I recently heard a song by "For King and Country" entitled “God Only Knows.” Just the words alone, “God only knows,” speak volumes and truly impacted me. I find myself thinking about the reality that many times, God sees, knows and understands when no one else does. That’s His job after all. We may feel lonely and misunderstood at times; we may even be afraid of what people might think about us and how we might be treated. But God knows and understands the heart when no one else can and He loves us anyway…
Part of the chorus of the song says:
    God only knows what you’ve been through
    God only knows what they say about you
    God only knows the real you
    But there’s a kind of love that God only knows
    I think here about different people in the Bible, specifically in the New Testament. The woman with the issue of blood comes to mind (Mark 5:25-34). She spent twelve years in relative isolation because of her blood condition. Imagine being consistently rejected and misunderstood. She was human like everyone else after all, and with feelings, but most would have been more concerned with the reality that she was ceremonially unclean. As a result, loneliness may have been her portion for years. Yet, when she touched Jesus’ clothes, He did not shrink from her like others might have done. He called her out but not to embarrass her. I believe that was His way of publicly removing the veil of rejection and isolation she had been submitted to. God knew and saw way beyond her ceremonial uncleanness. He saw a person who needed love just like everyone else. 
    What about blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52)? He tried getting Jesus’ attention when he heard He was passing by, but the crowd tried to shut him up. They didn’t think he was important enough to be noticed by the Master. But Bartimaeus was desperate. He was persistent and went after his healing. Jesus could have ignored him too. But He didn’t. Bartimaeus was important enough for Jesus to choose to notice, even when others tried to make him invisible.
    Imagine if the woman with the issue of blood had given up on her healing and not bothered to try Jesus. She would have missed it and her story would not be in the Bible to encourage others. Imagine if Bartimaeus had allowed people’s words and attitude to shut him up. He too would have missed his healing and lost the opportunity to encourage others with his testimony.
    Imagine if you were to listen to others, to your situation, to the challenge you’re facing, there would be no victory, discouragement would continue and you would have no testimony with which to encourage someone else. But, imagine if you were to keep your eyes on Jesus, the One who knows the real you, and who loves you anyway. Then, the  impossible could become possible. In Jeremiah 32:27 God says: "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" God is not moved by our imperfections or scars or challenges. In fact, these are what He uses to show who He really is, to show His power and ability to handle the greatest of difficulties. 
    So, no matter what you may be faced with today, just remember that God only knows... He alone sees and knows what’s really going on on the inside of you. He is not turned off by who you are or what you may have done. There is no battle you’re going through, that will be too difficult for Him to handle. God is too big, too powerful, too loving a God to reject anyone who comes to Him. Just like the father running to meet his long lost son on his return home, just so God is eagerly reaching out to you to love you, to encourage you, to help you. After all, as the song says: But there’s a kind of love that God only knows…
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God loves you. Period. God is not turned off by who you are, what you have done or what you are going through. God sees, knows and cares and is more than willing and able to take you through anything you may be facing. 

    God’s not done with you
    Even with your broken heart and your wounds and your scars   
    God’s not done with you
    Even when you’re lost and it’s hard and you’re falling apart
    God’s not done with you
    It’s not over it’s only begun…    
    "God’s Not Done With You" (Tauren Wells)
The above song, I think, seems to capture the struggles that many of us may face time and again. We all go through challenges, that’s a part of life but sometimes, we may feel as if it’s the end. The nice thing is, when we may think it’s over, God doesn’t think the way we do or see things the way we do. We may see an end but God sees a beginning. 
    Throughout the New Testament, we see various people bound by sickness, disease, infirmity. Before their encounter with Jesus, I am sure many felt as if their life was over. They saw no hope, no way out, no help. The woman with the issue of blood spent everything she had to be healed of her blood issue but to no avail. Those who were blind most likely resigned themselves to a life of blindness with no hope of healing. Many others did not expect to come out of their life of infirmity. Yet, when Jesus stepped onto the scene and people saw and heard what He could do, things started to change. People had hope again. The woman with the issue of blood, went so far as to push her way through a crowd, not to touch Jesus Himself, but the very edge of His clothes believing that that was enough to heal her. She was not disappointed (Mark 5:25-34). Blind Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus to help him even though the crowd tried to shut him up. He was not disappointed (Mark 10:46-52). And many others pushed through to reach Jesus believing that they would be healed. They were not disappointed. The thing is, it was not over for them. They saw hope when they heard about Jesus. They saw a new beginning and no longer believed that it was over. 
    There’s a short verse in the song that says:
    There’s a light you don’t notice
    Until you’re standing in the dark
    And there’s a strength that’s growing
    Inside your shattered heart
I love this verse because it reminds me of the reality that we may not like going through difficult situations but at the end of the day, these are what God uses to bring about good in our life. Light is even more poignant in dark places and we never know how strong we truly are until we are going through challenges. In fact, I think challenges help make us stronger. It’s also at these times when we may tend to reach out to God even more because we realise no one and nothing else can truly help us. This is where our relationship with our Heavenly Father grows and matures. And that is definitely a good thing. 
    He’s got a plan this is part of it
    He’s gonna finish what He started…
No matter what comes our way, God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives. He is not moved by the negative things that may come our way. They are not able to stop His purpose for us … unless we allow it. In fact, God is well able to take all the challenges and negative situations that come along our path and incorporate them into His plan for us. At the end of the day, He uses all of it to give us a full and purposeful life. We may not be able to see it of course while we are going through, but that is what God is doing. According to Romans 8:28, He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. So, no matter how bad things get or look, it’s not over, it’s not the end. God is still working, and He is doing all that He can to give you a beautiful and fruitful life.    
