Don’t worry! God is working everything out behind the scenes

Yeah, yeah. Welcome to treasures in the storm. My name is Cindy Schmidler And today we have a special edition, we’re gonna be looking at paul’s life actually him going from Saul to paul and how God was directing all of that for his good purposes. And I call this, don’t worry God’s working everything out behind the scenes and I don’t know about you. But I often need to remind myself, I hope today that this would be a great encouragement to you or to someone in your life that means a lot to you. That maybe needs a Saul to paul experience and we can trust God with that. So I’m gonna pray for us and then we’re gonna dig into the scriptures were gonna be in the Book of Acts. So grab your bible, your pen and paper because we’re expecting, we’re anticipating that God’s gonna speak to us today. So dear heavenly father Lord, I thank you. You say when we open this active and living word of yours, that you have much to say to us that you can’t wait to speak to us Lord and we are hungry and we are thirsty. We want to hear from you today, Lord. We want that abundant life that you want to give to us. So help us. God, help us to bow our heads have ears to hear hearts to receive and minds to understand what you want for us today in this message and we pray all that in jesus name. So we’re in the Book of Acts chapter nine, I’m reminded how God is the potter and we’re the clay. Uh and even through this we will see even the very worst sinner is not out of his scope. So I have two questions that I want you to think about as we go through this message today, what am I learning about God’s care? That would be the first one. What are you learning about God’s care? Because every time we open his word and he speaks to us, we want to know more about who he is and more about who we are. And then the second question is how does this this situation, what we’re going to be reading about? How does that affect my circumstances? And so I’m gonna read 9 to 22 I think it is, we’re going to yep 9 to 22 uh and we’ll talk about it as we go through it. So Verse one, meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that if any found the way anyone belonging to the way whether they were men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Okay, so this is the opening we find out about who saw is sol is a man who persecutes christians and he puts not only men, but even women into jail if they claim to be of the way the way of jesus and as he neared Damascus on his journey. Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and he fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, this is jesus words. Saul Saul, why do you persecute me? Actually, I think that’s kind of kind how he said that. You know why, why why are you persecuting me now? Here he is, killing God’s very own people. And and Jesus comes and says, why are you persecuting me? Who are you? Lord Saul asked. I am jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied, Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. So, God, who is pre planned before the foundations of the world ever began? He has pre planned what our days are, as it says in psalm 1 39 16. All of your days, All of my days are already written in his book. All of Saul’s days are already written in his book. And as it says in Galatians 1\/5 teen that while he saw paul was in his mother’s womb, God shows him for the calling on his life. Think about that because we we see the scene opening and we know what’s going on with him right now. He’s killing christians. How in the world can God use somebody who is killing christians to come and bring salvation to people through their words. So let’s go on Verse seven, the men traveling with Saul stood, They’re speechless. So everybody around is speechless over this. Um uh I want to call it provision of God making himself known to solve. They heard the sound of what happened, but they didn’t see anyone. Saul got up from the ground. But when he opened his eyes he could not see anything. So they led him by the hand into Damascus for three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything. So God shows through a bright light to blind him for three days. I find that interesting that he let him sit in. I can’t imagine to go from seeing today and probably you too, if you just think about going from scene, being able to see today to comply completely black, you can’t see anything. Your whole life has been rocked your, everything in your life has been wrong and you’re left with your mind with your thoughts. That’s what you’re left with by God’s design. Right. And so Saul got up from the ground when he opened his eyes. Couldn’t see. And in Damascus 1st 10 there was a disciple named Antonius. The Lord called to him in a vision. Ananias. Yes, Lord, he answered. The Lord told him go to the house of judas on straight street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul for he is praying in a vision. He has seen a man named Anna Nyah’s come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. So God has chosen as he does often to use his people in his endeavors endeavors. Does he need to use people? Well, no, he doesn’t. He’s the maker of heaven and earth, right? He can speak it into existence. He can speak and it would be done. But he has chosen to use antonius in this. And he also reminds us that Saul is now praying. So I think when you were blinded that you’re gonna start praying. It’s always in those squeezing moments that God causes in our life that we are thrown to him. Why there’s no better place to be his heart’s desire is that we are pressed nose to nose with him. And the only way he well not the only way he can do it. However he wants the way he chooses to do it is through heartache often. And so we have Saul who is blinded right now seeking, he’s seeking the Lord. And in verse 13, Lord Antony is answered. I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. Of course everybody knew what Saul was doing. And now this is the man God. You want me to go to this man. You want me to restore through you, this man’s sight. And verse 14 and he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on the name The name of Jesus. And so he knew he knew who this man was. And in verse 15, this is I underlined this in my Bible, I hope you will too 15. But the Lord said to Antonia’s go, this man is my chosen instrument. Did you hear that? This man is my chosen instrument? The one that was killing christians is now my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. So God shows Saul, he saves his soul, gives him the call on his life and the call was to go and preach his name to the very people that he was killing. That makes my head spin. That’s that’s how God takes tragedy. And he turns it around. He has plan and purpose. And I’d like to say to if you I think of a dear friend of mine who has a wayward child right now, if you have a son or daughter who is far from the Lord and my friend’s daughter is very far from the Lord and she’s into drugs and left her beautiful family for this waywardness. Such waywardness from walking with God to waywardness that I just don’t even have a word for it. It’s so awful. We can trust God with that child. If you have a child addicted to drugs, we can trust God for that child because he only he can turn that thing around. And if he did it in Saul’s life while he was killing christians, he can do it