Country Lights Uganda Blog
Do you believe that God is smiling at you?
I often want to ask believers this question. I often ask myself.
Does His love feel like a sunshine of gladness overarching every hour and every decision? Or does heaven seem like a dark cloud ready to dump rain at any moment?
“My circumstances are no indication of whether the smiling face of God is upon me,” A.W. Tozer writes.
I converse and fellowship and pray with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I wonder how many of us believe this statement.
Too often we look at our needs, our hurts, and our troubles, and we interpret them as frowning providences. They stir up questions in our hearts–doubts that God’s favor is toward us.
We wonder if He’s for us or against us.
“Fear causes me to look around at my circumstances instead of up at the smiling face of God,” Tozer continues to write.
If we believe that every ounce of God’s love is behind every circumstance we encounter–seemingly good or bad–then we’ve grasped the message of the cross.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, wrote it best:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
He reminded his readers that no believer resting fully in the finished work and righteousness of Christ is under any condemnation. God is for us. Though our sins grieve His Spirit, our Savior is interceding at the right hand of God for us. Continually.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
So why do we see storm clouds instead of His smile? Why do we interpret every wind of trouble as a frown?
Why can’t we relax beneath the smiling face of God?
Because deep down, we all know we deserve His frown, His back turned our direction, His smile turned toward somebody else.
We don’t deserve His smile, and we know it.
We haven’t earned His favor, and our neighbor knows it.
Our pastor knows. Our coworkers. Spouse. Children. Roommate.
We don’t deserve the smiling face of God.
The message of the Cross is this: “God is for us.” (Romans 8:31)
Relax beneath the smiling face of God.
“I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38,39)
Quotes taken from The Crucified Life, by A.W. Tozer
By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission
Further Reading
• A Prayer for Inner Peace and Joy
• The Joy of Prayer – by Barbara Epp
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The post Is God Smiling at Me? can be found online at Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God.
As reported on Christian News Uganda - Access the Original News Source Here.