 I started college three weeks ago.
I can’t tell you that it has been a great experience and that I love it because I don’t. I have cried every day. This past week, I was having a particularly rough day. I called a friend of mine, and I told her my struggles with college. She said to me, “Jordy, remember God’s promises for you.” After this phone call, I was reminded of Romans 4:20, which says, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised" (ESV). God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son and that Abraham would be the father to nations (Gen. 17:15-16). “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb” (Rom. 4:19 ESV). At the time of this promise, Abraham was about 100 years old and Sarah 90 years old. I don’t know about you, but this would give me A LOT of reason to doubt God. But Abraham stayed strong in his faith. He believed that God would fulfill His promise. I have seen many of God’s promises for my life fulfilled over recent months. You see, I have had some bad experiences with relationships. This led me to proclaiming that I would never marry. Yet, I always prayed for my future husband and for a relationship that was glorifying to God. I prayed this because I knew that God had someone for me, even if my experiences made me anxious. What I’m trying to say is this: your present circumstances do not change God’s promises. Maybe you’re struggling with your job or your relationships. Or, maybe you are having a hard time transitioning into college like I am. God sees you. He sees your struggle. And He knows the desires of your heart. Trust Him and His promises for your life. “The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised” (Gen. 21:1 ESV). - Jordy  I’m getting married in less than five months, and as a young man, I’ve felt the pressure to become independent faster than I had originally planned. Each day reminds me of how dependent I have always been on my dad. As a child, I never worried about going hungry. I never worried about losing my home. I never experienced the electricity or water being shut off. But now that I’m paying most of my own bills and looking for a home of my own, the idea of dependency comes to mind.
 “Have a seat. We’ll call for you shortly,” they say. Open a magazine or two. Ruffle through the newspaper. Scroll through Facebook. And watch some news on a tiny television. Welcome to the waiting room.
It can’t get much worse than this, folks. The waiting room sits among the most dreaded places on the planet. Next to the Walmart checkout line. But how often do we find ourselves here? Not the typical waiting room decked with cushions and chairs. Rather than waiting on a doctor, we’re waiting for an answer. A cure. A job. A spouse. A friend. I think you get the point. None of us are exempt from the waiting rooms of life.  Do you ever feel like God is against you?
I’m not talking about your sin. I’m not talking about your wrong thoughts, actions, and intentions. I’m talking about you as a person. Do you ever feel like God is against you? You may feel like God is against you, but that’s not what the Bible says: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31 NKJV). Why, then, do we feel like God is against us?  The disciples found themselves in a boat with Jesus. All of a sudden, there was a windstorm. The boat filled with water. The disciples freaked out. In the meantime, Jesus rested His head on a pillow—yes, dozing in the stern.
“And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:38-39 NKJV). |