God and Me

Who or what do you put your faith in? When your world turns upside down, what is it you cling to?

In seconds our life could be flipped upside down, and our time on earth could end at any given moment. In times like these, where do we turn to? Where do we seek comfort, strength and rest?

What is there to hold onto in an unstable, constantly changing, and wicked world?

What is it that you put your trust in and look to as your ray of hope?

Fears of Mine

In a world soaked with sin, we don’t need to look far to see sin’s effects on us and the people around us. As you read this sentence this very moment, hundreds and thousands of people are experiencing great, great hardship. People are constantly facing loss, poverty, persecution—the list is continuous. There are so many things that we may fear, things that can take over our minds and things that have us thinking of all the possible “what ifs”. 

However, it is too often that we worry about such worldly things. At times we fear so much, which traps us into a state of worry. We worry about our future, our grades, about disappointing our family and friends, about materialistic belongings. Fearing the wrong things can be like a trap that holds us so that we cannot move — and go anywhere. Our fears pile on top of each other, some bigger than others, some we’ve had for longer than others. 

These piled up fears only point to even bigger fears and lies we hold in our hearts. Without a personal relationship with God, our hearts are blackened and hardened. Only by God’s grace and mercy may God change our hearts to be meek, earnest and trusting in Him. Without going back again to God, to lay at His feet these fears, our hearts will only continue to rot. Covering these fears and lies by blocking them out, ignoring them or ‘fixing’ your heart with a replacement (e.g. friends, games) will not in any way solve the problem. By letting the problem stay, it will only continue to grow and grow until it will one day overcome us. 

When fear seizes us, life seems overwhelming, and God’s solid promises seem to falter before our eyes. In moments of panic and worry. It is crucial that we stop ourselves from diving deeper into the rabbit hole of “what ifs”, and pause to think—what is it I fear, and is it something that I should be fearful of? 

Godly fear and the Biblical response to fear

There was a time I had an experience where I faced uncertainty. During that time, my mind was all over the place. I was thinking about so many things, and I felt unsteady. Safe to say, I was overwhelmed with everything, and I felt lost in it all, so I went to kneel down in prayer. 

It was at that moment that a verse I read earlier that day came back into my mind. Psalm 46:10, He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

I started to think. Why am I so overwhelmed? what exactly am I afraid of? Is it the uncertainty? Fear of the future? Fear of loss? After reading the rest of Psalm 46, God had once again reminded me of His greatness and His goodness. “Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (Psalm 46:2-3), we have nothing to fear, and we will not be afraid. 

The almighty and steadfast God is our God, and He is our refuge and our strength. What else is there to fear? He is present—God is with us—He remembers us and inclines His ear to us. He is gracious, providing us with all the grace we need to overcome any trials. He is sovereign, in control of every situation in our lives. He is trustworthy; He knows what is best for us and will work through everything for good to those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose, those whom He has predestined and called. 

Along with the devotion that morning (P. Tripp’s ‘New Morning Mercies’) where the Bible passage was Psalm 145, I was reminded how God could use everything for His glory. His Holy Name will be exalted, and His wonderful works will be made known. Every day, including our highest and lowest points, times of fear and times of assurity, God can use it all for His glory. He will be exalted among the nations, He will be exalted in the earth. God gave me peace, once I lay at His feet and placed my burdens on Him. 

So my question is, do we truly trust Him? Or are we uttering those words in emptiness? Where do we put our faith?

Once we know of God’s greatness and holiness, then why do we still fight to keep each day, keep our future, for ourselves? Why do we not trust God with each day? This by no way means carelessness or simply going with the flow of each day. No. Each day is a spiritual battle, a war. Our whole heart must be given to God and nothing less. Trust in Him wholeheartedly and nothing less.

The Fragility of Life and the Vanity of the World

As I said earlier, I wanted to remind each other that our lives can turn around in mere seconds. As teens, we usually think that we’ve certainly got plenty of time left on earth, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

We take His grace for granted. Each breath we take is only by His grace. Things that we have no control over can change our lives. Things we have absolutely no power over, not us or any other man on earth. We arrogantly think that we are strong and knowledgeable enough to lead our own lives. We have so little insight, so why do we still insist on choosing our own way? Why do we refuse to follow and submit to God?

Things like the pandemic have shown us just how weak we are, but even after seeing that, we still choose to follow our own self, pleasures and plans. It is foolish to lead our own life for our selfish desires, and our lives will be in vain. 

As written in Psalm 1 — those who follow their own counsel, those who are content with dwelling in sin and wickedness will blow away like chaff. Their lives lead to nothing, and they will not stand in judgement, as the only way that road leads to is complete destruction. When this world is gone, what will be left? If God were to call on you now and ask you about your life, what could you say? Do not frolic in your sins, but repent and beg God for His mercy. 

What will you do?

Fellow teens, plead to God that He may open your eyes to turn them to Him and that He may reveal to you a glimpse of His glory, that you may see His greatness and almighty power, that you can truly taste His goodness for yourself, PERSONALLY. God and me. God and you. 

So, will you follow Him? Will you give your whole heart and your whole life to Him? To not look back, to have no regrets and to walk with Him from now until forevermore.

Where is your heart right now? Pray, that God may reveal it to you and that you may know your heart and just how much we all need God. 

Cling to God as your one and only hope in this unsteady world. Put your faith in Him, and keep praying. Always. 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Your sister in Christ – Samantha