Divine Boundaries

Sometimes troubles come our way as a tumultuous flood.  Whether it is something that we did to cause the problem, or it can be, like a flood, just an act of nature; something that can not be explained in human terms.  In either case, it becomes a life event that cannot be controlled.  Life becomes unmanageable as it is written in the first step of the eight recovery principles of Celebrate Recovery which is a Christ Centered 12 step recovery program for anyone with hurts, hang-ups, or bad habits.  Anyone who has lived long enough has experienced a hurt or may have acknowledged a hang-up or bad habit.  This is a part of our normal human existence, but sometimes, these experiences come upon us like a flood, and our lives are turned upside down, or at least so it seems.

When marriages are full of conflict; when there is an untimely loss of a loved one; the loss of a job, or the trouble of a beloved child going astray, these are the floods of life that can cause us to question God, and His purpose for us.  Even worse, when there is a combination of troubles, or a feeling that everything is wrong when there is no visible evidence of a problem, this can cause greater fear and anxiety, and/or depression.  When these events and feelings are misinterpreted, they can cause a downward spiral into despair and disconnection from a sense of hope for a return to peace and normalcy.

Therefore, it is important to rightly interpret what we are feeling and experiencing.  It may even be better to not try to figure it out.  The Book of Job is among the longer books in the Bible, and most of the chapters were dialogs of Job and his friends, trying to figure out why he was experiencing so much trouble in his life.  Job’s only conclusion was to learn to trust God in the midst of the great flood that had come against him.

Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, troubles are bound to happen it this life.  Not only did it give the devil the right to interfere in our lives, there is also the fallen nature that we have to contend with that can cause dreadful feelings even when there is no known problem.  According to James 1:2, this is an opportunity to grow in our faith and character, and at least most of us agree that life is about growth.

There is good news about the floods in our lives besides just growth.  In reference to Isaiah 59:19, God delivers us from the floods of life, in other words, He sets divine boundaries.  When Jesus died on the Cross and rose on the third day after His death, it placed a limit on the damaging nature of sin and evil in the world that has affected all of us.  By receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, we can now have infinite hope in God and trust that He is making all things work out for our good (Romans 8:28).  God is good, and He is always in the process of limiting the troubles in our lives. 

Someday, there will be “no more death or sorrow or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).  But until that time, we can expect trouble to come into our life.  However, remembering that it is temporary and used for the purpose of growing our faith and character is a good way to look at it.  Also, utilizing healthy ways of coping can help the process, such as reading relevant books, getting support from good friends, family, therapists, or pastors.  Perhaps, most of all, remembering to breath and allowing time to heal.