HOLY WEIRDNESS - PART 2 “From Bitter to Better: God’s Power to Heal and Protect His People”
“GOD SEES, PROVIDES, AND PROTECTS”
2 Corinthians 4:6-10 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
Jesus is the light in the darkness. When we accept His sacrifice and ask Him to make our heart His home, His light rests inside of our fragile shells, like clay jars. Even though we are fragile containers of this great light, the light gives us strength to sustain through the hardest of times. This strength is the power of God inside of us. It is this power that provides and protects.
2 Chronicles 16:7-9 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. 8 Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians[c] and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers?[d] At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. 9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.
Let us not be like King Asa, who forgot of God’s prior faithfulness and rescue. God sees beyond our actions and knows whether our hearts are committed to Him or not. It is when our hearts are fully committed to the Lord that His strength fully becomes ours to wield.
Psalm 33:18 18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
As believers, our trust needs to be in God alone. Nothing escapes His notice. Nothing surprises Him. He sees it all, even what we cannot see with our human eyes. We can rely on His unfailing love to rescue us and have an assurance that absolutely nothing can take us out of His hands. Remember, the fear the psalmist speaks of here refers to a reverence for God’s power and authority over all things.
IS YOUR RELIANCE ON GOD ALONE, OR DO YOU STILL LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING? CAN YOU RECALL A SITUATION WHERE YOU RELIED SOLELY ON GOD TO SEE YOU THROUGH? HOW WERE YOU STRENGTHENED AS A RESULT OF YOUR HEART BEING FULLY COMMITTED TO HIM?
Psalm 147:5 5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension.
God knows and sees all. He has dominion over everything, He sees our future, so we can trust Him when and where He leads us.
Psalm 139:7-12 7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
There is nowhere that we can escape God’s presence and protection. Let this fill us with confidence that we are safe and have His strength to see us through whatever circumstances might come our way. Even in darkness we cannot hide from His love.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
God sees everything as it is. Nothing escapes His notice. Can you think of a time that you were prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something that did not make sense to you, but that you later saw how God had been working things out?
Read Acts 8:26-40.
Can you see from this passage why it is so important to be obedient to God’s promptings?
Share with your small group of a time that God used you to meet someone where they were, or where He used someone else to meet you in a time of need.
God is the author of transformation from bitter to better but often wants us to be active participants in this process. Have you had the chance to experience this type of transformation?
Read Isaiah 61.
Identify 4 of the ways that God brings transformation in this passage. Which one stands out the most?
Can you think of another example in Scripture where we see how God transforms?
Take five minutes to really consider what it means to you that God’s power is absolute and His understanding beyond comprehension. Name one emotion evoked by the knowledge we can never escape from God’s presence.
Write out a prayer thanking God for the depth of His love for you, that He is always readily accessible, no matter the circumstance. Share with a trusted friend or your small group.
Go back and re-read 2 Corinthians 4:8-10. Reflect on verse 10 and write out in your own words what that means to you.
Practice gratitude this week for how God sees, provides, protects, and transforms His people. Lean into that Holy Weirdness, embracing the creative ways that God works things out for your good and His glory!
