Go Forward with God's Presence

God created the family to provide a stable environment for children so they could develop the strength of character to leave home and create their own families. Stable families produce strong communities which create a nation capable of withstanding assaults hurled against it. At the core of a stable family is faith in God.

Disappointments are often seen as punishment from God because of sin. Moses faced disappointment but didn’t become disillusioned or turn his back on God’s grace and mercy. God gave him courage and the will to go forward and face the aftermath of poor judgment and bad choices.

             Moses’ faith in God remained strong when it came time for him to die. As you commit yourself to Christ Jesus, you can face whatever the future holds. Jesus will comfort and guide you through challenging times. God's grace enables you to count it a joy when life hurls uncertainty your way. God’s presence with you gives evidence of his faithfulness.  

_____________ 

I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.

~Joshua 1:9 Contemporary English Version

 

You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.

~Hebrews 11:6 The Living Bible

______________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Facing Disappointment with Faith

Disappointments are a part of living, just as rewards come to those who work hard. Disappointments can show up unexpectedly. Small disappointments cannot equate with the sorrow that follows a significant loss. Disappointment and grief naturally follow the failure of a relationship and other major losses.

Grief and sadness were apparent when Moses was restricted from entering the Promised Land, yet he did not believe God abandoned him. By leading the people to the door of the Promised Land, he had to endure hardships and suffer emotional distress. We can only imagine his sorrow, yet his strength of character and faith in God give us a model for facing disappointment.

He refused to blame God or others for his failure. He continued to execute God's plan for the Hebrew people by commissioning Joshua to lead the people on to the Promised Land. Disappointments can be a prelude to greater blessings when we, in faith, trust God and continue to love and serve him.  

_____________ 

Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel, and said, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to be your leader. And besides this, the Lord has told me that I will not cross the Jordan. The Lord your God himself will go before you … and Joshua will be your leader, as the Lord has said.”

~Deuteronomy 30:1-3 Good News Bible

 

Then [the Lord] turned my sorrow into joy so that I might sing glad praises to the Lord instead of lying in silence in the grave. O Lord my God, I will keep on thanking you forever!

~Psalm 30:11-12 The Living Bible

______________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.