“God is fierce in your defense, consistent with His love, and faithful to His promises. He will finish what He has started in you. He delights in you. He’s grateful to call you His own.”- Susie Larson
“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is far too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”- Ephesians 3:19 (NLT)
In Chapter 7 (“God (Sometimes) Seems Silent: Discern the Reason for Your Season”) of Closer Than Your Next Breath, Susie Larson reflects on a dark night of the soul in her life. Weeks into that dark season, Susie recalled something she once told her young sons:
“Every time you open the Word of God, you open the mouth of God. He speaks mightily through His Word. If you want to discern His voice, get to know His Word.”
Above all, Susie stresses, God’s love must make sense for everything else to make sense. Because, the author notes, God’s love opens our senses, hearts, and capacity to trust Him in every season.
Certainly, Susie acknowledges, God tests us now and then. Sometimes He test us to reveals what’s in us. For at times we wonder about ourselves. Thus, certain tests prove how far we’ve come. When God shows you what you know, that enables you to trust Him as you go forward. He remains faithful.
However, at other times God’s tests reveals our areas of need and vulnerability. As a result, we gain understanding of the trials we face as well as the opposition we endure. In addition, Susie shares, she’s heard such opportunities called “training time for reigning time.”
In conclusion, Susie describes dark nights of the soul as hard and often lonely. Also, those nights make us wonder if God changed His mind about us. Like other people do. But we regain our footing as we remind our souls about God’s truth. Even when it doesn’t feel true.
Today’s question: What most helps you realize that God is fierce in your defense? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Confuse theology with psychology?”