Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Be of Good Cheer!
At 6:35 am, this morning, my dad burst open my door and turned the light on. He exclaimed that my car had been stolen. He asked, "Did you lock your car last night?" I said, "Yes, dad, I always lock my car." Then He hurried back upstairs to look for the car again. I just lay in my bad, still recovering from being so immediately awoken from deep sleep. I started to think through the scenario. I first was reminded of the message given to the High Schoolers at church last night. Part of the message was about difficulties, from the later part of Acts 11. I remembered something that I had written down that the High School pastor, Zack, said:
"Difficulty is far more useful than what we would choose for ourselves."
Last night, the message reminded me of a powerful verse God spoke to me a while back: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes"- Psalm 119:71. I realized that God prepared me last night for a test of faith this morning. I really need my car. Then I started thinking of what was in my car that was valuable. My textbooks were on my back seat and my Old Testament Survey notebook. That is unfortunate, but I guess I can share books with my friends; I will just have to pay the extra fee for the textbook I rented. Surprisingly, I was able to remain calm and simply pray that God would make it all okay. Maybe the insurance will replace the car? The grace of God gave me peace as I prayed. Soon my dad hurried back to my room and asked where my sister was ... She wasn't in her bed. Though she had not gone all season, this random morning she went to early morning swim practice. And took my car to go at 5 am. I couldn't think of how God would answer my prayer, but He did so quickly. My car wasn't stolen after all! I praised Him. I believe that maybe God was testing me to see if I would initially panic or trust that He is provider and in control.
For Christians, it is not a question of if difficulties will come, but when and to what extent they will happen. But God will never give us more than we can handle. For me this morning, the perceived difficulty was a false alarm. But, sometimes real "nightmares" do come true in our lives (things much more difficult than a car getting stolen). One of my favorite verses is Job 23:10 "But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." In my past nightmare come true experiences, I sometimes could not see anything at all. Verses like Job 23:10 may sometimes be all that can be relied on: having to trust that God knows that way that I take, even though I do not; having to trust that God has only a good outcome in store, though the pain is ripping your heart. God's purpose is to make you more like Jesus. "Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As do stripes the inner depths of the heart" - Prov.20:30. During the times of difficulty, as Zack put it, the pain feels like pieces of your heart are being ripped away. In that process, God is cleansing away evil. Though I do not rejoice in the painful things, I rejoice in how they bring about a deeper love for Jesus. Nothing compares to knowing Jesus. Time passed will show us again that often, "Difficulty is far more useful than what we would choose for ourselves."
If today a difficulty comes your way, how will you respond? Here is a story about when the disciples panicked. Even though Jesus is in the boat with the disciples, they dramatically cry out that they are dying! And trust me, I too have dramatically cried out to God, "Save me, I am dying!"
"Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!' But He said to them, 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?'
The He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, 'Who can this be, that even the winds and sea obey Him?'"- Matt. 8:25-27.
The tempest came upon the disciples, "suddenly." Be encouraged today that even when the sudden tempests come upon your day, that God commands the winds and the waves, and they obey Him. This same God is commanding the creation around you. He is with you and for you.
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world"- John 16:33
"Difficulty is far more useful than what we would choose for ourselves."
Last night, the message reminded me of a powerful verse God spoke to me a while back: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes"- Psalm 119:71. I realized that God prepared me last night for a test of faith this morning. I really need my car. Then I started thinking of what was in my car that was valuable. My textbooks were on my back seat and my Old Testament Survey notebook. That is unfortunate, but I guess I can share books with my friends; I will just have to pay the extra fee for the textbook I rented. Surprisingly, I was able to remain calm and simply pray that God would make it all okay. Maybe the insurance will replace the car? The grace of God gave me peace as I prayed. Soon my dad hurried back to my room and asked where my sister was ... She wasn't in her bed. Though she had not gone all season, this random morning she went to early morning swim practice. And took my car to go at 5 am. I couldn't think of how God would answer my prayer, but He did so quickly. My car wasn't stolen after all! I praised Him. I believe that maybe God was testing me to see if I would initially panic or trust that He is provider and in control.
For Christians, it is not a question of if difficulties will come, but when and to what extent they will happen. But God will never give us more than we can handle. For me this morning, the perceived difficulty was a false alarm. But, sometimes real "nightmares" do come true in our lives (things much more difficult than a car getting stolen). One of my favorite verses is Job 23:10 "But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." In my past nightmare come true experiences, I sometimes could not see anything at all. Verses like Job 23:10 may sometimes be all that can be relied on: having to trust that God knows that way that I take, even though I do not; having to trust that God has only a good outcome in store, though the pain is ripping your heart. God's purpose is to make you more like Jesus. "Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As do stripes the inner depths of the heart" - Prov.20:30. During the times of difficulty, as Zack put it, the pain feels like pieces of your heart are being ripped away. In that process, God is cleansing away evil. Though I do not rejoice in the painful things, I rejoice in how they bring about a deeper love for Jesus. Nothing compares to knowing Jesus. Time passed will show us again that often, "Difficulty is far more useful than what we would choose for ourselves."
If today a difficulty comes your way, how will you respond? Here is a story about when the disciples panicked. Even though Jesus is in the boat with the disciples, they dramatically cry out that they are dying! And trust me, I too have dramatically cried out to God, "Save me, I am dying!"
"Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!' But He said to them, 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?'
The He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, 'Who can this be, that even the winds and sea obey Him?'"- Matt. 8:25-27.
The tempest came upon the disciples, "suddenly." Be encouraged today that even when the sudden tempests come upon your day, that God commands the winds and the waves, and they obey Him. This same God is commanding the creation around you. He is with you and for you.
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world"- John 16:33
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