The Revelation of God

Most people don’t have an accurate view of the Lord. I’m not saying this to put myself on a pedestal or act like I know everything there is to know about God; I certainly don’t and am learning more about His character and nature daily. To be honest, what I thought I knew gets challenged all the time. Those of us who are in Christ and have the Holy Spirit are all on a journey. 

Some grew up in a legalistic church, maybe some were deeply hurt by the church, or maybe others were never really exposed to the gospel at all. If we view God as angry, distant, and waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us – that will directly affect how we live. If we start to get a revelation of how GOOD He is, then we’ll want to run to Him. Despite everyday circumstances, God is really using both motherhood AND marriage to teach me more about Him. How practical is He? haha

One thing is promised; we will go through trials. I don’t always know the why, but here is what I do know; God is sovereign. We live in a fallen world. Jesus promised us trouble in this life. Suffering helps to sanctify us and make us look like Christ. Whether God allows things or causes them, we have no choice but to rest in the fact that God loves us and is working all things for our ultimate good, even if that good means we don’t see it until eternity. 

I’ve been through some storms as I’ve been walking with Jesus. I’ve said things like “How could you let this happen?” “I prayed about this and you led me here KNOWING this was going to happen!” But I’m reminded that God’s plans and purposes are bigger than ours.

I don’t have it worked out perfectly. I struggle with the double minded battle between my flesh and spirit. When I learn who God is and lean into THAT, I can have assurance and hope in the midst of my battles. Battles and storms sanctify us and help us to be relatable.

God is a good good Father.

The things that seem bad to my toddler are ultimately working for her good. I’m a parent who just wants the best for my child. I love her unconditionally and only want the best for her. I would do ANYTHING for her. She is my child and there is NOTHING she could do that would make me not love her. Even when she misbehaves, I want to teach her, bless her, and help her grow. I want to raise her in the truth. I know what will help her to thrive and what won’t. When she’s hungry, I will ALWAYS feed her. She will never have to worry about not having her needs met. I even want to provide MORE than her needs; I want to bless her with her wants. But only the wants that will help her- not be a detriment. 

God loves us even more. According to Matthew 7:11 we are evil compared to God. I have to remind myself that when I go through the “yuck”, God is my good Father who has me in the palm on His hand. When “bad” things happen it feels like He has abandoned us. A good Father doesn’t do that. When we make mistakes and fall into sin, He corrects us and disciplines us. There’s a big difference between discipline and punishment. The problem is, we’ve been raised by human parents who have their own hurts and issues- all humans are imperfect. We usually know punishment when we mess up. Punishment focuses on making a child suffer for breaking the rules. Discipline is about teaching him how to make a better choice next time. God wants to help us make better choices next time. We can rest in our loving Father. He has us. 

Jesus shows us who He is through Biblical and covenantal marriage 

The world, and even some in the church, views marriage as a contract. A contract is based on mutual distrust and limits your responsibilities. A covenant is binding and permanent- it increases your responsibilities. It says “even if you don’t hold up your end of the deal I’ll hold up mine.” A contract is a way out so that when needs and expectations aren’t met you can bail. 

Let me tell you, if I viewed my marriage as a contract I would have left a long time ago. If it wasn’t for a revelation of Christ, I would never be this forgiving. If you’ve been married for any length of time you’ll know what I’m talking about. 

My husband and myself are two people in Christ who have their own issues and hurts. Unfortunately, hurt people hurt people. Sometimes they still have open wounds that continue to bleed on others. My husband and I have both “bled” on one another from our past. The beauty of marriage is that the marriage covenant shows us the glory of God. Two imperfect human sinners loving each other through their brokenness. It’s the love of God that transforms us. We don’t always want to love our spouse through their issues. But how can we expect transformation without love? We have to remember that we can’t withhold truth at the expense of love. We also cannot enable abusive or destructive behavior. But we continue to grow in truth and love. God doesn’t leave us or forsake us when we mess up. He loves us despite our sins and flaws. He is committed to our growth and transformation despite it all. He forgives us over and over for the same issues, knowing our hearts and motives. In our human condition, we want to give up and walk away when things get hard. We don’t want to love someone through their flaws. When they don’t meet our expectations or hurt us, we say we deserve better. But that’s not the nature of Christ. I’m so glad He shows me His unconditional love, His forgiveness, and His want for my growth and sanctification. He never leaves us or gives up on us. Because of this, I can show the same grace to my husband. I am also letting you know I’m not judging you if you are divorced. This isn’t mean to shame anyone. But through having to love my husband unconditionally and to forgive over and over, God is showing me how He loves us and is committed to us. 

I wrote about Hosea in a prior blog post. God is constantly chasing us down with His love. Covenant doesn’t give up. Most people can’t see who God is through their own marriage because we withhold forgiveness and divorce because of irreconcilable differences. Even in cases of infidelity and adultery- there can be forgiveness and restoration if we trust in God and allow Him to work. 

Despite what we see. Despite what you are going through right now. God is good. He is a providing and loving Father. He has your best interest in mind. He is working all things for good even when you cannot see it. Lastly, He is committed to you- no matter how many times you mess up. He is committed to you despite your sins and character flaws. He is committed to you you when you are unfaithful. He is committed to you in the good, the bad, and the ugly.

He is good. He is truth. He is love. Thank you Jesus.