The God I Know
You've probably heard the saying, "God only gives you what you can handle."
I loathe that saying.
God is not sitting at a switchboard, twisting his handlebar mustache, evilly cackling as he zaps us with one temptation or trial after another, enjoying watching us freak out and suffer.
That doesn't seem like God to me.
God is not the slithering snake or the vicious voices tempting, testing, or tormenting us.
The God I know is the hero of my story.
The God I know never gave up on me until I was saved and rescued.
The God I know is filled with unending, unconditional love and mercy.
The God I know sent Jesus so I could understand that He is willing to sacrifice everything to show me what love and forgiveness look like.
The God I know continues to teach me that I can handle what comes my way with his strength and protection surrounding me.
The God I know isn't mean-spirited or nasty.
When bad things happen, and the storms rage on, I have to fight the urge to blame God and shake my fist at Him as I run and hide.
I've spent far too many hours of my life curled up in a fetal position in the dark corners as the evil voices of foreboding fear and worse-case scenarios worked me into a frazzled frenzy.
I chose to listen to those voices and turn away from the one thing that could help me face it all - God.
Well, not today my friend, not today.
Today, I fight the urge to disarm God by turning him into the bad guy.
God is my hero, my friend, my protector, my savior, and the fiercest ally I have to fight fear and uncertainty.
I call out (or should I say scream at the top of my lungs) to Him for help, and look, here He comes running.
With God in front of me, behind me, and around me at every side, I can feel the fear, handle the pain, and face the battles that rage against me.
God isn't yelling "Retreat, Retreat!" He is yelling, "Trust me, I got this. Together, we are going to handle this and get through it. I got you."
That is the God I know.
That same God is your biggest ally and the hero of your story.
God has found you, and He is never, EVER going to let you go.
1 Corinthians 10: 12-13
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
Psalm 144: 1-2
Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.