Perspective

 "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6)

God is not surprised by what you are going through, no matter the circumstances. Being that He lives outside of Time and sees the beginning and the end of our days, that truth should bring us peace we can learn to rest in His wisdom and care. Our struggle is often to fend off fear and grasp Truth; this we must practice; it is a discipline, physical and spiritual. Grace will carry us, Holy Spirit will lead and remind us, but we must agree with the side of Truth to hush the voices that try to gain a hold on the battlefield of our minds.

I love the picture Paul painted in his letter to the Ephesians of us being seated in Heavenly places with Christ - He is at the right hand of the Father!! If we take a moment to ponder that and get a vision of being seated above the problems - the smallness of our present problem and the bigness of our God, our perspective changes. Personally, I liken it to the experience of flying in plane and watching through the window as everything on earth grows smaller and smaller until they can no longer be seen. 

As we came to know God in the early 1970's when "contemporary" Christian music was blossoming, one of our favorite guitarists was Phil Keaggy, a talented, innovative musician and lyricist. Truths voiced in his song "Disappointment" (lyrics below) became part of the bedrock of our faith with the word "disappointment" quickly taking the form of "His appointment" each time it surfaced.

Disappointment - His appointment;
Change one letter, then I see
That the thwarting of my purpose 
Is God's better choice for me.
His appointment must be blessing
Though it may come in disguise,
For the end from the beginning 
Open to His wisdom lies.

Disappointment - His appointment;
Whose? The Lord's, who loves me best,
Understands and know me fully,
Who my faith and love would test.
For like loving, earthly parents
He rejoices when He knows
That His child accepts unquestioned
All that from His wisdom flows.

Disappointment - His appointment;
No good thing will He withhold.
From denials we oft gather
Treasures from His love untold.
Well He knows each broken purpose
Leads to fuller, deeper trust
And the end of all His dealings 
Proves our God is wise and just.

Disappointment - His appointment;
Lord I take it then as such,
Like the clay in hands of potter
Yielding wholly to Thy touch.
All my life's plan is Thy molding;
Not one single choice be mine.
Let me answer unrepining, 
"Father, not my will but Thine".    

Father, we need You, Your help, Your wisdom, Your Presence every minute of every day. Holy Spirit I yield to You that I might have the mind of Christ, hearing Your voice, resting in Your plan, and pleasing You only.

Disappointment by Phil Keaggy (click to hear song)