He is winning

All week I have been studying God's Goodness. And all week it has become more than apparent to me how much I need it. It is also so clear what a fight most of the people I know are in.

It could be fighting cancer.

It could be fighting a divorce.

It could be fighting finances.

It could be fighting drug abuse.

It could be fighting grief.

It could be fighting a bad work situation.

There are any number of things we could be fighting against. And lest you think I mean just the physical toll it takes, I don't. When you are in the thick of a battle, it is all-consuming. Life is hard! When you are in the middle of something, it takes a serious toll on your mind, body and spirit.

The true difficulty is getting our focus off the pain of it. I am certainly no exception to this, I've spent 9 of the last 10 months focused on just getting through another day and minimizing the pain I was in.

Perhaps it is because of the study I'm doing, but I have to ask myself the question - when did I feel the best; in the core of my being, when did I have the most peace?

The answer is simple - when I stopped looking at WHAT I was fighting, but rather WHO was fighting for me.

God doesn't mess around when it comes to His children. He also doesn't leave us in a lurch. He doesn't take a day off, not even a nap. He is present, real and ready to give. 24 x 7 x 365. He has a plan and is making sure it goes off without a hitch.

There is an enemy who would like to prevent us from knowing or feeling this. I felt it on Tuesday at the clinic. It was like I'd walked into a dogfight. It seemed just above my head were rounds of fiery arrows being shot at us and others. The enemy doesn't want anyone happy, at peace, full or joy or being more sensitive to God. Heck, LIFE doesn't want you that way. This world and our existence in it is marked by hurt and trial and frustration.

But that is not who God is.

He is judge, He is the jury. But more than anything, He is the Savior. He is also a warrior - a great big Papa Bear, ready to strike at the enemy for His Children. He rises to show us compassion. He sings songs over us about how proud He is of us, how precious we are to Him. He doesn't bring things into our life to punish us, but He does use them to bring us closer.

I don't have all the answers and I don't know when they will come. It also seems naive to think that God will solve everything. That is hard to believe, trust me, I know.

But I'm going to keep believing it. I have to and I want to. The battle, the campaign and the war are all in His Hands.

And He is winning.