I Asked God by Claudia M. Welz

I asked God to take away my grief,
And God said, “No,
It’s not for me to take away,
But for you to work through.”

I asked God to make my broken heart whole,
And God said, “No,
Your spirit is whole,
Your pain is only temporary.”

I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said, “No,
Patience is a by product of tribulation;
It isn’t granted, it’s earned.”

I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said, “No,
I give blessing,
Happiness is up to you.”

I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said, “No,
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
And brings you closer to Me.”

I asked God to make my spirit grow,
And God said, “No,
Grow on your own,
I do the pruning that makes you fruitful.”

I asked God if He loved me,
And God said, “Yes,
I gave you My only Son to die for you.”

I asked God to teach me how to love others
As much as He loves me.
He said, “AAHH, finally you have the idea.”

“Do not love the world (life in opposition to God) or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world…the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life…is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lusts of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

How much cleare can that message be state!

Noah was given the same task by God that the first man, Adam was given…to be fruitful and multiply…to grow fruit and bring in abundance…replenish the earth.

Noah means rest, quietude. He was saved from the flood that destroyed the earth, making peace with God and was now quiet in his heart from his faith that God loves him. All those who are saved have this same assurance in God; they need not worry any longer about that love. They need not worry anymore about whether God will provide for them. THEY NEED NOT WORRY ANYMORE HOW THEY MUST PRODUCE THIS LOVE. They need only go out and do what God has asked, what he has sent them to do. Be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth. Not for the sake of greed, but for the purpose of furnishing THE REST OF earths inhabitants , both present and future with the abundance necessary for day to day living.

We can live without many things, we can live without anything. But our daily bread is a must for the sustenance of our bodies and all who inhabit the earth deserve to share in its abundance.

And that is why we pray… “Give us this day, our daily bread…”

We do not pray for food for a month...we do not pray for every desire known to man...we do not pray for enough to keep us from ever having to pray again...we pray only for enough to sustain us today!

“And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.” (Literally, a garden).

Noah began to be fruitful and replenish the earth so that it (the earth) had, once again, the abundance to sustain life. He obeyed God's command so that he was able to demonstate his love for God, and his love for his fellow human being.

It was not the garden of delight and pleasantness that God had placed man in originally…but came from the labor of Noah’s hands and the sweat of his brow. It was up to man to help produce it this time. To abide by God’s decree.

It was not meant to be offered to God in sacrifice, but was meant to be enjoyed by Noah and his family as the fruits of their labor. With it, they could continue to prosper (live), and do well.

They did not go out to do battle with the earth, the sea, or the heavens…they did not build an army for their protection…they did not elect politicians to lead them…they were not asked to do these things. Noah simply took from what God gave him and used it for the purposes for which it was intended...which was to feed His sheep...though these would be future sheep.

How far have we gone astray from what was originally designed that man should do as his duty for this earth and his fellow man?

God’s original indictment against the world…his reason for destroying it by flood was that it had become wholly corrupt and violent. It took for itself whatever it could (corruption) by the force of violence. And where do we stand today?

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. Genesis 6:11&12.

“And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which there is the breath of life; everything on the earth shall die.” Genesis 6:17.

And all flesh died that moved on the earth…all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. Genesis 7:21&22.

This spirit of life is the truth that God is teaching us today. And all flesh has become dead to that spirit because God has taken it from us because of the desires of our heart. Some will be saved though, because they turned from the desires of their heart, and back to the Lord our God who is the truth that leads us to the way of life.