Problems, Trials, and Storm Clouds, From Mom Part 2

My Mom faced a lot of physical pain in her later years.  She lost my Dad when she was only 61 and was left to deal with a broken, addicted daughter on her own.  She knew about facing troubles.  She had overcome her own battle with alcohol years before, fought feelings of rejection and inferiority all her life.  My Mom was also one of the most caring, sensitive and instinctive ladies I've ever seen.  She deeply felt other's troubles, and actively sought to lift the burdens of those around her.  Mom truly understood about standing in the gap for others.  She lived out the Lord's command to have a servant's heart.   The fact is she found her strength in the Lord and in His Word.  The end of this entry is Scripture.  I believe that's where we will all find our strength and our victory in the even the hardest of times.  

Romans 8:18-30  Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.  For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are.  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.  We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us.  We were given this hope when we were saved.  (If we already have something we don't need to hope for it.  But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)  And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.  And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.  For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His son, so that His son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.   And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him.  And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself.  And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.  

This life is not the end.  There is so much wonder waiting for us.  We have an amazing hope and promise.

Isaiah 8:11-13  The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does.  He said, "Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them.  Make the Lord of Heaven's Armies holy in your life.  He is the one you should fear.  He is the one who should make you tremble.  He will keep you safe.  

Be assured that God is in this problem.  Believe our Lord God is our refuge.  Reaffirm your belief, trust Him, take Him at His Word.  Allow the Holy Spirit in, listen to Him.  Wait on God.  Let Him be your fear and your dread, not your trials.

Jeremiah 18:1-6  The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah.  He said, "go down to the potter's shop, and I will speak to you there."  So I did as He told me and found the potter working at his wheel.  But the  jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.  Then the Lord gave me this message:  "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay?  As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand."

What the potter makes depends on the quality of the clay.  What God makes of us depends on our response.  As the quality of the clay limits what the potter does with it, so as with us, our response limits what God will/can do with/for us.

Again. God promises a safe landing, but not necessarily a calm passage.  

From me.

Hope in God's promises.  Seeing things from His perspective.  Submitting to His design.  That is what I see in these Scriptures.  Not always easy as we live this life so often filled with sorrow and struggle.  But He is our anchor.  Things will not necessarily turn out the way we think or want.  But they will turn out as they should.  God's plan is always for good.  Even as He crushed Israel for her sins, He had a plan in for restoration and redemption.  And it is the same with us.  

2 Corinthians 1:3-11  All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.  For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.  Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.  We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.   We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.  In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.  And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.  And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

Give God the glory in all things, being thankful even for the trials, for they bring us to Him and if we allow it, will shape our character to be like that of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  They will bring us closer to Him, help us grow, and make us even more useful in the kingdom.  

Lord, thank You for each trial.  It's easy to sit here, comfortable and at rest and say that.  Give me and all of us the grace to do so when we are facing the overwhelming waves of troubles that come with living in this world.  Turn our hearts towards You, make us steadfast in Your strength and submissive to Your will and training.  Lord, I know I fuss at even some of the slightest annoyances.  Change me!  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.  

Take time to thank God for your troubles today.  And let some good music bring peace to your heart.