2022-06-03
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Can you imagine the joy that Elijah would feel when after going through the loneliness of thinking he was the only prophet left, he would discover that a fairly large number of them had been holed up in a cave and were in good condition? How about your own experiences of God testing your faith and passing such a test? It could have been like a time of war that your side won. The five years of WW II, a time of disappointments, rationing, and worry about family in the military, which led to restoration. The latter came when the Allies finally overcame our enemies, the Axis, and our dear ones returned home. Those who didn’t but had faith in God went to heaven. Maybe it would be an illness that you overcame—something like the one Hezekiah (a king of Israel in the prophet Isaiah’s time) experienced, who was given 15 additional years of his earthly life in response to prayer In recent times, it might be a cancer patient, who has gone through chemo and radiation and has gone into remission lasting more than five years. People like Norman Lear and Oprah Winfrey have been asked, “What do you think about God?” They both expressed gratitude for their success and had gone to Him in prayer when times had been tough for them. We must remember 1 COR 10: 13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide you a way out so that you can endure it.” God wants anyone being troubled to turn to Him FIRST.
Why do you think God tests one’s faith? The best answer for that question comes from our need to learn to trust and rely on Him. Many of us don’t realize that and have the habit of turning to other humans before reaching the end of ourselves and remembering we should have turned to God in prayer. The Scriptures have given us some amazing stories from history to help us remember. The story of King Jehoshaphat, in 2 CH 20: 1-30 is a good example. A combined army of Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites was advancing up the mountains to attack Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat and the Israelites were frightened indeed. But this faithfully obedient king led his people to pray for God’s protection. That pleased God and as events unfolded in this exciting story, the Israelites saw these armies turning on themselves and being defeated by God. God had told them not to initiate an attack but that this was His battle. The Israelites and their king trusted Him; their enemies were defeated. (I hope you will read this story to enjoy all the meaningful details).
The kind of joy that those who trust in God have involves joy’s foundation, its surprise, its restoration, and how it abides. That’s the kind of joy that God gives us when we place our trust in Him. Our path to joy abiding is knowing that God can be counted upon and will give us lasting joy in knowing He is here for us. Most of the time, God wants us to join with Him in the defeat of our mutual enemies.
So, what do we who are willing to persevere in our faith in Him discover? Let me share the story of a cousin of mine, Randy Schoenberg, who was a Jewish lawyer in Los Angeles who had been born in Austria. A friend of his also from Austria, Maria Altman, had been from a well-to-do Jewish family that had a lovely home there before WW II. Maria’s aunt contacted an artist named Gustav Klimpt, who was famous for his work, to paint a portrait of herself. This artist did so, painting “Woman in Gold,” a true treasure. During WW II, the Nazis broke into the Altman home and took everything of value from this family. Maria was blessed not to end up in a concentration camp but lost the rest of her entire family in the Holocaust. Years later in Los Angeles, Maria contacted Randy Schoenberg to help her find and recover this beautiful painting. Randy helped her discover that the painting was in the hands of the Austrian government, and getting it returned to his client led to a series of applications and many trials that lasted quite a long time. I won’t spoil the end of this rather amazing quest, but you can learn about it by watching the movie made about this story, starring Helen Mirren, on tape called “Woman in Gold.” I believe God understood the injustice of what the Nazis did in stealing art works and other valuables from the Jewish people and wanted justice for them. The World Congress of Jews has acted to see these valuables are returned to the heirs, families of Jews killed in the Holocaust, including money held in secret Swiss bank accounts once established by the Nazis for their ill-gotten gain. Once again, I believe God had a hand in the success in getting the Swiss banks to open these accounts and return the money to these Jewish rightful heirs.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You today to pray that we will begin to get into the habit of turning to You FIRST whenever the need arises, or we simply want to worship [EX 20: 1-6]. We know that watching You at work allows us to take stock of the many blessings You place in our lives. Yes Lord, there are times when You don’t give us an answer right away to our prayer requests. However, there is always a lesson for us even in that situation. Every earthbound human has challenges to his faith, but never ones that destroy our resolve to remain faithful. There are some lessons You teach us through Your Word [JN 1: 1-4; 2 TIM 3:16-17] or through Your answer, “Maybe later.” Rightfully, You demand our humility and that we trust You. These are not easy things to learn, but they are necessary. We thank You for listening to every prayer we offer and for enabling us to place our cares on Your shoulders [1 PET 5: 5-7]. You are to be praised for the lasting joy You give to every obediently faithful child of Your family. You have not kept what pleases You a secret! In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit has directed me to write about the elements of joy -its foundation, surprise, restoration, and ability to abide-next week. We will look into joy’s crown. A good definition of joy is the absence of misery. Most of us can cite times when we felt misery and experienced a test of our faith. Right now, I’m grieving the loss of my husband, which happened a year ago. In addition, my faith is being tested as I try to look for justice in this war between Russia and the Ukraine. And yet, the Lord has given me a foundation of joy in knowing He is aware of my prayers to see justice done in the war and to come to totally accept the absence of my very best human companion. As 1 COR 10: 13 has told me, these concerns are normal to all humans in one way or another. My faith in the Lord and knowledge (albeit far more limited than God’s) of His motivations tells me I must place my concerns on His shoulders. He is a God who has no evil in Him [1 JN 1: 5] and He is good [PS 100: 5]. Like all who believe or will come to faith in the future, I must believe that my Peter is in hands than mine in heaven, and the lessons or blessings that will come out of this war will be valuable. Knowing these things and accepting them will give abiding joy in the Lord. We can all look forward to that. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15. © Lynn Johnson 2022. All Rights Reserved.
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