2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
This morning is another example of where I came to my computer with a plan and God changed it. This change came about because of a letter that was written to us from a dear friend who is having to learn to carry out some medical procedures on his wife that are necessary to her well-being but hard for him to do. It made me think about the times when our Lord brings us to situations where we find ourselves in a crises of belief which call upon us to be faithful and take action. That action is often hard for us, because it requires us to make adjustments that are often uncomfortable to conform with what God wants us to do. These actions take us out of our comfortable habit patterns and force us to discover we have abilities we never knew we had. While it’s easier for me to write about this subject than it is for us to go through this kind of situation, we need to look at why God takes us to these hard places and some examples of people from the Bible who also dealt with them.
From the very depth of my being I believe that our Lord’s agenda for us is 100% righteous. If you agree with me, then you will understand that God’s reasons for taking us to uncomfortable places in our lives is for our ultimate benefit. HE 11: 6 tells us, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Christ wouldn’t have given us the great commission in MT 28: 19-20 unless the Father wanted as many people as possible to come to Him and be saved. But, being saved is only the first step. It is the process of sanctification, which all believers who have accepted Christ are going through now. That is the second step. It is in this process that our Lord is polishing all those rough edges that keep us from being able to shine as much of the Lord’s light as we were created to reflect. It is God’s way of perfecting us, so that when the day He chooses for our glorification comes, we will be ready for it. For God to sanctify us, He needs to force us to deal with our own areas where we might be vulnerable to Satan’s efforts to bring evil into our lives.
In MT 4: 1-11 we read the story of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. You will remember that first Satan tried to order Christ to turn stones to bread (3). Jesus’ comment was, “The Scripture [DT 8: 3] says, ‘Man cannot live by bread alone, but needs every word that God speaks’ “ (4). Then Satan tried to tempt Christ to jump down from the highest point on the temple, asserting that the angels will break His fall, arrogantly quoting PS 91: 11-12 (6). Christ’s response in (7) is “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” [DT 6: 16]. When Satan takes Christ to a very high mountain and tempts Him to worship him by offering our Lord all the territory He can see, Christ responds, “Go away Satan! The scripture [DT 6: 13] says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’ “ (10). The most significant verse in this whole story is (11), because we are shown that not only did the Devil depart, but angels came and helped Him. Our righteous God is stronger than Satan and will eventually be victorious over evil.
Our Lord’s temptation in the wilderness was only the beginning of the uncomfortable places that God took Him to in order to prepare Him for the job of redemption He was to do. I have said in previous devotions that the most difficult one had to have been that time in which God must leave Christ on His own in the Garden of Gesemane until He dies on the cross. When we think about what our Lord had to go through, it is easier for us to put our own discomforts in perspective. That doesn’t mean they are easy for us though.
In my own life, the events of the last 15 months have taken Pete and I into a very uncomfortable place, and we are not out of it yet. But, in looking back over this time, God has made His wishes known to both of us. He wanted me to improve my prayer life, learn to trust Him more, and to have this ministry of writing devotions to you. God wanted Peter to make a better connection with the other men in our congregation, to begin studying the Bible, and to recognize that his strength and value as a man don’t come from what he does for a living and how much money he makes. God may not be through with us yet. We might have to sell our home, give up many of our belongings, and become a one-car family before He is. But, if it is His will, then we will bow to it. The reason we can do this is that we know God’s agenda for us is in our best interests. The same was true for His agenda for the Son, for Paul who suffered a lot, and for anyone who is suffering because he has been brought to a hard place by God.
The next time you find yourself in a hard place, try to seek God’s perspective on why you are there. If you find yourself caring for a relative, being asked to do a job for which you don’t think you are qualified or prepared, or having to go some place you don’t really want to go to, pray to your loving Abba to better understand why. He knows the places where you are vulnerable and wants to show you that you can do more than you ever thought possible. After He has taken you there, you will know that peace that goes beyond human understanding, and you will know He has shown you the great undiscovered strengths that He has given you. The things that are truly worth it in this life seldom come easily, but always work out in your best interests. That is what a loving God wants you to know. It is never His business to hand you over to Satan; instead He wants you to come closer to Him and to enjoy the magnificent reward that awaits all those who live in obedient faith.
PRAYER: O Lord, Your wisdom is so much greater than ours. We are blessed that Your heart is pure and your desires for us are only the best. Give us the strength to trust You and demonstrate our love for You by being obedient. Help us to put Your perspective on the reason You sometimes take us to hard places in our lives. Allow us to feel the peace that comes from following the path You have laid out for us. In Christ’s name, amen.
God loves you and so do Peter and I. Be encouraged that the hard things in your lives are opportunities that God gives us for spiritual growth. Know that with faith, we can all look forward to the day we are glorified and share in God’s Kingdom forever.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn