  He doesn't and will not live in this little box that our finite minds put Him in like some genie that will come in and grant our wishes on command.  But know this, He will come to you where you are at,despite your mess, all the time, on time and He loves you.  It is that simple. So let's get back to basics- Trust Him. Love Him. Quit trying to figure out the why's and focus on who He is.

Choose to love recklessly and be blessed wildly, 
Wendy