09/16/2020
When we fear the Lord and seek after Him, we receive His blessings throughout our journey, but even this doesn’t mean we will not be without pain and suffering. We can strive to obey the commandments of our Heavenly Father, but in doing so, we pay a price in sacrifice. Before iron can be reshaped into something useful, or beautiful it must enter the furnace, and before clay can become fixed in its new shape, it must be fired. So it is with us as Christians... our redemption comes with a price, and our rebirth into a new creature requires an often uncomfortable transformation. So we rejoice in our trials, and claim the blessings they make real in us.
“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!”
Psalm 112:1 ESV
We read this verse and some convince themselves that fearing the Lord comes easy, and that delighting in His commandments comes without pain, but a few verses later we are reminded that the righteous are still challenged by fear, and they continue to face bad news...
“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”
Psalm 112:7 ESV
The difference between Christians and those who choose not to believe is not that by believing in Christ we avoid the trauma of earthly life, and all of its pitfalls; no, the difference is in how we face them, and who we face them with... We face them with prayer, and a trust in God, and in this way we face the good and the bad with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit at our side.
I recently had my hip replaced, and in doing so the everyday pain that had been growing more unbearable over time was replaced with a different kind of pain. The searing pain of a damaged hip was exchanged for a lesser pain that I knew would get better each day, and eventually go away. This is similar to how we suffer as Christians... we still feel pain in our lives, but it is different for us than it is for someone who must face a pain that will only continue to grow.. or from which they will not receive a blessing. Every thing that lives faces tribulation, but it is so wonderful, for us who believe, to be able to confront the troubles in our lives with God, and Jesus Christ at our side, and to trust in the fact that there is good, and blessing, in everything we go through.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 ESV
Before I had my hip replaced I read a lot of literature regarding the operation I was about to undergo, and the healing process that followed. This allowed me to face the procedure with confidence. We should do the same in our faith. We should read God’s Word, and study it so that when we face life’s pain, or the heat of the furnace, we will trust in Him, and have the confidence we need to sustain our belief in Him as He changes us, and reveals to us our ultimate blessing.
““Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.””
Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV
Are we ready to face life, and the problems it brings? Are we going to attempt this alone, or with God at our side? Trouble, and suffering, changes people, but with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God with us, our change will be for the good, and be a blessing to us... not a curse. So are we ready in our faith to step out into this tumultuous thing we call life, and hold firm to our God as He teaches and blesses us in it?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the difficulties we face in life, and for all that you teach us about yourself, and our faith, through them. Hold us firm in our belief as we confront each trial set before us, and experience the suffering it brings. Give us the strength Father to carry our crosses, and if we begin to stumble then send someone into our lives who will help us bear the load of it. See us through our own personal Calvary, and bless us, as you did Jesus, when we look out over our life and know that we have remained in your will. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who takes the hard times in our lives, and makes them into something good that will bless us. Praised be your name Lord for every tear we cry, and every drop of blood we shed as we seek faithfully to remain within your will while in the midst of our seasons of suffering. Great are you who sustains us, and sends your angels to strengthen us when we are failing. Merciful and good are you who is with us always, and who sent your Son to teach us about perseverance, obedience, and withstanding what the world throws at us. Hear our prayers Lord, even if offered in wails of sorrow, or pain, and help us to remain faithful to you... even unto death. Lift us up when Jesus returns, and find us worthy, washed in His blood, and ready to enter your kingdom where we will live praising and worshiping you, without hardship or suffering, forevermore.
Rich Forbes