Here is another good answer to a difficult question we often face. I would encourage you to check out the passages that are linked below too…
What should you remember when prayers seem to go unanswered? I should be certain that God always hears my prayers and answers them by his wisdom, in his own time and manner, for my good, and for his glory. (Psalm 37:3–9; Isaiah 55; Habakkuk 3:17–19; Luke 18:1–8; James 4:2–3; 1 John 5:14–15)
One of my favourite memory verses comes from the Old Testament book of Micah. It talks about doing the right thing before God.
Micah 6:8 says “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
There are some general principles that God requires of us…
1. To act justly – this means to be fair and honest in the way we do things.
2. To love mercy – loving mercy is about making sure we show mercy and work to bring mercy to situations where it is lacking.
3. Walk humbly with God – God wants us to walk with Him in a way that lifts Him up and placing ourselves under His authority.
These three points are about being in relationship with God and it making a difference how we live out lives.
When I am not sure what I need to do on a particular day, I focus of doing these three things.
I have not posted in my fitness category for a while. Today I thought I would share something that Arnold was asked in a recent interview. As someone fast approaching 60 I relate to his comments…
Arnold Schwarzenegger [was asked] a question that many have always wondered:
“Why do you still go to the gym? You’re in your 70s… you were already Mr. Olympia.”
Arnold didn’t launch into a speech about discipline, motivation, or proving himself to anyone.
His answer was far simpler:
“Why do I eat breakfast today? I ate breakfast yesterday… I ate breakfast 10 years ago. Why do I keep eating breakfast?”
After a pause, he drove it home:
“Why do I keep sleeping? I slept 20 years ago, I slept 10 years ago… and I still sleep every night.”
For Arnold, working out after all these decades isn’t a goal to chase—it’s basic daily maintenance. He isn’t prepping for another Mr. Olympia, chasing his prime physique, or trying to impress anyone. After decades of lifting, stopping would be like forgetting to eat or sleep.
He made it crystal clear:
“Nothing will change until I die. I will keep training, enjoying the gym, getting the pump… I want to feel good.”
At first, you need motivation. Then, you need discipline. But after decades, you stop looking for a reason—it simply becomes part of who you are.
Isaiah 8:11-13 NLT – The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, [12] “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. [13] Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble.
More and more when I talk to people they are worried about the world and what is going on. They talk about groups of people who control the world secretly in the background.
While in every generation they are people who try to manipulate things for their own purposes, we have to remember God is in control of our futures. His plans will ultimately come to pass and we are on the winning team.
In the above passage Isaiah was warning the people to not get to get caught up in the conspiracies that some people do. He told them to not get involved or worry about them.
Isaiah tells the have their minds in the right place. He says to, “Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble”.
As Christians today we can learn from this. There are so many conspiracy theories out there. Some related to our faith and some related to world events. The trick is to not get caught up in them.
Several passages come to mind as I type…
Colossians 3:1-2 NLT – Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. [2] Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”
Matthew 6:33-34 NLT – Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [34] “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 10:28 NLT – “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Today as Christians we need to keep our hearts and minds set on things above. We need to keep seeking first the Kingdom of God. And we need not fear what man can do to us, as God in heaven holds alone our eternal destiny.
One of the hardest things we do as Christians is to follow Jesus closely in the storms of life. It can be easy to follow Jesus when all is well, but it takes extra strength and help from above when it is not.
Some times it seems we only have a mustard seed of faith left. At other times all we want to do is lay down on the ground and cry. It is hard when we know God can intervene, but He has not done so yet. The waiting is so hard.
I have had a number of times in my life where God has intervened by healing me or sorting out my situation. I have had many other times where I had ride through the storms by clinging to His hand like I was clinging to the mast of a boat as the stormy waters raged around me.
In the above song from Mercy Me it talks about following Jesus in the storms of life when we have not much to give. It talks about trusting Him “even if” He does not heal you or intervene in your situation.
I think for us as Christians the best place to be is asking for God to intervene and take the “pain” away, but to be able to say, “Even if you don’t, my hope is in you alone.”
I always try to remind myself that being with God in the storm is way better than going through it alone. As I type I am reminded of Psalm 46:1. It says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
