Storms Of This Life

Today I am writing about the storms of this life that we all face, or will face, from time to time. And I must be honest here; my personal experience with them is very limited. I don't know what it is like to lose a child to disease, have my home burn down, or get beaten and thrown in prison for something I didn't do. I don't know real persecution, and I don't know real hardship. I only know to some extent what the Word of God says about these things. My own prayer tonight is that if, or when, big storms hit in my life, I can follow what I say here myself!

That said, here goes.

When tough things come our way in this life, our reaction is often to turn to God in prayer. That's good, we should come to God with whatever is weighing heavily on our shoulders. But what do we ask of God when we come to him in prayer with a trial that we are facing?

We might ask God to take away whatever burden is on our backs. That's understandable. I don't know it for sure, but I'll bet it is the most common reaction to our troubles, at least initially. There are definitely Biblical examples of it. I can think of two immediately. In 2 Samuel 12 David seeks the Lord on behalf of the dying child he had with Bathsheba. And in 2 Corinthians Paul asks the Lord three times to remove a "thorn in the flesh" he had been given.

In both of these cases, the Lord doesn't do what is asked of him. In David's case, the child dies. He stops fasting and petitioning the Lord, accepting the finality of the situation. In Paul's case, the Lord responds to him, saying "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." He also accepts the Lord's answer, welcoming the weakness because it shows how Christ can make him strong.

When we, like David and Paul, see the Lord is not going to lift the burden from us, I think there are two things we can continue to bring before the Lord in prayer. I think both are shown through Paul's response.

First, we may ask the Lord to give us the strength to get through whatever it is. The saying is true that sometimes the Lord calms the storm and other times the Lord calms you so you can get through the storm. Knowing that the storm is there to stay, we need help -- the supernatural power of Jesus Christ working in our heart and mind to get us through whatever difficult situation there is that we cannot face alone. This is what Paul recognized -- where he broke down, Christ stepped up to keep him going. Seeing such strength in believers going through the toughest trials of their lives makes people take notice. It points others to Christ. And it glorifies God.

Second, we may ask the Lord to show us how to use the trial for his glory. As pointed out above, God may be glorified simply through the demonstration of Christ's supernatural power working in our lives as we stand strong in the face of calamity that we could not face on our own. Or he may further use our trials to comfort others, to encourage others, to inspire others, or to provide a unique platform on which to share the gospel, for starters. Our trials today may not even be used for some time for God's purposes.

I remember as I write this the story of Nick Vujicic -- a man born with no arms and no legs. God has used him mightily to preach the gospel in parts of the world that the "typical" evangelist could not reach. Could God grow him some arms and legs? Yes. But instead of doing that, he's given Nick the power to accept his situation, the extra strength he needs day by day to keep moving forward and keep focused on the kingdom, and the wisdom to see how God is using his infirmity for His own glory.

It is the same way in many other stories. Young couples who lose their babies to disease that later start church support groups to help their brothers and sisters bear the same burden. Victims of various forms of abuse being able to empathize and talk on the same level with other similar victims and bring them the hope of Christ where others could not. People standing up for Christ in hostile lands and the cost of their lives who inspire the next generation of missionaries and strengthen the faith of all who hear their stories told. The list is virtually endless, but the method of operation is always the same -- the bad situation of today getting flipped around for good tomorrow.

So whatever we thorns of our own we are given, know that God has the power to remove them. Know also that he has his reasons for not doing so. We don't always know his plan and purpose for our lives. We don't always know what he's preparing us for in this life. We don't always know how he may use our hardships to further his kingdom and point people to Christ. But what we do know is that he is bigger than us, wiser than us, and that he loves us immensely. Our part is to seek his will for us, trusting that whatever he allows to happen in our lives is for a greater God-glorifying purpose that we may not be able to see this side of eternity. We just need to trust that he's in control and that he can see us through anything that comes our way.

Grace and Peace

God And Suffering?

Life is very hard at times, but God’s got our back.

God loves us. Don’t be fooled into thinking that God is not loving because of the trials we face. What parent does not allow their child to suffer a little to prepare him for what is to come? A young child does not understand why a doctor gives him a painful shot, yet it is for his own good. It is the same with the suffering that God allows us to experience. We don’t understand it at the time – and maybe we never will in this age. We just need to trust, just like a child, that God knows what he is doing when he allows us to face difficulty and pain in life.

God gets our pain. Whatever pain we may be going through, God understands it. The fullness of God dwelt in his Son Jesus Christ. He endured hunger, thirst, temptation, shame, persecution, nakedness, bereavement, betrayal, mockery, injustice, and death. On top of that, he also bore God’s wrath against sin on the cross so that we don’t have to face it ourselves. That is the ultimate in suffering! God doesn’t just understand our suffering from a distance; he experienced more of it firsthand than we ever will, and He knows deeply about whatever it is we face in life.

God gives us hope. Man’s abuse of the free choice God gave us – sin – brought, and continues to bring, suffering in this world, which in turn lets us see and experience the horrible effects of sin. But there is immeasurable hope to be found in the cross of Jesus Christ. He conquered sin and death, and, as God’s eternal Son, he’s the only one capable of doing so. Through Christ, God gives us a way to be free from the power of sin in our lives today and free from the presence of sin in the world to come. Apart from Christ, there is no hope.

God shows us grace. Really we deserve nothing from God. We’re His creatures, and we’re sinners who fall short of His glory. We deserve nothing, yet, despite whatever pain is in our lives in this age, we still have life and breath and many other good things. We deserve nothing, yet we will have everlasting joy if we are in Christ. That begins with sincerely admitting we are sinners incapable of saving ourselves, truly believing Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for our sins, and really choosing to turn away from our sin and follow Him.

He lives, he loves, he understands, and he offers the greatest gift in the world, free of charge. God rocks.

Grace and Peace