S06E002, Facing Your Problems, Andy B 2 Minute Video
S06E002, Facing Your Problems, Andy B 2 Minute Video
Have you ever prayed for something and waited for an answer from God - only for the answer not to be the one you really wanted. I know I have!
There’s an old story about a man who is stuck at the bottom of a cliff, with the sea threatening to drown him so He cries out to God. In the story God hears the prayer and sends a man in a boat, then a helicopter with a winch and finally a couple who spot the man while walking their dog who are willing to rescue that man.
Each time the man on the rocks refuses the help “because he is waiting for God to rescue him”.
The story continues that the man eventually drowns and, when he meets Peter in heaven, he demands to know why God did not rescue him - only to be told that God actually did send three rescuers...
If you’re crying to God for help, remember that he really did send a helper and His name is Jesus Christ: Jesus died a horrible death, some 2,000 years ago, for you and I in order that we can have a relationship with God, an assurance of our eternal destination and an overwhelming peace in this life. None of that was possible without the sacrifice Jesus made in laying His life down for others.
So, if you ask God for help, be willing to swallow your pride and take the help He offers. Because it may not be what you were hoping for. But, when God helps you, it will always be exactly what you need.
Just a thought...
Andy B
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Transcript
[00:00:00] Andy B: So another Andy B 2 Minute Video. Now, I wrote this quite a long time ago, and I just wanted to expand it a little bit on, this on this little thought for today. God helps us get through life's struggles, but God works within boundaries for our sake.
[00:00:25] I heard a long time ago about how God limits himself and I thought, that doesn't sound very good. God is limitless. He can do everything. And this person went on to say, no, no, God limits himself by working within the restrictions of space and time. Because if he didn't, we wouldn't be able to have the relationship that we do. It's not that God has to limit himself. He chooses to limit himself to space and time in order that we can be a part of his life, that we can enjoy who God is.
[00:00:56] But God works within boundaries for our sake, not [00:01:00] because he's limited or he's somehow not capable, but he does that in order to have that relationship with us. And that means boundaries that God works within them, boundaries for us to work in as well. If you look at Scripture, it's not a list of do's and don'ts, it's boundaries about how to get the most out of life, how to live a peaceful life.
[00:01:21] Not how to get the best stuff for yourself. That's not the Christian message. It's not about getting money and fame and power. There are many, many false teachers around who are trying to get you to buy into their book and into their system, just to make themselves money. It's not about that. But God wants us to have a good life.
[00:01:39] What does that look like? Well, it probably doesn't look like you want or think it should. How many times have you ignored the help that God gives you to work within the boundaries that he's set? You ignore those boundaries. You ignore that help because God isn't giving you the help that you want, because you want him to eradicate the problem before you.
[00:01:56] You want him to take it away from you, so you can just get on with your life. [00:02:00] Here's the thing, God doesn't do that for our good. Isaiah 43 points this out to us. It says that God walks with us through the fire. He stands with us through the floods and the flames. He is there. He doesn't say, off you go. He's there with us.
[00:02:18] And 1 Kings chapter 19 verse 7 says this. Then the angel of the Lord returned for a second time and touched him. He said, Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you. God equips us for the journey ahead. He doesn't eradicate the journey. He can do. He can operate outside of space and time.
[00:02:34] He chooses to work within boundaries, and we need to choose to work within boundaries too, for our good. Don't reject the problems ahead of you. Trust that God's gonna walk through them with you. Just a thought