Abiding in God

Have you heard about "Into the Word Wednesday" in the blogging world?? I think this is one of the BEST blog link-up ideas! I decided to join in the fun today, by sharing what God has been revealing to me through His Word lately.

As most of my friends know, I've been doing How to Study the Bible {"HTSTB", a Bible study} since 2009 at The Village Church. Originally, I only joined this bible study group because my home group leader kept asking me to come and check it out. BOY, did God have a plan! I immediately fell in love. The group's devotion is to practice and apply Matt Chandler's HTSTB method, to learn how to "feed" yourself {not rely on a pastor, study guide, or theology books}, walk with God, and learn about God's heart and character. It's how I abide in God.

Since June, we've been walking through 1Samuel and God has been continually repeating the same themes to me. 

God is good and He does good=God's Sovereignty

*1:5 "the LORD had kept her {Hannah} from conceiving"

*2:25 "but they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to kill them"

*3:18 "He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks is good."

*4:10-11 "30,000 of the Israelite foot soldiers fell"

*7:2 "then the whole house of Israel began to seek the LORD."

*15:2-3 "Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant"

  

These are just a few of the verses that God revealed to me. This is God's sovereignty: God keeping Hannah from getting pregnant, God intending to kill people, God allowing 30,000+ of His own people to be killed, God commanding His people to kill their enemy's women, children, and babies...and this is good? God is good in this?? YES!!

How can these horrible things be good...the killing of children...Hannah's infertility? I am forever indebted to John Piper and his book Spectacular Sins for unpacking this truth:

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him." Colossians 1:15-16 "All that came into being exists for Christ--that is, everything exists to display the greatness of Christ. [...]from the greatest saint to the most wicked genocidal dictator--everything that exists, exists to make the greatness of Christ more fully known..." {John Piper}

As Christians, we know God is sovereign. He is in control, but do we trust Him? I don't. This is still my greatest struggle. When I watch my closest friends go through infertility and miscarriages, when I watch the news at night full of violence and death, when I struggle with understanding why there is sin in the world {and Satan} and why God just doesn't get rid of it all...I turn to Colossians 1:15-16, it's for God's glory. God is good and He does good! 

After every "hard" verse in 1Samuel, I wrote in my journal "God is good, and He does good!". My hope is, one day I will live from a heart that fully believes and knows how good God is and how He does good, always. Then, and only then, will I trust Him.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
     whose trust is the Lord.
⁸  He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Jer. 17:7-8