Sometimes A Bark Is Worse Than A Bite

Have you ever gone to pet someone’s dog and next thing you know, it bites you? Most times, it happens so quickly that you don't see it coming. You stick your hand out to pet the dog and snap, there it is. It's a scary thing when it happens. Then forever after you are terrified when a dog begins to bark and come towards you. Your body seems to go into an automatic reaction; your heart begins to pound, your pulse quickens, adrenaline kicks in. Your thoughts begin to race and go ninety miles a minute. Panic sets in and fear takes over. That one instance of a dog’s behavior has now changed your reaction to every dog. Your reaction to a dog barking has now become fear.

So let me ask you, have you ever reacted this way with God? Not in fear, but in anger? Have you placed a request before God, said a prayer, only to feel that He didn't give you what you wanted? Have things ever happened in your life that have made you say "How could a loving God let this happen?" Have you ever gotten angry at God because you didn't get what you thought you wanted or maybe even, what you deserved? Then after that, every time something bad happened, your automatic reaction was to blame God?

Even in the strongest person with the most dedicated life to Christ, there are times that the hand we are dealt feels wrong. We all have those times that what we are given to deal with feels unfair. Times where we can not understand Gods purpose and it seems like He is just being mean.

Life at times is so unfair, it deals blows to us that are unexpected and painful. God didn't intend for it to be this way. He intended for the earth to be a sinless place of great beauty. A place where He could spend time with us in person. He only wanted to love us and be loved in return.

For that to be the case, He had to give us "free will", the ability to choose Him or not choose Him. But instead of choosing Him, we chose sin. In that choice things between man and God got broken. A sinless God can not look on a sinful man. He could no longer be with us in person. But He loved us so much that He sent His son Jesus to bridge the gap. He sent Jesus to take the sin and nail it to the cross. He made a way to get back to Him by us believing in His son.

The ugliness that is in this world comes because of our own free will. Because we have the right to choose, some people choose not to love God. They choose to live their life in a sinful way which can lead to ugly hurtful things. In the process, sometimes the people around them get hurt, but not by God, by people. We are living in a broken world right now. There are circumstances that are not ideal in Gods eyes. We can rest in the knowledge though, that in the end He will rectify things. He is a loving and forgiving God, but He could not be a holy God if He was not also a just God. In the end there will be a time of judgment. At that time those who have chosen not to accept the gift of salvation Jesus has to offer and instead choose their sin will be eternally separated from God.

God does not say that He will keep us from ever having any problems or hurts. He only says that through our relationship with Him, He will hold us close and carry us through them.

Psalm 57: 1 says Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of your wings I will make refuge, until these calamities have passed by.

When the people of Israel were discouraged God reminded them that it was Him that had carried them in the desert.

Deuteronomy 1:28-31 -Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there." Then I said to you "Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place. "

It is in our trials and problems that we are able to see God most clearly. In those times, we are at the end of ourselves, the end of our ability to do things on our own. We begin to call out to Him and see Him show up. It is in those times that we get to see miracles and amazing things. We get to see the supernatural power of God and know that He is real, He is there. It is when nothing else but God can change things that He reveals himself the most and is ultimately glorified. In those times He tucks us under His wing and carries us through as He shows us His wonders.

He is a glorious God and even in our anger, He continues to love us. And I am so very thankful of that.