07/21/2022
When we face trials in our lives God will teach us lessons in faith through them, and the hardships we encounter will be of varying degrees, but every once in a while we will face one that is so overwhelming, and so devastating, that it shakes our faith to its very core, and those are the storms that break loose the loose debris of our self-imposed religion. These are the disasters that leave us with only the cornerstone of Jesus, and the solid foundational stones of God standing. It is in such times, when we think all is lost, that we will find our belief is still intact beneath the rubble, and that the things of God which are firm, and never changing have not only survived, but have become more deeply imbedded in us. Each of us will go through minor tremors, and fires of varying degrees, but when that magnitude 10 quake comes, or the fierce fires rage, what will we find standing when their dust has settled?
“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.”
Acts 27:20 ESV
When fire rages through the forest and burns our house to the ground we will do one of two things, we will either take what little we have left and go someplace where fire will never be a possibility again, or we rebuild our house of stone, and other fireproof materials, and from that moment on keep the flammable brush cleared away from our home site. The choices before us are hard ones to make… shall we stay the course or go, and once made we know that there will be spiritual lessons to be learned; no matter our choice.
When we spiritually choose to go somewhere else it is typically for one of two reasons; we are either going towards something, or we are running away from something. The Lord will use the ashes of our crisis to call us to Him, and ask us to come walk with him to a better place, but we can blame Him for the fire, abandon our faith, and leave Him standing there in the midst of those selfsame ashes as we turn away. The choice is ours.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,”
Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV
If we run to Him we will learn amazing truths, as we live in our new life, but if we are running away from God, He will not abandon us, but will begin to teach us the hard lessons about our own nature of abandonment, and bring us to that place where we will be forced to choose the long road home… just as the prodigal son did.
“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
Luke 15:21-24 ESV
So, if we stay after the devastation of a bitter trial, and clear the debris away, we will find Jesus, and our foundation stones of faith to be intact, and rebuild a stronger house of faith where the old one once stood. But if we go away we must choose which path we will take… to run towards God, or away from Him. What will we do when confronted by our great challenges, heartbreaks, and storms? What lessons will our choices lead us to, and are we prepared to learn them?
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,”
Joshua 24:15-16 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for being with us always, and for teaching us the many lessons of faith that come when we find ourselves facing the hardships of life. Thank you for the lesser lessons that we easily master, but thank you most for the difficult ones that spring forth from the worst of our troubles, and storms. Help us to find the core strengths of our faith, and to never turn away from you in the midst of our hottest fires, or bleakest of circumstances. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who stands with us in the midst of our greatest troubles, and strengthens us in faith. Praised be your name for the triumphs of faith we experience, great and small, with you at our side. Merciful are you who waits on us when we are slow to learn, and are making the wrong choices. Your grace is sufficient for us and sees us through every difficulty we encounter in our faith. Wash away the filth of our sin with the blood of Jesus Christ, and transform us into His image, step by step, and measure by measure. Forgive us Lord when we turn the wrong way, and are forced to come to you, weeping in contrition, and humbled on our knees. Lift us up and seat us at your table where we will remain unwavering, and unshaken, forevermore.
Rich Forbes