Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:2-3
know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. Gal 2:16
My Precious Sisters in the LORD,
I am confronted with God's Sovereignty in powerful ways this past few weeks. The power of the Tsunami crushing life, buildings... stuff people claim is their property. Bombs falling to earth consuming lives and leaving scars deep in the earth. A friend struggles with cancer consuming her body. Brokenness in the body of Christ is everywhere.Those who faithfully reflect our Lord are often those who have suffered most. God takes the worst that slams into our lives and redeems it for our best. I have never walked away from a trial in which i did not benefit.
God is in control even when we suffer. It is not a matter of 'if' but when as the opening scripture clearly states. He is in control when we do not understand why things are so painful. Have you ever cried out, "God where are you?" We want fellowship with the Lord partaking of His peace and joy and naturally avoid suffering.
When I wonder where God’s blessing is I must remember my Father uses suffering to bring me into the fellowship of His sufferings. I do not get to choose what my blessings are, for I would choose wrongly. I think the enemy has me focus on other Christians and see they appear prosperous and together, I then conclude they do not suffer, not enough to count. When it may be they suffer most deeply. God's desire is that I keep my eyes on Him; learning to share in the sufferings of Christ, for there are broken hearts all around me. How am I to be a channel of God's love and comfort unless I have tasted suffering?
Some see suffering as a sign of God's disfavor. The sufferer must be doing something amiss in their life; neglecting spiritual disciplines thereby forfeiting their right to His blessing. They feel God is upset with them so they determine to please God by 'good' works and read their Bible more, control their temper and pray more. This diminishes who God is by making life about ‘us’ and our religious activity. We reason from man to God, while God reasons from God to man. If our faith is weak we fear God's silence to our prayers. It is a heavy weight to carry the responsibility of living so as to be acceptable to God. ( see Gal 2:16 above) We will never measure up to be accepted, so God in love and mercy, placed us in Christ and gave us His righteousness. God can accept nothing less than perfection.
God is Sovereign even when faith is fragile. Peter slept between two guards with other guards on duty when he was delivered from certain death. Many believers were praying for Peter's release but expected him to die, their faith was weak! They didn't believe the little maid when she said Peter was at the door. God worked in spite of weak faith.
Such philosophy can also be cruel wounding the body of Christ. I remember a family who lost their daughter to cancer and a Christian couple called on them to condole and shared that they needed to believe harder and their lack of faith is why their daughter died.. What a crushing blow. Is God so weak that He can be controlled by the finite human? Could He not have healed her if it was His will? God says He numbers our days before we take our first breath. God in His Sovereignty numbered her days. He is in control. Always. He could have kept cancer from ever invading her body but He allowed it, why?
Lets get beyond a philosophy which gives us the responsibility of an impossible task. We are called to walk by faith not works. We are called to trust God. We need to pray in faith... faith that God is good and will do what is perfect and right and good; rather than a heart desiring to manipulate God so He will implement our desire.
Our problem lies in not knowing Him for who He is. CI
God loves us immeasurably and works continually for our good. We need to lift up our eyes and see the bigger picture. God heals but He does not heal everyone. God doesn't have to explain Himself to us and He is not obligated to answer our prayers. He is God. This truth makes me prostrate myself at His feet in awe and cry “God, you are good, you are good.” You are so precious to Him. Be comforted, trusting that He knows what you struggele with today. As you trust Him to work you will experience the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings that will change your life. Therein is blessing eternal.
Intimacy with Christ is not freedom from difficulty and trials and sorrow, rather our soul is strengthened inwardly to be trusted more and more with the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming conformed to His death. We are asked to present our bodies as living sacrifices. (Conformed to Christ-likeness! )
"Our Father can advance His children into conformity to the image of His Son, more by suffering in one day, than in many years of ease from trial." mjs
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death Phil 3:8-10 (Do I?)
Majestic and Holy God I run to You in praise of who You are.... Sovereign. I am comforted, secure trusting You are on the Throne now and forever. You are good whether You answer my prayers or it seems You are ignoring my impassioned pleading. For my prayers are meant not to move Your hand as much as to move in my heart to change me, move me nearer to You, move me to surrender as I exchange my will for Yours. I release this desire I have carried near my heart into Your hands. I release the need to beg you to do what I want, what I think is best according to my understanding for it is finite presumption. Are You not good and to be fully trusted? You alone understand my fears, loneliness and selfishness and how fragile my faith is many times. You bring peace as I focus on You and trust You to work. You can only act in goodness. Blessed be Your holy name, Jesus. I love you.
In fellowship with the King,
az
