by Dossie M Terrell

Created on: August 05, 2008   Last Updated: August 08, 2008

Because so many horrendous things are happening with seemingly no end in sight, some might wonder where is God? Does He really exist? Is He really a benevolent God? God's residence is in heaven, but He should also live in each of our hearts. The answer to the second question as well as to the third question is unequivocally "yes."

What most folks do not understand is God is about relationships and in order to reap the benefits of His bountifulness they must first establish a one-on-one relationship with Him. John 10:9 states "I am the Door, if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." He tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 how we can overcome the world; He issues an all-embracing invitation to all when He says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

We want God to change things because of who we are, but God changes things because of whom He is and who we are in Him: He is God, ruler of all things. You must earn the right to call upon Him in your times of trouble and you do that by accepting His invitation before trouble starts. When He becomes your savior and you are born again in spirit and truth; you will be transformed from worldly pursuits and entered into His goodness and mercy. His relationship with those in His kingdom is not unlike that of good parents who refuse to stand idly by while their children suffer needlessly. Good parents will do all they can to elevate and enhance their children and will prod and guide them until they are once more out of harm's way. That is what God wants and what He does for those who have entered into His kingdom.

For example, most shoppers know about Costco and Sam's club and the financial benefits of becoming a member; however, if they fail to invest in a membership, they miss out on the great bargains and savings. That is essentially how God's kingdom operates; it is filled with members who have committed themselves to obeying his commandments and praising Him. He is seeing that they are safe, no matter what is going on around them, even in the midst of the worst types of turmoil, He steers them to safe harbor. There is a certain kind of peace, knowing there is this kind of protection. He says in Ephesians 6:14-17 "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate

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