GOD CAN BE TRUSTED EVEN WHEN YOU ARE DROWNING IN THE SEAS OF CRISIS
- Key Verse
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)
READ THE CHAPTER
Central Truth
This doxology flows from the thankful heart of Paul. He points out that God's knowledge is limitless, He needs no human counselors, owes no man anything, and yet we owe Him our all. Everything is about God, not us. He is the creator, the sustainer, and the One worthy of all praise.
Reflections
As I remember the tears and hopelessness surrounding Philip's birth, I now realize God can be trusted in all circumstances. My life changed forever on December 20, 1982, when my son Philip was born two months premature. He had seizures that caused his breathing and heart to stop. On December 26, he had heart surgery. He experienced a brain bleed soon afterward. We next learned he was born without part of his brain. Nurses taught us infant CPR and warned us we would be using it often. After two months in the hospital, he went home on a heart monitor. "Why him, Lord?" "Where are you, God?" "Why me?" These questions haunted me day and night through endless periods of despair.
If you are experiencing the "Why me?" questions, this passage offers encouragement and assurance of why God can be trusted.
In each verse of this passage, we can discover why God is faithful and trustworthy.
Verse 33: God knows everything. He can change chaos into beauty and order. (Colossians 2:2-3)
Verse 34: God needs no counselors. He is totally competent! (Isaiah 40:13-14)
Verse 35: We can't give God anything that He doesn't already own. (Job 41:11)
Verse 36: Everything that exists has its beginning in God, is carried out by God, is through God and for God, with its goal to glorify God. (Isaiah 42:8; Romans 8:28-29)
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever experienced a problem that God couldn't solve? Explain.
2. Have you ever asked God "Why me?" Did God answer your question? If He did, how?
3. Can God be trusted when tragedy or sorrow overwhelms you? How?
4. If you applied this passage to your life, how would your life be different?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
Romans 8-12 (June 4-9)
Read Romans 12:1-8.
* What does it mean to be a living sacrifice to God?
* How does this show your worship of Him?
* In what ways are you tempted to copy the "patterns of this world"?
* What does it mean to let God transform (change) the way you think? (Read as a family 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Galatians 5:22-26.)
* The Scripture says we all have something that is useful for the church body, what is that "something" in your life?
* Do you know what your gifts and abilities are?
* How can you use these to bring glory to God?
Activity: Get two pieces of blank paper for every person. On the first piece of paper, draw the earth. Within the earth, write or draw the things that represent the "patterns of this world" (examples: being all about money, popularity, success, grades, wearing inappropriate clothes to be "cool," etc.).
On the second piece of paper, draw a bowl of fruit and write all the ways you can be transformed by God changing you.
Lamp
June 7, 2012 04:37 AM
"GOD CAN BE TRUSTED EVEN WHEN YOU ARE DROWNING IN THE SEAS OF CRISIS" I should have that tattooed inside my eyelids so I am constantly reminded of this! But in the mean time your Journey will have to suffice, thank you for this and for reminding me that this is not about me but about HIM! Great Job!!
Richard Hoppers
June 7, 2012 05:07 AM
John, Thanks for the reminder of how great our God is and without Him there are no answers to the problems we face in this life. Thanks for your friendship and your dedication to service for the Lord. Blessings, Richard
Jim Wimberley
June 7, 2012 07:22 AM
Thanking God with you John that "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17 May all of us on The Journey praise and honor the Lord regardless of our circumstances. Praying that the Lord guides you as you teach the Mighty Men in the Making tonight. Jim
Marc
June 7, 2012 07:52 AM
John, it's nice to see your smiling face this morning. I'm blessed by your example of trust in the One who is indeed worthy of all praise.
kelly alvey
June 7, 2012 07:52 AM
John, so greatful that God knows everything, sees everything, and is in complete control. You, Nelda & Phillip are a blessing to our family, camp just wouldn't be the same without you guys!
Paul
June 7, 2012 08:30 AM
Great thoughts John - Thank You! I appreciate your unique insight on this passage and the meaningful way you bring it to life for me/us to apply in our own lives.
Bobby Crotty
June 7, 2012 08:54 AM
John, always love your Journey devos. "[D]rowning in the seas of crisis"? God "can change chaos in beauty and order." Those are memorable lines. Love how you live out the truth that God can be trusted. Grateful for your friendship and to see your red scooter racing around Watermark often! BC
Lee Danis
June 7, 2012 09:01 AM
Bless you John for a beautiful devotional and heart sharing experience. Philips birth had the potential of wrecking you and Nelda or bringing you closer to the Lord. Praising God that the latter happened and you now can bring hope to others facing difficult circumstances. Please say high to Nelda for me and tell her Susan is doing well.
Elaine Word
June 7, 2012 09:10 AM
Greetings to you, John, in the name of the LORD! How great, how marvelous, how divine are the works of the Lord. Your testimony is powerful, and your devotional is a story of triumph and faith, a story of encouragement for us to hold on to in times of CRISIS. You did not tell us the outcome of all the health issues that Phillip went through from infancy on, but you did state at your introduction that Phillip is usually at the doors with you every Sunday to greet people. That tells us, even the ones, like me, that are not there in person to meet and greet him, that the Lord brought you, your wife, and Phillip, through YOUR Jordan. He carried you to dry land, to life on the other side. He made a Way for you. I see this trial as a "GIANT stone of remembering" how He brought you through the waters of CRISIS. Phillip may have gone through more at birth than most any other child, but he made it through the waters of CRISIS to life on the other side, and that alone is an amazing testimony. That you and Phillip serve the Lord in a ministry together is awesome... father and son serving side by side is an precious "picture" of unity, a glimpse of what Jesus prayed for when He prayed, "Make them one, as You and I are one..." Now, add to the picture, a child that suffered so greatly at birth. Incredible! Thank you, John, for sharing this portion of your journey with us, and thank God for carrying you, your wife, and your son through the waters of CRISES to the other side. We do not know the "Whys" of it all, but we do know the "God" of it all, and He is Good. He is our Promise Land, and there is hope for all that go through the waters of CRISIS... to Him. Bless you and your family.
Bobbie
June 7, 2012 09:34 AM
Thank you, John, for this touching and honest devotional. Thank you, too, for the reminders of who God is.
Debbie
June 7, 2012 11:00 AM
John, I do see you greeting everyone on Sunday! You do that well! Thank you for this reminder that God is in every detail of our lives and wants us to remember that! He is always there to walk with us through the good times as well as the bad.
Sue Bohlin
June 7, 2012 12:38 PM
John, your red power wheelchair gives you the ultimate in "street cred" for your devo on crises and trials!! I loved that you chose the rich doxology as your key verse. When we can't see what God is doing through our crises and trials, all we CAN do is rest in His unsearchable judgments and unfathomable ways. . . By the way, when we have to park far from the sanctuary, I use my red mobility scooter. We should race in the lobby some day! *grin*