Shattered Dreams Notes Cont…

Larry talks about similiar feelings when we see God as merely a means to an end, an object to be used, never a lover to be enjoyed. So when things don’t go our way, the prayers go unanswered, we feel betrayed, let down, thoroughly disillusioned.

Going to church, reading the bible, worship, none of it seems to help.

For me, it wasn’t so much that but more on me, I started to think I have completely missed God. I am way off the beaten path, though I have surrendered, submitted to Him, somewhere along the lines, I’ve blown it. Either you are mad at yourself or God, both ways are completely missing what God is trying to get over to us.

Questions:

How then shall we live?
What can we do? How are we to find hope when God’s kindness hurts, when bad things happen that God could have prevented?
How do we trust God who gives us a convenient place to park the day after we’re told our loved one’s tumor is malignant?

I think the next paragraph he writes needs to be put completely in here:

“If we are to discover a hope that continues through shattered dreams, that hope must be available to everyone regardless of their circumstances. We must find a hope available to sick people, poor people, lonely people, unnoticed people. And it must be the same hope we offer to healthy, rich people with lots of friends and talent. We must discover a hope tha thrives when dreams shatter, when sickness advances and poverty worsens and loneliness deepens and obscurity continues, the same hope that anchors us to God when dreams do come true.

It’s harder to discover our desire for God when things go well. We may think we have, but more often all we’ve found is our desire to use God, not to enjoy Him. Shattered dreams are the truest blessings; they help us discover our true hope. But can take a long, dark time to discover it.

We must identify a hope that has the power to do something truly wonderful when the dark night descends and we see nothing but pain and disappointment in this life, a hope that does exactly the same thing when the sky is sunny.”

As I read the first paragraph here, one thing that was always in mind regarding some of the teachings I have had in the past was.. If it’s really Gods will to prosper and bless us, then why do so many of His children suffer so needlessly? And I remember reading the book by Chuck Swindoll on Paul and how Paul sufferered so much. I mean, according to so many teachers today, they would say Paul didn’t have much faith because if he did, he wouldn’t have suffered so much.

So many teachings in today’s church revolve around on how much God can make our life better which isn’t the case. I like what my pastor says.. “When you get saved, you get a bullseye on your chest.” As I tell others, it’s not that my problems and trials go away, heck, sometimes they may increase, but it’s how we handle them because they are no longer ours but Gods.

So what is this hope? Does it exist? Heaven is our ultimate hope. Larry goes onto say without heaven as our hope, Christianity offers nothing, basically its some good ethics to follow.

This reminds me of another good book, by John Bevere, Driven by Eternityy. Both points are we have to keep our eyes on the ultimate prize, which is heaven.

Are you heavenly or earthly minded?

Are you fixing your things above or are you too worried about tomorrow. Remember what Jesus said about tomorrow.

I know, easier said than done. But that comes back to a teaching on grace, which is Christ in us and Christ living through us. So how do we quit worry about the cares of this world. Simple, you go to God and ask for Him to do something. Abide in Him and the fruit of peace will be working in us but remember this….It’s Jesus working in us, not us trying to produce the fruit.

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