in your child’s life. And so put that on today. That truth, that’s who he is, that’s what we want to know. We want to remind ourselves who he is. Then in verse 17 then an and eyes went to the house and entered it, placing his hands on Saul. He said, Brother Saul the Lord jesus who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He has sent me so that you may see again and before filled with the holy spirit. There it is. I’m gonna save your soul, I’m gonna put my spirit in you immediately. Something like scales fell off of Saul’s eyes and he could see again. He got up and was baptized and after taking some food he regained he regained his strength And so God chose to use sol save him. While as the scripture says in Romans 58 while we are dead in our sin, Christ makes himself known, not what we’re searching him. Not when we open our bible or go to church while we are dead, we are dead in our sin. That’s when he comes in and he saves us. It’s not something that we do, it’s something that he does, he does it all. He makes himself known and I hope today that that is a freedom and an encouragement to you today. I hope that you can rest today knowing that your almighty God and father has all of the details of of your family and your friends and all those you care about in his fatherly hands. And at just the right moment, in just the right way, he will bring himself to them. And it’s all him who does it? He who created every cell in their body. He created them for his purpose in his time. In his way. It’s not dependent. Like oh this sin is so bad. And you think of saw his son was so bad. He’s killing christians. He’s having them thrown into prison. Nothing could be worse than that. Nothing. And so whatever you are going through, whatever you, somebody you love is going through. They can you can trust God for them in this thing based on Saul’s life. And I I love how gracious God is to saul in this. As I mentioned to you, I think it’s important to know that he’s not a harsh god that he wants you. He wants you to be close to him. He knows what’s best for you. He who created you some call this God’s instruction manual because it gives us everything we know we need for Godliness and life. The scripture says everything needed is in this book. I love that because I love to open it up. What what are you gonna show me now? Lord, I can’t wait to see. What are you gonna show me? There’s there’s things that in unser chewable things in here, treasures of the greatest form are in here onions to be peeled open in here that God wants to give us And we can’t forget about the upside down nous of God and how in these circumstances he is working. And so you know that passage and I say one of my life first as I say a 55-83-11 I’ll paraphrase, paraphrase it. You know he’s just my ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts are higher, they’re better. They’re heavenly. And I don’t go A. B. C. D. I don’t go in order. I go all over because I am God and I know what I’m doing and you’re just clay. So you don’t you don’t tell the potter how to do things how often in my prayers I will tell God how to do something because Lord, it has to be this way, this is the right way when God just laughs, I’m sure at that saying, look I’ve got the best way, let me take care of this. And isn’t it isn’t it mostly about um just having faith, having more faith and more belief when we hear the truth like Saul’s life becoming paul. So it does it means so much that um I can look at myself and I could say oh my gosh! Even though I Sin God is still with me, I don’t want to sin. I want him to be this close. But even when I sin that he’s using this for good. And these are upside down plans as we are saying and that he does things I want you to remember as he does salvation. We don’t do it, there’s none of us and that he does it all. He makes us completely dependent on him. I love that all of our circumstances are in his loving hands today, not a thing we need to do about it. And I hope today that that brings you some encouragement. You don’t have to try to control it. I hope that removes a weight from your shoulders today. Maybe you have a parent you’re caring for and you feel like the weight of how can I do this or a handicapped child? Lord, how am I ever gonna do this? And he says just be present with me, I’m gonna do it. You’re not gonna do it. I’ll give you everything needed to complete the project. Don’t look ahead. Look with me, I’m gonna carry your carry you through. Maybe you just lost a husband. Maybe you just lost a wife and you think I cannot go on, does fall into his loving arms and let him bathe you let him carry you. Let him help you get that grieving off of you. That huge weight of grieving off for you. Let let him wrap his arms his strong comforting arms around you be reminded that he has this and he will never leave you. He will never forsake you. The only people I need to concern myself with. The only people you need to concern yourself with is ourselves the rest of it. And doing what he has asked us to the rest of it he will take care of. So I’m going to pray for us and I hope that you’ll take this with you today and you will feel yourself the baggage that sits on our shoulders and our back would be lightened all day as we think about salt to paul’s life. So dear heavenly father. Lord, I thank you that you are the God of salvation that we don’t, we don’t have anything to do. We can’t make it happen even for ourselves. But you do it all, Lord. And that you have chosen to use people like we are your container for you to use to bring yourself to others. Lord. And we want you to be so pleased today. Lord. We want to be able to hear your spirit and be obedient to what you asked us to do, Lord. And and and we don’t want to have a big light fall on us and be blind for three days. We want to be able to be such a step with you. God that there is. It’s a smooth dance with you Lord and not a clunky, horrible, difficult time of getting connected. Lord, because that’s what you desire to and you desire that for your people and so make your face shine upon them today, Lord and may they see it and feel it and experience it today father. You know exactly what each person needs to know you better. And I pray, oh Lord, jesus, that you would give them those special presents that you want them to open today and we trust you for this in jesus name. Thank you so much for the show today. I look forward to seeing you again. Mhm Yeah. Hello. My name is Cindy schmidle er and I have something very special that I want to share with you today. This is a book that I’ve written called tragedy turned upside down. This is a book full of hope and help if you need some strength today, I call it God vitamins if you need some real uh inoculation of the Lord and faith and belief in your life. This book is for you. My readers have said they devour it. They sit in one sitting to finish it. They have laughed, they have cried. Most of them have taken notes on it because there’s so many good foundational truths in it that you will want to write down and keep for the storms of your life. Mostly you’re gonna take this book and you’ll want to share it with others that are struggling to. So at your earliest convenience, I’d say pick it up, read it, you will be blessed, blessed, blessed when you read this and share it with those that are struggling right now. 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