Category: Uncategorized

What is “true faith” in God?

Today’s Readings: Genesis 41-42; Mark 16

Great readings today in some of the most impactful chapters in the Bible.

One of my favorite Bible stories is about Joseph.  Not Joseph, Jesus’ Earthly “father,” Joseph the son of Jacob in the Old Testament.  Back in Genesis chapter 37, we learned of the story of Joseph’s brothers jealousy and hatred for him, due to the favoritism and love that their father, Jacob, showed for him.  As a result, the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they would never see him again.

Fast forward to chapter 41, Joseph rose from slavery to be the chief of Pharaoh’s business affairs because he was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Essentially, Joseph predicted the coming famine and saved the Egyptian people and Pharaoh’s kingdom. By saving grain and food during seven years of extreme prosperity, Joseph was able to preserve the kingdom during seven years of famine.

During the famine, Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to buy grain to save their families from starvation, not knowing it was their brother, who they betrayed, that they were asking for help.  The beauty of the story is that rather that rebuke, punish, or kill his brothers, Joseph’s faith in God helped him have mercy on them and ultimately reunited him with his father and family.

Mark 16, arguably one of Christian’s most meaningful books in the Bible, chronicles the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb, as well as His appearances before his followers.  After the despair and horrible crucifixion of their Savior, the disciples and followers were able to experience the true meaning of faith when Jesus rose from the dead, just as He predicted He would.  At the moment they saw Jesus again, FAITH had true meaning to the disciples and His followers.

This caused me to ask the question “What is true faith in God?” How do we stay strong when times are difficult or push us to fall away from God?  Here are my thoughts on true faith in God.

  1. Trust and Confidence: Faith involves trusting in God’s existence and relying on His guidance, even in times of uncertainty or difficulty.
  2. Belief in the Unseen: Faith requires a belief in aspects of the divine that may not be directly observable or scientifically proven. It goes beyond empirical evidence and involves a spiritual conviction.
  3. Devotion and Obedience: Faith is often expressed through devotion to God and a willingness to follow His teachings and commandments. It involves a commitment to living a life aligned with our beliefs, even though it may be very difficult and require sacrifice.
  4. Hope and Assurance: Faith brings a sense of hope and assurance in the promises of God. It involves confidence in the ultimate goodness, wisdom, and sovereignty of God, even in the face of life’s challenges.
  5. Relationship with God: Faith is not merely an intellectual acknowledgment but also involves a personal relationship with God. This relationship is nurtured through prayer, worship, and spiritual practices.

Faith is hard.  We naturally want to respond to this world the way that our sinful minds push us.  Revenge, retribution, wish bad things on people, and the list goes on.  Faith is staying true to God’s Word in the face of extreme tribals.  Faith is staying the course when we have no idea if what we are doing will pay off.

I am a work in progress.  I know what I should do.  The challenge is to consistently do it.

Sound familiar?

Jealousy’s Counter-Effect

There was a recent conflict where on the surface, one person seemed to be in the wrong, and the other person was upset. Upon getting some more facts, the truth was that there were hidden motives. The accuser made it seem like he was the victim and he fought viciously and relentlessly to point out the faults (in front of others) in the other person and took no ownership in the dispute.

The real problem is that the accuser was jealous. He didn’t get his way in a prior dispute, and ever since, things have spiraled out of control for him. He wanted what the other person had: Power, authority, success, and influence. As in most jealousy situations, the more the accuser became jealous, the more he lost. He began to lose all of the things he had so bitterly sought after. The thing is that he could have had all of those things if he’d only gone about it the honest and loving way, yielding to the decisions that had been made, and owning up to his own mistakes and insecurities.

It is easy to write this story about another person but if we’re honest, we’ve all been jealous and the hard part is that we usually don’t see it, we are in denial, or try to justify our feelings. We can be prone to jealousy when we are insecure, comparing ourselves to others, wanting more no matter how much we have, or when we fear some kind of loss.

