"Get Real"

"Unto thee lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens." (Psalms 123:1)

  When it comes to our understanding of how God works, whether in our personal lives or in the way that He completes all the things that are set in motion, are easiest way to understand it is to declare this simple fact: "Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name!" There are so many things that we do not know; many of which, are things that involve dimensions and domains that cannot be entered into; at least not in the earthly form we are currently in. When Jesus was asked to teach His disciple to pray, He started the prayer off by saying the declaration above, and then said the following: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Seeing the complex workings of God are about as possible as seeing what is going on in Heaven; in other words, we cannot see what is going on, we can only see results, and even then, those results are only scratches on the surface. That being established in our hearts, we can them move to the subject, which is our own dependence upon God and how He watches over us. If we cannot understand what He is doing in the world, let alone in Heaven, then is it any different when it comes to our personal lives? Why are you allowing this to happen? What are you trying to tell me? How long will you not listen to my cries? These are all questions that we ask, anticipating answers, and at the same time, we like to fill in the blank with answers of our own. Of all the answers we could possibly come up with, the one that must never be accepted, is to think that God does not love you. You can figure upon anything else you want, but when it comes to believing that He loves you, there is simply no way that can be denied! So, if that side of the equation is settled, then there must me another side that can be examined, one that is a little easier to understand: Do I love God? I can recall an illustration given to me about putting my priorities in the right order; call it, The Cone Illustration. What it shows is that most people live their lives with the cone being upright, the largest side down and the little tip at the top; meaning that the personal desires are first and foremost, employment or success is next, family and relationship follows, and God is at the very top, the smallest portion of the cone. The whole point of the illustration was that it should be reversed and God should be the top, the largest portion, family next, then the job, and finally, at the very smallest tip, is our personal desires. What I am seeing here is very much like that cone illustration, but it reveals how our love for God compares to His love for us...

"When I think of all of this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grown down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fulness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:14-19) NLT