God will rescue you!

Have you ever sat in a busy area and taken a good look around at the people moving around you?  Have you ever wondered what their stories are or what burdens they carry with them? 

I do this often, probably every day.  When I am standing in line I will often wonder if the people around me know the love of God.  If they are content in their lives and understand that they don’t have to walk in such pain every day. 

We are taught, or most of us are taught, to hide our feelings, to mask our pain.  A lot of people are not allowed or encouraged to vocalize their worries, fears, anger or concerns.  Even things that make people happy, they generally don’t share them with each other.  When someone asks you how your day is and you’re having a good day, you tend to say its ok; instead of I am having a great day!

We have become so sensitive to the other persons feelings that we are blocking our own.  We are inhibiting our own emotions for fear that we might upset the person or persons we are speaking too. 

I personally don’t think this is a good idea. 

I don’t think we should wallow and become self-indulgent in our pain but we should be able to share it with people who love and care about us.  We should be able to say, no, I am not having a great day; this is what happened, can you pray with me about this, or for me about this.  When you hold your emotions inside they begin to fester and I believe this gives the enemy a foot to stand on.  He can take your emotions and twist them whether they are negative or positive.  He can use your way of trying to protect other people as a way to attack yourself. 

We are meant to share, commune with not only God but each other.  That’s why we have churches.  Church is a gathering place for people who want to draw closer to God, and do that around like minded people. 

In Acts 16:18-29 If Paul and Silas had decided to keep their feelings and emotions to themselves we would never have seen the blessing that happened in verse 30.

(30) And he brought them out (of the dungeon) and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?

This verse is in reference to the fact that Paul and Silas were praising God in the dungeon and God sent an earthquake to free them, and after the foundation was shaken their shackles were broken off of them, and all the doors were opened.  The jailer, who is speaking in verse 30, takes his sword to end his life, fearing that all the prisoners had escaped.  Paul yells out to the jailer, no, don’t kill yourself, we are all still here.

If Paul and Silas were quiet about their love for God and Jesus, and had continued to ignore the slave girl, they would never have found themselves in the dungeon.  They would have never been able to show the jailer the grace, mercy and love of God.

When we as Christians show the people around us that we too have bad days, meh days and good days, we are showing them that we are just like them but and it’s a big BUT we have a savior who will lead us out of the situations. 

If we suppress our feelings and life’s challenges and rewards we are not giving God the opportunity to work through us.   We are in fact joining the rest of the world and numbing ourselves to get through the day.

We are not meant to be numb and we are not meant to just get through the day.  We are meant to glorify God and what He is doing in our lives.  So maybe you have had a string of bad days, well so have I, but we have the hope that people who don’t know Jesus don’t have.  We can say, yeah, I have had some pretty bad days lately, but thank God I know that He is working everything out for my good.   I know that God will take care of whatever is happening in my life and I trust Him to make a way out of this.

You see every situation can glorify God.  You can be locked in a dungeon like Paul and Silas, or feel like you are locked in a dungeon, and show God throughout your struggle to the nonbelievers around you, and then when God makes a way out of the struggle they will see the victory God has given to you, and hopefully, want to know Him intimately.

We have the opportunity as God’s hands and feet in this world to stand out to the people around us, to bring light into their dark worlds.  We have the opportunity to show them that we have the same problems as they do, but we have a God who will carry the burdens for us…and they can have Him too.

We are here to be like Paul and Silas and have the jailers asking us what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved!!