In Mark 15, Jesus is delivered to Pilate and “accused of many things” (v. 3). Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and eventually asked the priests what evil Jesus had done (v. 15). Pilate also knew their motive: Jealousy.

For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. (Mark 15:10)

The priests “stirred up the crowd” (v. 11) in order to gain momentum for their selfish desires. They wanted Jesus brought down so they could gain power, yet through their sin, they lost, and it is the same for us as we choose our way over God’s way. In jealousy and other sins, what we think we’ll gain, we lose. Fortunately, through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, sin has lost its power. The enemy lost so that we will be victorious as we are forgiven through the grace and mercy of Jesus.

Pray today for God to reveal any jealousy in your heart. I was convicted this week while focusing on these scriptures and I think if we’re all honest, jealousy is at the root of much of our frustration or anger.

Fear not though friends. In this chapter of false accusations, torture, mocking, pain, and death we can look forward to the next chapter: Sunday is coming. The stone will be rolled away. There is life, hope, and victory over death.

Keep Watch

Genesis 35-37, Psalm 12, Mark 14

Today, in Mark 14, Jesus and the disciples are in the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus is distressed.  He knows the day has come.  This is it.  They are coming to take him away.  He knows his fate.  In his grief, he turns to prayer and additional support from Peter, James, and John.  Heading off on his own, he tells them to “keep watch.”  To keep watch means to be on guard.  To be alert.  But for what?  On guard for Judas, the betrayer?  On guard for an angry mob?  Not this time.  Jesus already knew he would be taken away.  He’s accepted his fate.  He wasn’t looking to guard against that. No, Jesus wanted them to “keep watch” so that they would not fall into temptation.

Normally, when I think about temptation, I think about cookies and ice cream.  But that’s too simple.  Temptation also shows up as gossip, complaining, jealousy, envy, lying, and cheating. Are these what Jesus wanted the disciples to “watch” for?  Not this time.  There are two major temptations that show up in times of crisis, doubt and distrust. 

Our first temptation when under self—preservation is doubting God’s power.  Imagine you are one of three people on a sinking ship and there are only two life preservers, what do you do?  Jesus says, “keep watch.”  We may also be tempted go doubt God’s provision.  Envision you and two others are on a deserted island.  You have a bag of rice that nobody knows about.  What do you do?  Jesus says, “keep watch.”  The temptation, of course, is to hoard resources.  That does not work in Jesus’ economy.  If we are keeping watch, we are guarding our hearts from these temptations.  A successfully heart,  has an outward focus of love rather than an inward focus of self.  To be like Jesus, we must “keep loving one another earnestly, and show hospitality” (1 Peter 4:8). Especially in a crisis.

We are in crisis mode far more than we realize.  They range frozen water lines, to chaos in Israel.  I hear Jesus calling us to “keep watch.”  Our response to today’s crisis is an opportunity for others to experience Jesus.  John 13:35 says it best, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 (NLT)

The Great Command

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

The greatest commandment.  Let’s go! We got this right.  It seems pretty simple: Love God! How am I doing, though?  How are you? I love Him, but do I truly believe, think, act, trust, and follow?

Let’s break it down a little and chew on it.

Love = Love with all my heart.  I think of things I love.  My wife, kids, family. Those whom I felt I needed to lay my life on the line for.  Do anything for the person.  John 15:13 2 Thessalonians 3:5

May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Soul = my consciousness, desires, and emotions.  Are my thoughts thinking about His promises? Do my desires of Him wake me up, keep me engaged, and allow me to lie down at night with a peace that only He can provide?  Psalm 62:1  Jeremiah 29:13

1 Truly, my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Mind = Where do my brain and thoughts go throughout the day? How do I remain inspired as the world attempts to pull us in different directions?  Can I remain less distracted?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24

Strength = Hah! What I have left, can I give it to Him? When the body wants to shut down or not get out of bed, can I keep myself going to praise Him another day?  Raise our arms as we praise, dropping to my knees as I pray.  With whatever we have, can we give it all for His glory?

