My wife is away at a Medical conference in Orlando for the next few days. As independent as I like to think I am, I'm lost without her. I don't sleep well cause I don't feel her shifting restlessly in the bed cause the tv is on, bugging her. Or because I'm snoring and she bops me upside the head to get me to turn over. I don't eat well. Not that I eat BAD stuff, but I don't eat. I either forget or just don't feel like it. Its funny how a person can get under your skin like that. It made me wonder this:

Does God feel these things when we aren't with Him every second of the day?

Does he miss our restlessness and our impatience with Him when we confuse our wants with our needs? Does our absence cause him to "lose sleep" when He doesn't sense our prayers? They are legitimate questions to an interesting situation. You see, we may feel far away from God sometimes, but He is ALWAYS by our side. He knows the struggles and probably winces when he see's us do some bonehead stunt. He feels our pain and waits for us to cry out. Why does He wait? Why does he care? Because He created us. We are his by design. Everyone of us whether we acknowledge it or not are creations of the Most High God. He does have a deep love and care for each of us but He will not and never has forced His love on us. Just as we have the choice to ignore him, He has that choice and has chosen to stay by our sides willing and able to guide us through our own stupidity. You know There are several instances in the Bible, particularly Psalms, where it is mentioned how man, at times, felt so far away or seperated from God. The funny thing is, that God never moved. We pull away, think we have it all together and don't stay with God. He's still there, but we feel, especially when we fall, that emptiness that comes from being without Him.

IF our lives are a mess, we are in bad health, bad lives, bad situations, its by choices we make. Oh wait, you say, hey Dave. Some people have diseases that are not by choice. Well I say to that, sure, but they can choose to live with the disease, or live AS the disease. Its all mindset. We can choose to live our lives the "Frank Sinatra/Elvis/Paul Anka I did it My way" or we can do it Gods way. Which is SO much easier. God equips us to deal with things when we walk in relationship with him. Good Days, Bad Days, it doesn't matter, as long as we rely on Him fully Completely and totally, we make it through any and all situations. Its not always Pretty, but we come out with our heads held high and our souls intact.

The next time you feel like God has left you, look in the mirror and ask yourself this question..."When did I move?" Then wait for God to answer.

Its easy to get caught up in our circumstances. Its hard but not impossible to rise above and walk through them in our Faith in Christ and in our constant loving relationship with God.

So the next time you get that Missing feeling. Remember, God isn't missing...He is waiting...on you.

Pray Seek Believe Receive

David Michael Rose

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* Individual results may vary.