June 15, 2020 EVEN THOUGH
Job 13:15a “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him;”
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you;”
Many have the misconception that when one gives their life to Jesus, when they trust Him as Savior, all will be well and they will be exempt from trials and difficulties. The trouble with this concept, in addition to not being true, is that it sets one up for disappointment and discouragement when the trials come. Even for the one who understands that being a Christian does not make them immune from difficulties, they can nonetheless become discouraged when the trials come-unless they know what Job and Paul knew. There are countless believers who have resigned themselves to the side-line of life because of disappointment with God, with others, and with unmet expectations. Also, prayers that are not answered in a way that one expected and hoped they would be can also lead to discouragement and can even cause one to give up on prayer. So, what are the real issues that causes some believers to become discouraged, defeated, and resigned to life on the side line? Before we try to find some answers to that question, let me say that it is not wrong to have questions regarding how and why things happen as they do and it is ok to pour out our emotions and thoughts to God and to be honest with Him about what is going on within us. If our trust in God and our responses or based on circumstances, then we are for sure in for discouragement, doubt, and defeat. If our faith, if our trust in God, is based on a firm belief that God is a good God, regardless of circumstances and regardless of whether or not we understand, then we will not be defeated when adverse circumstances come. It may sound over-simplified, but the real issue is knowing God for who He says He is-not who we think He is; man can have misconceptions of God. God gave us His word, Jesus demonstrated what God is like, and God gave us the Holy Spirit in order that we may know Him. If we underestimate the absolute need to read and study God’s word in order to know Him for who He is, we will experience defeat. Coming to know God is not a one-time experience but is a process-we come to know Him more and more. If you read the scriptures, you soon see that many believers, believers who we consider spiritual giants, endured much suffering and conflict, yet their faith in God never failed. Let us not bring about troubles by our own wrong doing and bad decisions, but let us accept the trials that will come our way, knowing that God has allowed the trials and that He will give us strength to endure and that He will use it for our good. (He can even use the trials that we bring upon ourselves-we have all made bad decisions.) Here is the all-important question for us: is the greatest desire of our heart for things to always go well with us, or is it to know God? As we come to know God, and as our knowledge of Him increases, trials and difficulties will not derail us. In the midst of the storm, there is peace, comfort, and even a joy that comes from the presence of God.
Psalm 57:7 “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.”
James 1:2-3, 1:12 “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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