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

The greatest commandment.  How can we all grow more obedient today? This year? Till He returns or He calls us home?

 

 

Traveling mercy

 

Today’s Reading :  Genesis 28-29; Mark 11 

”Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel,[d] but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, ‭11‬, ‭15‬-‭18 ‭ESV‬‬

”When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”“

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭29‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Over the winter break, my family and I had the blessing and opportunity to travel. My youngest daughter, Nadya, had her wish fulfilled from the Make-A-Wish organization, her wish was  to swim with dolphins. This wish has been in the process for over 13+ months. The wish and the organization are truly an amazing testament to their mission. 

Each child and their family experiences an opportunity to have a wish granted.  This is an opportunity to take you away from the highs and lows of medical procedures and medical visits that your family experiences.

The entire wish was spectacular. From the boarding of the first flight to the greetings at the airport to the hotel to the first waves on the beach to the dolphins and the luau. Nadya and our family was just filled with awe and joy.  We spent five amazing days in Hawaii and each day we learn something new about ourselves. We were able to experience the joy of God in everything.  While on our vacation, I read and meditated on the scriptures and passages for today.  When I read these texts and verses,  I allowed God to speak to me and allowed myself to be open to his amazing work. 

On our return trip from Hawaii back to the mainland, we were able to experience God‘s blessings in a different way. We were able to experience God‘s mercy and grace as we were traveling. The day before we were to leave the island, there were some unexpected airplane issues for the Alaskan airlines had to ground over 170 planes due to a mid air experience where the exit door came off. This created a ripple affect that would change our trajectory for returning home.  

When we checked in for our return flight home on January 8th, we were informed that our flight had been canceled and that the next available flight would be January 11th.  This was a high concern due to us home and making sure that we had access to medication for Ollie and his seizures.  I had to be a strong advocate for my family and my son.  I stood at the counter from 9am until 2 pm.  While at the counter I had a prayer continually playing in my mind to give me peace and allow me to see God’s work in this place.   

To see how God uses our everyday situations for his glory this is a true account of my experience.   After working diligently with Dawn, the ticketing agent, and Brandy, the gate agent supervisor another person literally showed up behind me.  I was taken aback for the moment and then God revealed himself.  The gentleman that came to me was named Reuben.  

Reuben was a higher level supervisor.   He had seen our family on his way into work at 9AM and recognized us as a Make-A-Wish family.  The current time was 1PM.   Rueben is a wish alumni and wanted to help us get home.   Within 30-45 minutes later,  Rueben had arranged a flight for the entire family to get home on the next day.  He had provided a hotel for us to stay at during the time.  Reuben and the wish coordinator also provide meal vouchers for the family and an additional car for travel for the day.  In a situation that seemed dire and bleak, God showed up in an amazing and unexpected way.  

One more way God was communicating with me was seen as we were going to the next hotel.   Throughout Hawai’i,  the Hawaiian language is spoken and evident in all aspects of life.  One of the most common is in the names of the streets and the areas of the islands: Kalakaua, Kuhio, Ala Moana, and Nu’uanu.  To make it even more memorable,  as we left the airport and was traveling we had to make several detours due to the torrential rains and flash flooding that was happening on the island.   As I was turning and navigating,  I happened to come to a street that I had to turn on and off three times.  The street name was Bethel.  This was the same name that Jacob gave the place he had rested and blessed on his travels.  

How amazing and wonderful it is to be able to see and share the goodness of good in our daily life.  Can we all allow God to show us daily how amazing he can be? Can we allow God to recreate the blessings and protection and prosperity he has in store for us?  May his peace be with us in the situations that we may be facing today and allow for the revelation of his awesomeness.  

