Jesus said we would have problems (John 16:33). Nobody gets a free pass. Solve one problem and another is waiting to take its place. They are not all big, but they are all necessary to spiritual growth. How do you measure the strength of anything? By testing it: "...don't be shocked that you are going through testing. It will prepare you." (1 Peter 4:12-13 CEV).
David wrote: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted." (Psalm 34:18 NLT). The most life-changing experiences will often come during the darkest days - when your heart is broken, you feel abandoned, you are out of options, your pain levels are through the roof - and you turn to God. That's when we learn to pray heart-felt, honest-to-God prayers. When we are in pain we don't have the energy for superficial ones.
God could have kept Joseph out of jail, Daniel out of the lions' den, Jeremiah out of the slimy pit and Paul from being shipwrecked, but He didn't. And the result? Every one of them was drawn closer to God - and impacted their world!
Our problems force us to look to God and depend on Him, instead of ourselves. This is especially hard on super-achievers like Paul: "We saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, Who alone could save us." (2 Corinthians 1:9 TLB). You will never know that God is all you need until God is all you have.
Today place all your needs into His capable, loving hands, and watch what happens.
(c)2005 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship
1 comment:
This is what I needed today after a stressful day. Besides, it helps to hear that I'm not the only one that has had physical or emotional struggles. It can get hard down here on earth, and sometimes it seems like we're so far away from our family--physical and church--that we forget that we are not alone. That is what encourages me about reading painful stories in the Bible in that I can find strength in their weakness; if they held on to God and were commended, then I know I can, too! Thanks, Jim, for putting this up today!
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