August 14 - Anonymous

God is SO GOOD! After a career filled with a lot of responsibility and stress as well as plenty of traumatic events in my personal life I have learned to remain pretty calm and not worry too much about things I can not control. However, this morning while working through the culmination of an ongoing stressful and painful chapter in my life, everything was going wrong - Account login didn't work, Authentication codes wouldn't show up on the phone, simple touch screen to select menu choices wouldn't work, Notary that was supposed to be available was not, miscommunication, non cooperation, and more to just move forward toward a long overdue conclusion.

I was acutely aware that I was uncharacteristically feeling physical symptoms of stress and was trying to manage my emotions. Then during a lull in the calamity while on hold to take care of one of the minor obstacles I opened the laptop and began reading the Bible Challenge for the day (7/18). I always read the commentary first and was immediately bathed in assurance and peace. Here is the opening "Why God? Why so much hardship? Why does everything seem so difficult? So many people ask these questions with an accusatory tone - blaming God for their loss or hardship. But as the commentary goes on to explain, supported by God's Word, there are really incredible and awesome answers to these questions when we ask them with a different tone and perspective.

How amazing it is that our Great God created us in His own image and gave us FREE WILL! How beautiful is FAITH that Glorifies God and develops our character and spiritual maturity. How sobering and precious is the HOPE we have in the Gospel. And how foolish and immature it is for us to question God and think that somehow our trials are his fault or that he is callous towards us.

Job 38:4-11 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"

I am Blessed beyond measure daily by God's Word and the Reading Challenge Commentary, but this is one to save in a "Top 10" Reading Challenge folder.