God will use pressure, carefully measured but firm, to temper us. He'll heat up a furnance or box us in until we are exhausted seeking our own way out. Will we learn to trust Him for a way through than a way out?
He will even create circumstances to try us. Do we praise or complain? He will lead us not into temptation or sin, but a lion's den, perhaps or some other difficult place. Can we perceive God's hand in the opposition for our good?
Why the trials, suffering, discomfort, sleepless nights? If you are truly living for the Lord with an open and honest heart, you are not being punished for some hidden fault or gross failure. No, my beloved, if anything you are closer and more loved by God than other times when all is going well.
For you see God uses these things to draw the worst out of us. Yes, that's right, God uses heat, pressure, trials and other difficult situations to refine us, to purify us. He is removing stubborn habits, sinful attiutdes and polluted mindsets and other idolatrous behavior.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (I Peter 1:7 NLT).
How we respond in these moments to God matters. We can mature, grow closer to Him and be more conformed to His character or we can shrink back, seek relief elsewhere but never know the nearness of Christ. Nor will we fully appreciate what trials do to our faith.
Our confidence in God increases to believe Him for anything because we patiently endured trials and suffering to find in the end, we are much more alive and purer than before! We see, think and behave with a greater purity and appreciation for holy living!
No comments:
Post a Comment