Stop Thinking Start Praising

I can hardly believe January 2021 is almost over, what a whirlwind!  I joked that January 1 felt more like December 32, but in truth, I’ve had some new prayers this month.  Covid-19 has continued, and it’s much closer to home now, than ever.  I’ve received nearly 20 contact tracing notifications for my children attending school.  Amazingly they have never been identified as a close contact and have not had to quarantine.  The list of people I know who have had, or currently have Covid is growing, and my daily prayer when I look at Facebook, is that I don’t find out someone has died.  That prayer, has unfortunately, been answered as NO.  Everyday, I am faced with sending condolences and adding friends and family members to my prayer list as they, and I, grieve another loss.
  
Our family began 2021 with a prayer.  We decided to step out on faith, but had no idea it would take this much faith!  While we remain hopeful that our prayer will be answered affirmatively, 31 days in, we are beginning to wonder.  We are asking ourselves if maybe we made a mistake.  We have wondered if God is hearing our prayer - I know He is because I saw His very personal hand on my life multiple times this week.  For instance, I’ve been trying to overcome my love/addition to Coca-Cola.  After waiting in a long drive-thru line at McDonalds, for a large coke (that was my complete order) I was told that they were out of Coke.  What - McDonalds out of Coke?  That had to be a God thing.   If He cares whether or not I drink Coke, He most certainly cares about the bigger issues in our life. 

I was reading in the book of Job this week, and while, I have never experienced what he experienced, I have experienced similar thoughts.  
 4 For sighing has become my daily food;
    my groans pour out like water.
25 What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me.
26 I have no peace, no quietness;
    I have no rest, but only turmoil.

Maybe you have experienced similar thoughts.  Maybe you’ve had something heavy on your mind that you are praying about and hoping for resolution, but see none in sight.  Maybe your prayer is for understanding.  Quite often we commiserate with friends or read self help books to help us reach understanding.  The book of Job, itself, can make someone question or wonder why, just as Job did.  If we keep reading, we will find God’s response.  Below is a portion.

22 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
    or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
    for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
    or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

When I read this, I am silent.  I have no answers.  I tremble in awe.  I realize that my questions do not have answers that can be reconciled with any self-help book, I won’t find the answers on Google, I won’t find the answers from conversations with friends - although I love them, value them and know they mean well.  When I read this, I am reminded that the answers to my questions are found only in God’s Holy Word.  I am reminded that the Holy Spirit resides in my heart.  He comforts me when I am anxious.  He knows my questions, my desires, my innermost thoughts.  When I read Job 38-42, I realize that the answers to my questions may not be for me to know.  I realize that, once again, I have started thinking too much.  I am reminded that I should be thinking less and praising more.  At the end of the chapter 42, Job said it best: 

2 “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
  Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
  things too wonderful for me to know.


Thank you for reading!
Stay safe this week!
​Kim