Suffering is a reality for all believers. Trials for me have been most commonly inward and private, rather than outward and circumstantial. I might desire to tell of my sufferings for the cause of Christ, in the face of sharing the gospel. But, this has not been God’s call for me…so far.
And although some struggles for me may have been brought on by situations or perceived wrongs by others, even these have, for me, resulted most powerfully in inward struggles as I deal with their implications in my heart and mind.
For when hardship enters, so struts in Satan with his temptation pad and pen in hand.
His strategies are dangerous and far reaching.
In my experience Satan has attempted to use the difficulty of personal suffering to tempt me to:
~Doubt God’s goodness
~Doubt God’s control
~Doubt my salvation
~Doubt Christ’s power over sin, mine or another’s
And on a more personal level, to
~Doubt my ability or worthiness to serve God
~Doubt my marriage’s ‘rightness’
~Doubt I’m in the ‘right kind of church’
~Doubt the leadership he’s placed in my life
I’m thankful the Holy Spirit is alive & well in this regenerated heart. He raises the red flag and waves vehemently at each of these insidious falsehoods.
And then He proceeds to engage me in preaching to myself God’s truth.
Want to hear the three points of my sermon?
(Warning: this could cause you to respond in praise-filled worship! Feel free to say a hearty ‘Amen’ at any part of this sermon! )
1. God is always, ever, and most perfectly in loving control of all things.Personalize that to your current trial. Pronounce and ponder each word in relationship to your situation….always…ever…perfectly…loving…control.
No matter how hard the path, how painful the journey, how weak I am, how bleak the situation seems from my perspective, GOD IS THERE IN LOVE & POWER!
2., His ultimate goal is the same as mine – the sanctification of my life to bring Him glory. In my trial, I remind myself this is really what I want: His glory. And so my comfort or health or happiness (or that of others I love) is not what is most important. The circumstance which is causing me so much trouble, the private struggle that I bear alone in ongoing pain; this is but a tool in His hand to conform me more to His image that He may shine more brightly. He is doing this. And if more of His glory can be known by trial than by ease, How can I not respond, BRING IT ON, GOD. YOUR GLORY COUNTS THE MOST!
3. He sees the whole parade. (Sorry, borrowed this imagery from a favorite song.). My perspective on what is going on is so limited. Like a single bystander in a miles-long parade. Sure, a handsome stallion may be right in front of me taking a dump, but that is not what is going on in the whole parade! From the robust, energetic start of the marching band’s leader to the culmination in royalty of the king & queen’s majestic coronation aboard the last stunning float, the grand parade is marching to its majestic purpose and single drumbeat. God sees the whole parade, directing its every nuance and overarching theme all at once. I do not. Take a read of Psalm 90 to see God’s resume’!
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, YOU ARE GOD!”
And so I preach to myself one of several sermons I keep handy when times of discouragement, trial, doubt and weakness set in. And it’s kind of funny, because as I close with the final ‘Amen’ to this message, Satan is nowhere to be found.
I guess this kind of sermon is not his forte’
Thank you, God, for the faithfulness of your Truth in times of trial.
Lord, I am so weak in these times of frequent darkness and struggle. I plead for your mercy to keep me faithful, to preserve me, to make my heart burn most and hottest for you, as I am so quick to falter. Grant this, I pray, in demonstration of your faithfulness and power. Amen
Good blog, Elaine. I also greatly enjoyed the "Nothing Box" video on your link to Radical Womanhood:)
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