I paid the man to
inflict pain on me. No, I am not having
psychological problems. He is a surgeon and the procedure saved my life! Now,
that I have your attention, let’s talk about how we deal with the pain that
comes our way in life. The Bible tells
us to consider those things to be one of God’s way to bring us to maturity so
that we will enter into real life. "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever
trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith
is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." (James 1:2-3, NLT)
When we go through
times of testing our minds are confronted with a choice: believe a lie or believe the Truth. For
example, your marriage gets difficult, your spouse distant from you. The truth is that, in covenant love, you are
to pursue the relationship, as you pray for wisdom to love them as Christ loves
you. But, I guarantee you that somewhere
in that struggle, you will confront the lie that divorce is the better option,
that someone, somewhere would love you better, make you more happy, than that
person to whom you’re married. As the
Spirit leads us, we can walk into that situation, joyfully: not because our
marriage is bad, but because God will be faithful to lead us to a better and
whole LIFE through the difficulty if
we pray for His wisdom and walk in daily obedience. Is that costly to Self? You
bet it is. But, this is God’s promise: "Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he
will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love
him." (James 1:12, NIV)
Our nature
response to hard times in life is often to blame God for being uncaring,
unloving, or far removed! “How could You
do this to me?” we cry. And, often what
we’re going through is inexplicable. Did
we bring on ourselves with poor decisions? Did it happen to us because of the sins
of society in which we live? We may
never know why on this side of
Heaven, but the Word warns us against concluding that God is setting us up to
fail! The Word says, “Don’t let anyone
under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is
impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to
evil comes from us and only us.” The
Message (James 1:13-14) God allows the
circumstances, but it our own Self (corrupted by sin) sets up the possibility
of making a sinful choice. That’s why we must pray for wisdom to see through the
fog of temptation in times of trial. “Lord, let me see clearly what is the Lie
and what is the Truth.” And then, we exercise faith by choosing the truth, even
when it hurts to do so.
Paul wrote to the
Corinthian Christians thanking them for their prayers. He did not sugar-coat
his experiences of persecution. It was rough! But, he spoke with the
perspective of being on the other side of those terrible times. His words are an encouragement to anyone
presently in stormy times. Meditate on
this. Then, pray for Spirit-revealed
wisdom and faith to choose obedience. "We
do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in
the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to
endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the
sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on
God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he
will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver
us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf
for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." (2
Corinthians 1:8-11, NIV)
______________
Oh Lead Me
Oh lead me to the place
Where I can find You.
Oh lead me to the place
Where You'll be.
Lead me to the cross,
Where we first met.
Draw me to my knees,
So we can talk.
Let me feel Your breath;
Let me know
You're here with me.
Martin Smith
© 1994 Curious?
Music UK (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License #
810055
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