~No One is Immune to Struggle~

We've had our own recent struggle with one of our kids in one particular area. 

Nobody panic...it's not an earth shattering, fatal, self-inflicted or terrifying sort of struggle...but it IS a struggle. 

{just take my word for it}

The thing about hard things, in this case at least, is the fact that WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT.

We don't get to pick our hard. 

We don't get to pick the type of hard, we can't choose when it will come, how long it will last and in a lot of cases, 
the end result.

No one is immune to struggle.

NO ONE is immune to struggle...no matter what social media, a magazine cover, or a movie may imply...

no one is immune to struggle.

My absolute favorite aspect of the Bible, 
(excluding  the revelation of a Savior sent for the redemption of souls)

is the beautiful, simple, AWESOME one liners that jump off the page, cut straight through to my heart, and bring tears to my eyes because my heart resounds with a 
knowing in my gut of the nearness of God to His people.

Daniel. 
Most people know a little or a lot about this man. 
He has a book in the Bible named after him and has a remarkable life story.  

We've been reading this to the kids even though it's familiar. I'm always amazed at how God sheds new light on an "old" truth. Things we've read or heard a hundred times, spoken again in a new season brings fresh new meaning.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem.

Who wants to be besieged, defeated, and taken over?

nobody last time I checked. 

Chapter 1 verse 2:
"And the Lord gave Johoiakim king of Judah into his hand,"

The Lord GAVE HIM into his hand. 

God allowed it. He allows hard things.

Fast forward to chapter 2. 

King Nebuchadnezzar, has a troubling dream and demands that somebody not only interpret the dream's meaning, but scarier and much more challenging, that this same someone tell him the actual dream.

The consequence of one of his magicians or enchanters NOT being able to do this was to be torn limb from limb and have their houses laid in ruins. 

not a happy prospect.

Listen to their response to the king...can you imagine the panic?!

Chapter 2 verse 10:
"There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a things of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh."

has there ever been a more beautiful, clear contrast to 
gods and God? 

Our God in fact, dwells with man. 
Jesus was flesh.
The Holy Spirit was given.
God is near to the broken hearted, the oppressed.

So Daniel, knowing the God he served, had a response of "prudence and discretion" when he was about to be gathered up and killed along with all the magicians and enchanters who had failed to meet the king's request. 

He buys some time, delays the impending slaughter, and heads straight to his friends. 
He "told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery" (vs 18)

they begged God for mercy. for help.

and God, 
because He dwells with men, 
because He loves His people, 
because He allowed this suffering to come 
to Daniel and his friends for His plan and purpose, 
heard their cry for mercy. 

He gave Daniel a vision in the night of exactly Nebuchadnezzar's dream and it's interpretation.

Suffering is relative.
You could have it better or worse but know this:
Whatever your current situation, however hard you hard is, know that {GOD IS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT}

He is right there with you, allowing it for whatever reason. 
You have a choice to please the God of heaven by submitting to Him, submitting to the pain He is allowing you to walk through...or you can get mad, bitter, and defiant. 

the choice is yours. 

My heart's cry is that I, my husband, any my four precious children will choose over and over again to accept the things God gives us and that we honor Him with obedience and joy.

So, this morning, when I sent my big three off to school and I asked, "Okay, _____, WHERE is God?,
 and I got the response (though not overly enthusiastic),
"He's in the middle of the hard"

I smiled and teared up.

God is faithful. 
"and of His kingdom, there will be no end." Luke 1:33b

Merry Christmas!

~stacey

this was too long...and how many times can a person say the word struggle?! you know how if you look at a word long enough, the spelling no longer looks right? that's where I am with the word struggle after this post. yikes.
if you made it to the end, I'm sorry :-)