Knock, Knock.... Who's There?

So many disturbing situations are swirling around us these days - in the world, in our country, in our communities, in our churches, and within our families. It is difficult to process so many troubling things at once and I frequently find myself feeling overwhelmed. I enjoy hearing how my believing sisters and brothers deal with uncertainties and stress, so I thought others might benefit from my approach.

As I came before the Lord this morning (i.e., in the parking lot, remember?), I journaled my troubling thoughts. A scripture from yesterday's sermon came to mind:

"The Lord said to Samuel, 'Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions'" (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT).

I have no doubt that the human worldview is tremendously skewed by the prevalent culture - it always has been. More and more frequently I have found myself at such a loss in attempting to understand the whys, whats, and hows of things around me. When I stop thinking in my own power long enough to seek God, I find myself dumping those unanswerable issues at His feet. I have this mental picture: The current "stress" (you can fill in the blank) is knocking at the door of my soul. Hopeless thoughts like to reside in my soul and plague me with uncertainty, doubt, and questions. These stresses are dying to get in the house and have a little party. Unfortunately, sometimes I invite theses stresses in as guests - they come in the form of gossip, worry, talking too much about troubling circumstances, and even discussing politics. Once these stresses are in, they wreak havoc causing me greater worry, anxiety, anger, you name it.... Recently, however, I have been asking God to answer the door when I know these visitors are nearby me. When God answers the door, He is like the protective daddy meeting the daughter's latest suitor at the door while cleaning the shotgun....

My God always answers the door for me when I ask Him. When he shoos away the unwelcome visitors, He also guides me in how to keep the visitors away. His instructions always require some responsibility on my part. Today He guided me to:

1. Separate myself from the disturbing conversations (or other forms of input) and pray.
2. Be a Spiritual leader as the Lord guides me and encourage believers to pray and seek God.
   
3. Practice using the spiritual gift of wisdom God has given me.
4. Carry out my responsibilities gracefully with power, love, and self-discipline.
5. Keep memorizing 2 Timothy 1:6-8.

While on this earth, we will never be immune from evil visitors. They masquerade as worthy pursuits - sometimes appearing spiritual and sometimes appearing quite pleasurable for a time. There are many questions we face on earth that have no answers... yet. Evil is trying hard to hide Truth, and some people are blinded from Truth by evil. As God's children, whom He dearly loves, we do not need to understand all things. God will answer the door for us. God will keep the unwanted visitors away - as long as we don't sneak back and invite them in.

Next time you know an unwelcome visitor is knocking at your door, ask God to answer the knock - He knows exactly who's there.