"Barely Standing"

"Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? (Psalms 85:5) Understandably, this is a question we ponder now and again. Who could put up with us? But to consider that God would use our sins to punish our children, that might be taking it a little far. That said, the issue is not that God would "draw out" His anger, but more about our response to God being drawn out into our children. Either God loves you or He doesn't, it's really that simple. You can say that you believe that He does, but your reaction in times of testing might say something entirely opposite; your reactions could say that you seriously doubt that God even cares, let alone loves you. We tend to throw out the reasons for not doubting; things like, because the Bible says so, or because Jesus came and died for us; because we are focused more upon the situation or circumstance more than we are fixed upon a God of mercy and grace. Who wants to think of mercy and grace in the midst of being torn apart? It's more like, Send me a lifeboat or rescue me from this now, then I will reconsider Your mercy and grace. I know, because I've been there. Lord, help me now, please, and I will know that you love me; that's pretty much what is said; maybe not right out, but deep down in our heart, that's what we are thinking. I think Peter says it best, probably because he had to take the blunt force of having doubt. When Jesus said that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat, it wasn't his physical body that Jesus was talking about, it was his standing with the Lord. This physical body is not more important than our eternal standing with God; although, we sometimes like to place more value on it than we actually should. Just because we might be going through some sort of serious trial, does not mean God doesn't care; maybe He is just removing a crutch. I know I have shared this before, but I have a book by Watchman Nee, it's called, "Sit, Walk, Stand." Basically, it is based upon the book of Ephesians, and the general idea is that we must abide in Christ if we are going to be able to walk, much like a paraplegic would need to sit in a wheelchair in order to get around; and if that same paraplegic was going to stand, that standing would be in the power of Christ Jesus...
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance -an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9) NLT