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not finished with you. It may look like it’s over, but it’s not. God still has a beautiful plan for you and He will use everything, both the good and bad in your life, to bring about what is unique and good just for you. So, if you think it’s the end, it’s not. God still has a plan and this is all a part of it.
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     I have been reading the book of Genesis for the past few weeks. I am presently on the story of Joseph (Genesis 37, 39,40). He was one of the twelve sons of Jacob. He was favoured by his father because he was the son of his old age (Genesis 37:3). His brothers hated him because of this. It did not help that he had a dream of his family bowing to him (vv. 5-11). When his brothers got the opportunity, they tried to get rid of him by selling him to some Midianite traders who in turn sold him to an officer of Pharaoh named Potiphar.
    But, God was with Joseph and He caused him to prosper in his master’s house (Genesis 39). However, one day, because he resisted his master’s wife’s efforts to seduce him, she accused him of attempted rape. He was put in prison where, once again, God showed him favour and he was put in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph finally saw a glimmer of hope when two of Pharaoh’s servants, the butler and the baker, offended Pharaoh and were put in prison (Genesis 40). They had dreams which Joseph accurately interpreted. He asked the butler to remember him when he was restored to his position. Unfortunately, when that time came, the butler forgot him. It took two years before Joseph was remembered and finally released from the prison.
    As you read Joseph’s story, you can almost feel his sense of frustration. He was constantly being put in unfair situations. It seemed as if he had no control over the negative things that happened to him again and again. Sometimes, we may feel like that. We are trying to do what is right, yet, negative circumstances seem to keep coming our way. That can be frustrating and you may feel like giving up. Yet, the interesting thing is that God was with Joseph every step of the way. No matter the situation he was thrust into, God showed him favour. When he was in Potiphar’s house, God caused everything that he did to prosper, to the point where his master noticed it and gave him charge and authority over his entire house. When he was unfairly put in prison, the keeper of the prison saw God’s favour upon him and put him in a position of authority over all the other prisoners. I am sure this was not common treatment for a slave, but then, Joseph was no ordinary slave. He belonged to God and God made sure that he prospered even in difficult circumstances. 
    It can be difficult to see God’s favour in negative situations, but the reality is that God is in that situation with you, just like He was with Joseph in Egypt. God did not leave him alone and God will not leave you alone, no matter how alone you may feel.
    It must have been painful for Joseph when instead of remembering Joseph when his dream came true, the butler forgot him. The reality is, people may forget us, even fail us, but not our God. God never forgets. The thing is, Joseph was not forgotten. It was simply not God’s timing. Perspective can be an interesting thing. How we look at a thing will determine our attitude as we go through. I am sure Joseph felt forgotten and abandoned. He watched his chance for freedom slip out of his hands. Yet, it was not the right time. He could have been released then and there but he might have missed the greatness that God knew was coming his way. 
    Sometimes, we can become so impatient as we wait for deliverance from a bad situation, as we wait for circumstances to change in our favour, as we wait for healing to come, as we wait for a promotion. Whatever you may be waiting for, the wait can be difficult but, rest assured, when you choose to trust God, even when it doesn’t make sense, He will work it out but in His time. Isaiah 60:22 says, “At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen” (NLT). In short, God knows when is the perfect time to bring it to pass. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God has a perfect plan for your life and a perfect time to bring that plan to pass. God also sees and knows what you may be going through and will bring you through when the time is right. God is never late and He will not fail you!​

    To be honest, I struggled to find something to share this week. I wanted something different but could not put my finger on exactly what I wanted to share. While searching through material, a song kept playing in my mind, “Better” sung by Jessica Reedy. The chorus simply says:
    Life it can leave you so bitter, bitter, bitter, bitter
    But you must believe that it gets
    Better, better, better, better…
Many of us can relate to those lyrics. I have shared a number of testimonies from people who have faced tragic circumstances. They could have easily chosen to be bitter and thus consumed by their situation. But, from the moment they made the choice to turn to God and cry out to Him for help, He did not disappoint them. For those of us who have made that choice also, we can relate. 
    I feel sometimes like I have exhausted the story of David in the Bible but I guess I love the way he consistently chose to turn to God even in the most difficult of circumstances. When he and his men returned to their home in Ziklag, they discovered that the Amalekites had invaded it and burned it with fire. As if that was not enough, they had taken captive their wives and children. David’s men wanted to stone him, blaming him for what had happened, as they grieved for their families. David too was grieving but he also chose to encourage himself in the Lord. Bitterness I am sure was rampant among them that day and it was understandable. But, David trusted in his God and turned to Him asking what they should do. The Lord, in turn, instructed him to go after their enemies and He promised that they would recover all that they had lost. And they did. (1 Samuel 30:1-19)
    David’s hope was in his God. He could have allowed himself to be consumed with bitterness and anguish of spirit, just like his men. But he did not. He turned to his Hope, the only One whom he knew would have the answer and God did not fail him or his men with him.
    Life can certainly move us to bitterness and frustration of spirit. We can be motivated to give up and simply allow negative circumstances to dictate our destiny. But it’s at these times that God wants us to trust Him more than ever, when things seem as if they would never turn around. As the rest of the chorus states:
    It’s alright dry your eyes
    Send a prayer to the sky
    I know it’s hard to fight
    But you must believe that it gets better.
It’s about having hope, not in yourself or in your ability, but in a God who is able to do what seems impossible to you. It’s about believing that when you connect with God in prayer, He will hear and He will answer. The answer may not come as quickly as you would like or even in the way that you would like, but it will come. God is faithful.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is truly faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us when we are down. He is and will always be a present help in trouble. Trust Him to deliver, trust Him to turn things around, trust Him to do what he desires and is able to do for you.