Pillars are the things you hold on to when your foundations are being shaken. In the midst of the pain and tears sometimes they are hard to see, but believe me they are there. Here from my experience is my story, and its my prayer that my sharing may help you know how to hold on when everything is shaking.
We are living in a time of great upheaval. All around us we can see even the steadiest and the strongest of people, places, and things we know being shaken. So what do we do about what we see and experience? What are we to think? How do we stand in the midst of all this?
It is during these times when the winds of life blow against your beliefs and understandings that we discover that only what is unshakeable remains. What is left in the aftermath of a nightmarish storm once the dust settles or the waters recede is not rooted in education, knowledge, or any type of human experience. The remains are supernatural. They are in the realm of the Spirit. They come from Divinity and therefore have no human explanation on earth.
When we walk in those things that have been given to us in the Spirit, we are walking in the simple nature of a Supernatural God.
God hints at these things in scripture:
1 Cor 2:9 says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Eph 3:20a says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…”
Right now I am standing in a hurricane of painful and overwhelming circumstances of my own. No need to explain in detail because all over the world people are experiencing their own personal Hurricane Katrina, but if it could be measured by the National Weather Service, rest assured it would be a storm of catastrophic proportions – a Category 4 or 5. On the surface, from the human perspective, it is easy to merely see the heart wrenching devastation, but among the rubble lay the unshakable things, those things that have withstood the storm.
When Everything is Shaking Remember!
Here, for His Glory and your edification are my remaining Pillars;
1. The Lord Jesus Christ paid the full price at the Cross. I need not add anything to His sacrifice to stand in His favor or to get Him to move on my behalf. Dont let people talk you into so type of works!
2. God loves me. He is passionately pursuing my heart. In Him is the satisfaction of all my longings. When I don’t feel Him or want Him its OK He understands like a good Father.
3. God is good and His ultimate destination for me is good even though the paths on which He leads me make little or no sense to me as I go. Always remember we are not God therefore His ways are much higher than ours.
4. My assessment of where I am on this road is limited by my human ideas (perception) of success, the opinion of others, and the nearness of my present fellowship with Him. I cannot trust my feelings or human opinion, but I can trust in my Creator. Tough times is no place to try and measure or come up to others expectations. Rest in The Finisher of your Faith!
5. By the Blood of Jesus I have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of His beloved Son (the Kingdom of Light). The enemy (Satan) and his demons cannot operate in my life without the express permission of the Lord and only then to bring about His purposes for my life. Trust in His Sovereignty by faith if not by past experience!
6. The Lord never said that “Bad” things would not happen to “Good” people. He said that in the end “All” things when added together (the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) would work together for good to those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose. When I stand before Him on that Day, the word “Tragedy” will not be used to describe the final outcome of my life here on earth!
Who can question the Master Artist when he uses the darker brush strokes on the canvas of our life while He is in the process of designing a masterpiece?
Eph 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT)
7. Finally, while the outside man is wasting away, the day I was born again my Spirit man stepped into eternal life. The things of this world are of no eternal value. The Lord will not withhold any good thing from me and has no problem with me enjoying the fruit of my labor and the good things of earth. I am a pilgrim here. I am just passing through. I am not to get attached to anything except Him who has attached Himself to me.
1 Peter 1:7 says, ” that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ..”
Martin Luther said: “Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me… Amen”
Father God, For this and more I will praise you and I will worship before your people all the days of my life.
Editors Note:
I wrote this 8/26/10 the day before my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter with Leukemia went on to be with the Lord. She had languished in Wolfson’s Children s Hospital for 5 months. At least 5 times we had thought we had lost her in a pool of blood. We watched the chemicals alter her body and her speech. I saw the pain in my family who had done nothing but serve the Lord faithfully. We had interceded for the world, and now the world was interceding for us. In faraway countries like Africa and India, all night prayer vigils were kept for her life. I fasted and prayed for nights, but nothing was working. I had seen miracles come from my hands all over the world, and now I could do nothing for my own granddaughter. Finally, in a dream, the Father told me he would take her. I couldn’t understand, but I also couldn’t argue with the Voice that had guided me for over 25 years.
This article came out of the deepest part of my gut as I was reaching for bedrock to keep from going into depression.
Jose Bosque 10/31/2010
I encourage you today, Jose! Stand and having done all to stand, STAND! I’m in a storm myself. The difficulties we see around us are not aimed at any individual but at those who are seeking to establish a new form of body life.
The storms of life. Storms are not problems that show up and get resolved. The difference between problems, trials, difficulties and storms is that storms endure for a period of time. It may be days, weeks, or months with damage that lasts for years. Storms are usually made up of many problems that appear in our lives all at once. Storms cannot be fixed or resolved and forgotten. Storms leave damage – often devastating damage. Damaged lives must be restored, repaired, healed, and redeemed and this can take even more time. Problems come and go. Storms and their effects last for years.
In the later part of the last century, the church in America enjoyed a lot of favor. She flourished in the modern era. But now we have moved fully into the post-modern era and the peace and tranquility of the last season is all but forgotten. The church now finds herself in an era of decline, distrust, and big problems. I don’t think we are in the storm yet, but we can certainly see the storm clouds gathering. Our culture has turned against the church, her members are abandoning her, her pastors and priests are doing the unthinkable, the world is mocking her and she seems powerless to abate the gathering storm in anyway. She has only one shelter. Will she run to Him? Will she give up her self-righteousness and her haughtiness? Will she declare herself helpless and completely dependent on God?
Well, if she does any of the above, it will only be because her people – who are the church – begin to run to their Savior and King, give up their self-righteousness, love one another, and declare themselves helpless and completely dependent on their God. Now is not the time to hold on to the strength of an institution. Now is the time to throw ourselves on the grace of God and trust Him for the deliverance we need.
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