Jen’s Gem: Check your facts about God.

Most of my blog posts this summer have been inspired during my daily walks around my neighborhood. This week I noticed that I was paying a bit more attention to the homes as I walked by. Some were landscaped beautifully, while others needed a little TLC.

These quick observations made me wonder about the people living inside. Were the homes that had every flower in place maintained by the homeowners or did they have a landscaper? Were those that had crops of overgrown weeds the homes of working parents with little time to care for their lawn? Or perhaps these residences were inhabited by an elderly person whose focus is no longer on “appearances,” but rather on their health and well-being.

As I contemplated each of these presumptions, it occurred to me that I could be wrong. Not just about one of these examples, but likely all of them. That’s what happens when we presume things when we know nothing about the facts. I’d venture to say that 99 times out of 100, we are wrong.

The other day my daughter faced a heartbreak and I was struggling to help her through it.  I could’ve made presumptions about the actions of the other people, but not knowing them very well, I’d likely be mistaken. But when, through my daughter’s tears, she claimed that God was responsible, I knew I had to set her straight.

“This is not from God,” I said emphatically. “God loves you. He would not purposefully hurt you. It’s not who He is.”

Because my daughter does not know this truth about God, she presumed that He was conspiring to cause the people in her life to mistreat her. As she left for work the next morning, having to face each of them, I prayed for her. I prayed that God would reveal to her that this situation was not from Him and that He loves her beyond words. I prayed that He would send comfort to her.

I also prayed for the perpetrators. I prayed that they would be convicted to right their wrong.  I prayed that they’d apologize to my daughter. In answer to my prayer, during my morning Bible study of Isaiah, God provided me insight into this situation.

“Behold, they may gather together and stir up strife, but it is not from Me. Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall and surrender to you.” Isaiah 54:15

“But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgement you shall show to be in the wrong.” Isaiah 54: 17

I immediately sent these verses to my daughter so that she could see her presumption about God was wrong and that He had already declared her victory. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” None.

People often question why I read the Bible every day. Some even question why I read it at all. This is  why.

When in my feeble attempts as a mother trying to soothe her child fail, God presents me with His Word that speaks to the situation a billion times better than I ever could. And what’s even better? It is coming from God – not me. These are not my words, but His and His Word is His promise.

“So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void (without producing any 3effect, useless), but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.“  (Isaiah 55: 11)

Only God could have known that on this day, my daughter would face this trial and I would need to be able to provide a solid truth about Him that would help her to forgo her presumption about Him. The funny thing is, I was behind in my Bible study, and this particular chapter of Isaiah should’ve been read days earlier. It’s possible I might have forgotten about it and been unable to share it with my daughter. But God knew better. He provided the answer.

It may be that like my daughter, you may have some presumptions about God. You may think the trials in your life are from Him. You may think He’s against you and not for you. I hope that you have seen from the above verses that this is not true. 

Yes, there is someone who is against you, but it’s not God. There is someone who wants to see your heart broken, wants you to be sick, and wants there to be strife in your life, but it’s not God. 

This week, I’d like to encourage you to really meditate on the above Bible verses. Memorize them if you have to so that anytime you are faced with a challenge, you can know and then speak Truth about it.

You can presume the good about God and that’s a presumption worth having.