Listening to the Holy Spirit:
Calamity is a great teacher, honing its students to be what they are not. A friction wears the surface smooth, so too the trials. Heavy weight demands growth, and he who does not give up, gets stronger. Is not the ox without load, one that withers for lack of challenge? Blessing of My hand is not always of ease, but of trial, for it is in the balance of both that man grows to maturity. Rest and work, for both are mine to give, and in giving – growth. Do not mistake My hand for the enemy, or great leisure for blessing. My ways are one of a Father who as the smith draws out the dross, that the pure may prosper as his Maker intends. Look not with disdain the trial, but with eye to the Godly man that shall emerge, lacking then less for the match, and those matches yet to come.
James 1:2-4 (ESV) – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
John 6:5-6 (ESV) – Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
Rev 4:12 (ESV) – Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
Taking It to Work:
Does God allow trials in our life? Well, experientially and Biblically, we know the answer is, “Yes”. We have all had them, and in the Bible we see many examples, great and small, of trials Jesus took his disciples through, as He was growing them into the men He wanted them to be.
One of my favorites was the little zinger he did to Philip. I’m not sure if Philip was a high-strung type, but I found it amusing, as Jesus knowing already what he was going to do, put Philip under some stress when this massive crowd was heading toward them. He asked Philip how they were going to feed all of these people. I imagine Phillip was in a bit of a panic at that question, quickly adding up the cost of even attempting to give each person one bite!
The truth is, we don’t think much about the fact that often God blesses us with trials. The early church actually rejoiced in trials. We have grown accustomed to look at health, comfort and leisure as God’s only ways of blessing our life. We look at peace, success and ease as earmarks of those in God’s good graces, and conversely, we often look at those with problems and issues as someone outside of God’s protection for some reason.
Now it is true, sometimes our issues are by our own doing, and we generally know when that is, but when God brings into our lives a time of suffering and trial, and we know we have been following Him faithfully, that trial may prove to be, once we look back on it, one of God’s many blessings for our growth.
The bottom line is that God is much more interested in strong, persevering, steadfast followers of Jesus Christ, than He is keeping us warm and comfortable. Through every century, and every epic story in the Bible, God grows and commends men and women who can stand tall and trustworthy in trial, stress and tribulation.
If that is you today, at work or at home, push through, be thankful it’s not worse, and know that you will be better for the bitter blessing, as His Word works through you, today.