Be blessed

True Believer

Genesis 26-27, Mark 10

I am humbled today by Isaac’s patience and humility. This starts in the beginning of Genesis 26 when there was a famine in the land. To continue providing for his family, Isaac needs to relocate.  As he is deciding where to go, God has an interesting message for him. In effect, he says, “Don’t go to Egypt. Don’t leave. Stick around here and hang out in this land. If you stay, I will be with you and bless you. In fact, remember the promise that I gave your father, Abraham? I told him that he would be the father of nations. If you hang out with me here, you will be the one who helps me establish my promise to him.” That is a serious honor. Isaac does what any of us would do with such huge prospects ahead of us. He stays, settling in Gerar, the land God suggested.

God kept his promise.  He blessed Isaac making him very wealthy, very quickly.  But this causes a problem.  King Abimelech and the Philippines don’t like it.  They demands that Isaac and his family leave the valley.  How would you respond?  Think about it.  You find land to work and you work hard.  The land produces and you are successful.  Then, your competitor comes along and says, “Leave.”   

“No way,” I would insist.  “It’s mine.  In fact, God gave it to me.”  Not Isaac.  He doesn’t seem to mind. Without delay, he packs up and moves on, displaying incredible patience.  Where does this patience come from?  Perhaps Isaac has bolstered his patience with the prospect of using his father’s old wells.  Surely he considered these to be part of God’s provision.  I certainly would have. Unfortunately, he quickly discovers that the old wells were no longer useful.  Out of spite, the Philistines filled them in.  Isaac was not deterred. He rebuilt the wells.  Then, he gave thanks.  It seems to be an odd response for getting kicked around.

As I read through this story of Isaac, God reminds me that His promises are good, trustworthy, and guaranteed. That does not mean that the path will be easy.  Isaac faced  trouble everyday, never taking God’s promises for granted.  He worked hard and gave thanks.  God took care of the rest.

Anger

Today’s readings are Genesis 24-25, Psalm 4, and Mark 9.

Is it a sin to be angry?

We know Jesus was angry and turned of the tables of the money changers and those selling pigeons in the temple in Matthew 21:12-13, yet we know Jesus was also without sin (1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 3:5). When we are angry, we can be quick to sin with foul language in our disgust. We also live in a world today where we think we need to take action right away. Many first take to social media. The amount of anger and negative energy on social media is astounding. Or we go to gossiping and talking about others behind their back. Even worse yet is resorting to some sort of physical violence due to our anger.

In contrast, Psalm 4 gives us direction on how we are to handle our anger…

Be angry, and do not sin;

ponder in your own hearts on

your bed, and be silent.

Psalm 4:4

This is clear that we are to control our emotions and refrain from taking sinful action. Psalm 4:5 then directs to…

Offer right sacrifices

and put your trust in the Lord.

Wait..what? Trusting in the Lord to make right what we think is wrong is tough enough, but we’re supposed bring Him sacrifices? Instead of taking action with sin…God wants us to take action by not just saying we trust Him, but through showing that trust by giving to Him.

What happens when we do so? Psalm 4:7 tells us He will put more joy in our heart than others have when their grain and wine are plentiful. Peace and joy are not found in righting wrongs with actions from our anger. Peace and joy are found when our confidence and faith is placed in the Lord.

In peace I will both lie down

and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

Thank You

I recently joined a new to me group of ladies who love Jesus. One specific thing stood out to me as we prayed out loud together. Nobody prayed for themselves or particular situations. Each person said a short sentence prayer praising Jesus for Who He is. It was refreshing and thought provoking for me. I was reminded of how often I get trapped in praying for all the things that I or the people around me need and do not focus on saying Thank You.

Psalm 107 is a Psalm about thankfulness. In fact, the following verse is repeated 4 times in this one Psalm.

They must thank the Lord for his constant love, for the wonderful things he did for them.
Psalm 107:8,15,21, and 31)

The author of this Psalm obviously encourages the people to be thankful to God. It is so easy to get caught up in the trenches of life that we lose focus on giving thanks. Psalm 107 describes 5 different areas in which God has been faithful to His people.

