{"id":29534,"date":"2021-01-12T03:30:54","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T11:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=29534"},"modified":"2021-01-11T21:18:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T05:18:45","slug":"january-12-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2021\/01\/12\/january-12-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"January 12, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we have, yet without sin.”\u00a0<\/em>Hebrews 4:15<\/p>\n

Gritty Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Personally, I have a list of questions a mile long for the Lord when I see Him. I\u2019m an analyzer of analyzers and a wannabe-sleuth. As a kid, I even called myself a “private investigator” (ha ha), and believe me, I investigated everything<\/em>. This isn\u2019t such a bad quality really, but it has caused some turmoil, too. Like recently, when early one morning, I dragged myself out of bed in a ton of pain, and ambled out the garage door to take a look at the sky. It wasn\u2019t quite light outside, but I had questions, boy, did I have questions.<\/p>\n

As I watched the twinkling stars, and thought about my Maker, with a hint of sarcasm, I spouted, “Why, I bet You\u2019ve never even had\u00a0<\/em>relentless back issues, have You?” I sniveled.\u00a0 “This is just too much to take. And furthermore, I don\u2019t know why, why, why\u00a0<\/em>I have to go through this!” I was tired of the pain<\/em>, tired of altering my lifestyle to accommodate the pain<\/em>, tired of thinking in terms of pain\u00a0<\/em>and how pain\u00a0<\/em>controlled my life.<\/p>\n

Surprised? Shocked that a veteran Christian can still have a gritty tirade in front of Jesus? Well, don\u2019t be. You\u2019re probably a nicer, better representation of the Christian lifestyle than me, but I\u2019m getting old, you know, and, well, that\u2019s no real excuse.<\/p>\n

Making my way back into the house, I fumbled around in the semi-light trying not to wake my husband. I hadn\u2019t had my coffee; maybe that\u2019s what was wrong with me. I\u2019m pretty sure nobody can act respectably without a morning jolt of caffeine.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it seems like the Lord is so s-l-o-w in answering questions. At other times, BAM! There it is. I went out to my mailbox later that day, and pulled out a piece of mail from The Daily Bread\u00a0<\/em>Ministries. I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes when I saw the booklet inside by Bill Crowder, titled, Man of Sorrows, How Jesus Understands Our Pain and Offers Us Comfort.<\/em>\u00a0What?! The back of the booklet was plastered with bold lettering: “JESUS UNDERSTANDS YOUR PAIN.<\/strong>” Really? I hadn\u2019t ordered this booklet so why did it just happen\u00a0<\/em>to show up on the very day I\u2019d questioned God about my pain? Oh, the mysteries of God!<\/p>\n

I immediately felt a quickening in my spirit and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt God heard me. He even knew ahead\u00a0<\/em>of time when I\u2019d need to see it in print that He understood me, my frustrations, my pouting and shouting and just everything<\/em>. Oh, He is mighty! Oh, He is so far beyond anything I can even wrap my head around!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll always have questions; that\u2019s just me. Maybe you have questions too. But we can take it to the bank that He understands and doesn\u2019t condemn us for our “human-ness,” our frailty, or our lack of understanding. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(John 3:17).<\/p>\n

Dear Jesus, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised when You move heaven and earth (and even mailmen) to deliver answers. How we thank You! How we love You! Amen!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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