by David Brenneman
"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;" JOB 42:5
You may have heard it said that a person does not not really know who his friends are until the bottom
drops out. In much the same way, we will never personally know how truly faithful, strong and wise Jesus is apart from adversity. Indeed, if our lives are free from pain, turmoil, and sorrow, our experience of God will remain purely academic. Our trust in Him would never increase, mature, or be strengthened. Our relationship with Him could be compared to that with a great-great-grandfather about whom we've heard stories yet never met personally. We would have great admiration but no intimacy or fellowship. That is not the kind of relationship God wants with His children.
Through the costly death of Christ, the Lord has opened the
way for us to have direct access to Him, and He wants nothing to
stand between us. So He engineers circumstances through which
He can reveal Himself to us in a personal and profound way and we
can bond with Him emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. When
difficult seasons arise, do not despair. Instead, rejoice that God is about to reveal Himself to you in a powerful way, and get ready to
experience His faithfulness firsthand.
Jesus, thank You for revealing Yourself to me through all my
circumstances. Amen.
- Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley.
We experience situations throughout our life where we pray and Jesus shows up through the various people He's placed in our lives.
This is for our extreme benefit as pointed out by Dr. Stanley.
Likewise true is this notion that we need the things we go through in life in order to grow in Christ.
A tree may grow tall and wide and have a fantastic appearance...but if the roots are truly shallow then comes the right kind of storm and it will topple over.
King Saul had all the appearance of a great King, however his life in the Lord was extremely shallow. When things really began to happen whereby he should have grown in his relationship with the Lord...he blew it.
King Solomon had been granted great wisdom in order to lead the nation of Israel...yet blew it as well.
We, more often than not, want out of our situations. Rather the appropriate response should be to ask for prayer to see us through them. To learn what it is that the situation is there for and to rely on Christ our Savior to grow us in Him.
Indeed if He brings you to something He will see you through that something.
The children of Israel were lead out of the land of Egypt. Right up to a sea with Pharaoh’s army on their heels. Moses did as instructed and the sea parted and they went through on dry land.
The lesson was for them to look to the Lord for everything.
During my 10 or so months of unemployment the Lord brought us to this same place. No retreat was possible and going forward was the only option. Daily my thoughts were to pray about what He had in mind for me to be doing that day. Taking it one day at a time.
He brought deliverance from many places and people. People who chose to be dispensers of grace in our time of need.
Oh, my Dear Reader, you can constantly complain about your life's situations or you can seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, find out what it is you're to be learning and grow in your relationship with Jesus through it.
There's absolutely nothing random about your life's adventures. The Lord, through His Spirit, is going to continue His workmanship in us one way or another. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them. Period.
The things we emotionally react to rather than trust God in will always steam roll us if we let them.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
I will testify those verses from Proverbs 3:5-6 are absolutely the truth. Those verses stayed with me and are staying with me during those perilous times of unemployment and now into employment.
Those 10 months were a time of growth for me in Christ. You can either get the point of why you're going through some rough patches or you can miss the point entirely.
Stop and go back to Proverbs 3:5-6.
Stop and reconsider Ephesians 2:10.
Stop and be grateful that He is right there in this with you. Grow your roots deeper in the Lord.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.
A corporation not for profit.
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