He is a God of Deliverance – Then in their trouble they called to the Lord and he saved them from their distress. Psalm 107:6

He is a God of Guidance – He led them by a straight road to a city where they could live. Psalm 107:7

He is a God of Provision – He satisfies those who are thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9

He is a God of Protection – He calmed the raging storm, and the waves became quiet. They were glad because of the calm, and he brought them safe to the port they wanted. Psalm 107:29-30

He is a God of Blessings – He changed deserts into pools of water and dry land into flowing springs. He let hungry people settle there, and they built a city to live in. They sowed the fields and planted grapevines and reaped an abundant harvest. He blessed his people, and they had many children; he kept their herds of cattle from decreasing. Psalm 107:35-38

He is a God who delivers, guides, provides, protects and blesses. As I think of all these areas and what God has done in my life, I realize I do not thank Him enough. But I can start right now. God has been so faithful to me and I have the opportunity to thank Him for the numerous ways He delivers me from trials, guides me through difficult situations, provides in unexpected ways, protects me from harm, and blesses me beyond measure.

May this Psalm remind us to thank God every day for all that He has given.

Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good; his love is eternal! Repeat these words in praise to the Lord, all you whom he has saved.
Psalm 107:1-2

 

Divine Judgment, Protestant Reconquista and Spiritual Nourishment

Totay’s post is authored by Freddy Armstrong.

Genesis 19-20, Psalm 1, Mark7

Genesis 19 is about Lot and his family leaving Sodom. When he was warned by two angels, he tried to tell his extended family, but they didn’t take him seriously. Lot, his wife, and his daughters flee into the nearby town of Zoar, while God rains fire on the city of Sodom. While they flee, Lot’s wife looks back on the city, disobeying God’s command, and turns into a Pillar of salt. The daughters, thinking the world was over, got Lot drunk, and were impregnated by him to try and preserve their bloodline. 

We must not question Divine Judgment. God has laid a plan for us, it is on us to stay obedient. Even if it’s not clear, there are cascading effects each time we disobey the Lord’s plan. Wickedness has consequences. Even the smallest thing (all Lot’s wife did was LOOK BACK) can have terrible effects. Our bad choices may not seem consequential in the moment, but each time we disobey, there are consequences. In Romans 19:20, Paul writes: “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?” 

Psalm 1 is a comparison between the Righteous and the Wicked. Reading this, you can draw parallels between those we deem righteous, and those we deem wicked in today’s world. I’ll start with the wicked. Today we live in a world where the wicked have become more present than ever, especially here in the United States. Music artists are doing clear satanic rituals in their concerts. Sexual degeneracy is at an all time high. Less people are having children. 

What about the Righteous? They’re fleeing the world. All major cities in the United States have seen a sharp decline in Christianity in the last 20 years, while atheism and Islam are growing. Even in our own communities, the mainline protestant churches have been hijacked by secular humanists. Since 2001, historic protestant churches have experienced deep declines in attendance, while evangelical non-denominational churches have seen tremendous growth. As soon as liberalism started to enter the church, many theologically conservative Christians fled. Now we’re left with local historical mainline churches hanging rainbow flags, and even denying the divinity of Christ. Yes, this Psalm tells us not to walk in the path of the wicked. But it did not

tell us to HIDE from the wicked. We must stand strong in the faith when surrounded by the wicked, and they will begin to follow. Our retreatest mindset is not correct. 

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

    which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

    whatever they do prospers.”

Ask yourself: “Where do I sit?” Are you somebody who walks in the step of the wicked? This can come in many forms. Like: following their ideologies (supporting subversive culture), attending their ceremonies (concerts, festivals, any sort of revelry), or changing your code as soon as you’re in a room with secularists. As a young man, I’ve been guilty of each of these. If you find yourself in the step of the wicked, take a step to the right, carry your cross, and call on the Lord’s strength to help you forge a new path. Thanks to Christ, our fruits are great. We’re not an exclusive club. We’re not persecuted like the early church. When the Romans persecuted Christians, they didn’t flee. 

