Love and Faith

So I’m sitting here really thinking about my relationship with God. I’m comparing it to my relationship with other people, with things, with life in general. I look around and I realize how much God has blessed my life and how often I really, truly thank him for all he is, for all he’s done and for his everlasting love and grace… Unfortunately I don’t do it often enough. I can freely worship God how I please, I can freely speak openly about God, I don’t have to wonder if I am going to get arrested for speaking about my relationship with God  with someone at Wal-mart, (even though it does seem like we are moving this direction.) My life is blessed beyond measure, even though you may not be able to tell from the outside. I’m pretty much un-employed, I don’t have a car, I don’t have a girlfriend, I don’t have many things that the “world” measures to claim we are blessed or wealthy. But I tell you once more, I am blessed BEYOND measure! I have a REAL personal relationship with the one true living God, I can tell him anything and not be in fear of judgment from him, or be in fear he may strike me down for what I have done, instead he loves me through it. I am blessed by a wonderful family! One that I am blessed to be the oldest of, blessed to help lead (even though I fail more often than not.) I am blessed to have a family who loves and supports me through it all! I have friends that are simply amazing! Beautiful souls who have helped me through life and its struggles, through its ups and downs, through thick and thin. God more recently has blessed me with even more friends who I know will be there for me and be more like family than just simple acquaintances. I think that’s the most beautiful thing about my friends, they truly aren’t just friends, many friends are merely just acquaintances because of the way society has “deemed” a “friend.” A friend is always there for you, loves you no matter what, just like family! My friends are my family! I love each and every one of them with all my heart . I couldn’t ask for a better family! They are simply great! The beautiful things about my family are that new people are always arriving! Always coming and wanting to become a part of my family and I becoming part of theirs! I’m not blessed with a bunch of money, I’m not blessed with an awesome job, but what I am blessed with no man can ever pay for! No man can ever compare to what I have! And the most important of all of these things, the thing that holds it all together, is my relationship with my Savior Jesus Christ! Because of him, because of him everything else works together! Letting him lead me by still waters is oh so easy to do, we are hand in hand admiring the beauty our Father created for us, however when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, how often do we forget he is still there. How often do we forget he is there leading us just like he was leading us by the still waters. When things are easy and blessed we know he is there, but when things become dark and scarce, we begin to ask where he is, what his plan is for us, we doubt he cares for us during this time, we are scared and lonely. With all of that being said let’s look at Matthew 27 while Jesus is being led by the hand through the Valley of the shadow of death. He is being led to his demise, he is being led to his death, his crucifixion on the cross. He must have felt the hand of his Father leave him, he must have felt all alone, with literally all the weight of the sins of the entire world on his shoulders.  If we jump to verse 46 it says Jesus cried out in a LOUD voice “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI” translated to “My God, My God, why hast though forsaken me?” He was quoting Psalms 22 when David is crying out to God for help, for God to hear his voice and deliver and help him. In verses 6-11 he says “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh at me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. I was cast upon there from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.” Looking at and reading Psalms 22, seeing what Jesus was quoting it brings how much mental anguish and pain he was going through. He was literally in the darkest place any man, woman or child has ever been. For God judged him for ALL of our sins, for every defilement that ever took place, God’s wrath and his anger was poured out upon Jesus while he hung on the cross. Let that sink in for a second, really understand and look at what was going on during this time. Let it sink in. Have you ever felt like your sins are just too much? That God has turned from you, that he turned his back to you? Multiply this feeling by millions, imagine not being able to see God in anything, feel him in anything. You can’t imagine it, that’s the thing. The Bible says in Psalms 19 “That the heavens declare the Glory of God, and the earth shows his handy work.” We can see God in everything, we can feel his love in everything. We are not absent from God ever, not even for a split second, He is always there and he loves us. I chose to wake up this morning and thank God for all I have, to thank him for who he is and what he has done and what he is going to do. You have a choose to live life unfulfilled, and not thankful, looking at all the evil and bad in life, when you could be admiring the beautiful artwork God has placed before us, to show us how much he truly desire’s our hearts, how much he truly desire’s us to meet and commune with him. He is always there and is always waiting for you to speak with him like your best friend. That’s what he desires of us, to be intimate with him, to share our deepest fears, our deepest hurts, our deepest thoughts, our most incredible feats, what makes us happy, what makes us sad, no matter what you think, God is there and he is listening to you because he loves and cares for you! Having faith in something even though we may not be able to see or feel it around us and still love in the darkest times when our faith is dwindling, is such a powerful thing when put into our spiritual walk. God has faith we will share these intimate moments in our lives with him, he loves us even when we are nowhere to be found. He desires your heart, will you give it to him?