Here, within this hardship, God is being good to you. Here, in the middle of this mess, God’s blessings are pouring out on you. Here, in this season of life you never wanted to be in, God is being faithful in ways you have never seen before.

You’ve never seen it before, because you’ve never needed it before. And now that you need God on a whole new level, you will see him working on a whole new level … if you look for him.

Are you looking for God in this? Are you searching for his fingerprints on the details of your life? Or are your thoughts focused on how bad this is, how totally unfair it is, and how much you hate it?

Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” If within you are thoughts of misery, you become miserable. If within you are thoughts of pity, you become pitiful. If within you are thoughts of overwhelm, you become overwhelmed. But, my sister, if within you are thoughts of blessings, you become blessed. If within you are thoughts of strength, you become strong. If within you are thoughts of joy, you become the happiest darn person in the room even in the middle of your mess. Because in the middle of your mess you see God’s sweet provisions like never before …. if you’re looking for them!

How do you look for blessings? You think within yourself about being blessed. You use your eyes to see the beauty still here. You use your mouth to express sheer gratitude for all that is good and right and working. You intentionally set your mind on God’s faithfulness in every season and every circumstance, and you will find his faithfulness in abundance.

Nehemiah 8:10, “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

These words were spoken to a people who had just experienced major loss and defeat. They were also beginning to understand how they had been disobedient and betrayed God. But God didn’t want them stuck in feelings of guilt and despair. God offered them strength when choosing to be joyful in him. He didn’t tell them to wait until they got their life together to be joyful. He didn’t tell them to save their happiness and celebration until this mess was fixed. He told them, in the remains of what was left, in the reality of the hardship they were in, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

You know when you lay around on the couch, you feel even worse, don’t you. When you mope around with low energy, you somehow have even less energy. When you dwell on all that is wrong, your mind is filled with a hundred other ways it could get even worse. Then you’re stuck in worry. Then you stress. Then the darkness sets in. Then you can’t see the way out. But when you choose joy, pure joy that comes from the depths of your soul and the spirit of God within you, you find strength.

This is a choice. A choice to rejoice in the Lord. A choice to be joyful even when life kinda sucks. And that joy acts like pure magic in your life. If you need a little magic in your crappy situation, here it is:

Habakkuk 3: 17-18, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”

This may seem a little out of touch with your reality today, so let’s insert some real life circumstances.

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms” … yeah, that’s really like, “even though there’s no money in the bank.”

“And there are no grapes on the vines” … that’s today’s “and there are no way to pay the bills.”

“Even though the olive crop fails” … “even though the paycheck coming will never be enough”

“And the fields lie empty and barren” … “and the bills just keep rolling in”

“Even though the flocks die in the fields” … “even though we ended up in the emergency room last week”

“And the cattle barns are empty” … “and we can’t afford the co-pay”

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation” … yeah, we don’t need to change one word of that line.

My butt is still blessed! Say that. MY BUTT IS STILL BLESSED! Even with all of this going on, God is still being good to me. We’ve never gone hungry. Somehow, there’s always been enough. And while life doesn’t currently look the way I thought it should or hoped it would, the undeniable truth is, God is still blessing me.

Let’s look at this scripture in another real life circumstance. Even though my marriage fell apart, even though the kids are mad at me, and everyone is fighting, even though my life is total chaos and it just keeps getting worse, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.

If I haven’t hit your personal circumstances yet, go ahead and write your own story here. What’s wrong? What’s just getting worse? What looks hopeless? What feels overwhelming? Go ahead and list it out and choose to say “YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD. I WILL BE JOYFUL IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION.”

That’s a choice. Maybe not an easy one, but still a choice.

My friends, this is strength. This is the result of thinking within yourself very intentional thoughts centered on God’s providence and provision. You think blessed thoughts … so you are blessed. You think positive thoughts … so you see the positive.

This chapter of your life has a title. It’s called “Letting God Be God.” What is the alternative? You try to be God? That’s exhausting, isn’t it? You suck at being God. You know why? Because you don’t know everything. You don’t see it all. And you get all wrapped up in your feelings and make impulsive decisions. You can’t be God. So, you are left with one good option here, Sis. Let God be God.

This is where you choose to trust him, no matter what happens. This is where you remember he is true to his promises, always and forever. This is where you remember Isaiah 55: 8-9, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
 “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
 so my ways are higher than your ways
 and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

I’m not going to understand it. I’m not in control of it. But I know the one who does understand it. I know the one who holds my whole world in the palm of his hand. I know the one who has seen the end from the very beginning and has good plans for my life. So this is where I trust him. This is where I let God be God. And this is where I choose to look for evidence of his intimate involvement in the details of my life.

Every single one of us are here today with a 100% track record of surviving every day that has come our way. Every one of us are here because God has gotten us through, without fail. And won’t he do it again?

When will God ever stop being God? When will he stop making a way? When will he stop showing up and doing the impossible for his girls? When will he stop divinely aligning open doors, opportunities, provisions, connections and blessings for those who trust in him? Never. He will never stop doing that.

So, we can be right here in the middle of the mess and find joy. We can wonder how it’s going to work out, while trusting him completely to work in the unseen. We can grieve what has been lost, while we are grateful for what is still here. We can look at the reality, while knowing God is not confined by any limitation or restriction.

Joy comes when we fix our eyes on a mighty God who is greater than our circumstances. Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Joy and peace come as you trust in him. Without your trust, without you deciding to let God be God, you get stuck in your circumstances and forfeit the supernatural offerings of God. God is greater than this. He is bigger than this. Focus on him. He is making a way. And because you trust he is making a way, you can have joy along the way.

And that joy … well, it gives you strength you didn’t even know you had!

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