Note: There’s nothing wrong with Non-Denominational churches. I wasn’t even alive for this stuff. We should definitely try and take back the culture, and the historic protestant churches, though. Also, I don’t think we should try and form our churches to look more like secular culture. Young men and women are searching for tradition. 

In Mark 7,The Pharisees confront Jesus after they criticize Jesus and his disciples for not following certain ceremonial washing rituals. This is where Jesus declares all food to be clean. The Pharisees condemn Jesus for not washing themselves before eating. Jesus says: “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them” 

Health is a big focus of mine. Eating the correct foods, controlling what goes into my body to make me stronger. But we must remember that this isn’t our main focus. We must control our spiritual food, in order to control what comes out of us. If we are consuming what comes from the wicked, (like certain secular media, ideas or traditions) we may find ourselves reciprocating it. It’s not all about what goes into our stomachs, or our physical health markers, it’s about the spiritual energy we surround ourselves with. We should feed ourselves spiritually with prayer and communion, so that our hearts can show Christ’s love. 

Humility and Suffering…and Recognition of God’s Grace

Today’s Reading Genesis 16-18; Mark 6

Our Old Testament reading today tells of the early days of God’s interaction with Abram and Sarai. Abram and Sarai sought God’s favor to bear a child.  Sarai was unable to conceive a child for many years.  The years, days, and hours of weighing disappointment eroded Abram and Sarai’s focus and faith on God’s providence.  Rather than continue to trust that God would bring them a child, Sarai encouraged Abram to be with her servant, Hagar, in hopes that she, Sarai, might be able to receive a child through Hagar.

As the story goes, Hagar became pregnant with Abram’s child.  Rather than celebrate, Hagar “became despised in her eyes.”  Sarai resented Hagar for the very act that she had encouraged.  She suggested the union between Abram and Hagar and then turned against the result.

How can we apply this story to our lives?  I think we all can think of an example or two in our lives when God’s timing did not line up with our timing.  We wanted something so bad that we were willing to “go our own way,” maybe it was cheating, stealing, or just sinning against God to get something we desperately wanted. Rather than pray, trust, and be patient, we allowed our own worldly desires to supersede our faith in God’s providence to provide us what we believe we need, at the time we need it.

We learn later in chapter 17 that God came to Abram and Sarai and informed them they would bear a child.  He changed their names to Abraham and Sarah.  The significance of this action for God was that Abraham was a hundred years old, while Sarah was ninety.  Both understood the obvious that they were past child-bearing years, but God still provided them a son, Isaac.

Onto Mark 6 in the New Testament, where we learn more about Jesus’ ministry on earth.  Jesus was in His hometown, Nazareth, where we healed the sick, preached the good news of salvation, and fed over 5000 men (likely thousands more with women and children included) after He finished preaching the Gospel to them.  Even after thousands witnessed the goodness and miraculous deeds of Jesus, they still doubted Him.

No matter how much Jesus did, doubters and non-believers were still present.  Since Jesus and His family were known to many in Nazareth, many of the people could not get past their own skepticism that Jesus was the Savior of man.  How could this boy of a carpenter possibly know all these things about God and how could their neighbor be their Savior?

The common theme of these readings is we must humble ourselves to trust God. Suffering is a part of our lives, and we must have the humility to welcome His presence in our lives. God did not ever promise happiness in the Bible, but He points to His everlasting presence in our lives and the peace and understanding that comes from a relationship with Him.  Whatever you are going through, no matter how traumatic, profound, or debilitating, God will see you through it.  Like His gift of Jesus, God is showing us signs and indications of His presence every day.  The question is whether our hearts, minds, and eyes are open enough to see Him.