Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:4).
I hate to wait—don’t you? I want what I want when I want it—sort of like everyone else in America. I have never been good at waiting, and just when I think I’m improving, I get thrown back into one of life’s many challenges.
The apostle Paul, said, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . .” (— Philippians 4:12).
Paul was speaking from experience.
In that culture there were secret, exclusive clubs. When a man was invited to join, he had to complete a series of secret initiations. He would be given something to do—but it was a secret—he could tell no one. When he had completed enough initiations to satisfy the demands of the club, he was allowed to join. Paul was saying that he had been secretly initiated into God’s “Contentment Club.”
What were Paul’s secret initiations? He had worked harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged with thirty-nine lashes five different times, beaten with a rod three times, stoned once (left for dead), shipwrecked, spent a night and day in the open sea, gone without sleep, food, and water, and exposed to death again and again (II Corinthians 11:21-20).
And if this wasn’t enough, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan—that tormented him. Paul pleaded with God three times to remove the thorn, but God said to him,
“My grace is sufficient for you, My power is made perfect in weakness” (— II Corinthians 12:7-10).
We want patience, but we don’t want to wait for it. We want all of the good things that God has to offer but we don’t want to suffer or pay the price for them. Fortunately for all of us, that isn’t the way God leads.
Sometimes He leads through fiery trials; “Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (— I Pet. 4:12-13).
I wonder if it’s significant that in context, both of these passages are dealing with pride. Since God hates pride, and we seem to gravitate towards it, perhaps it is possible to avoid some of our trials if we work at keeping our hearts humble? God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (I Pet. 5:5).
Whether our trials are caused by something in our lives, or God has a specific lesson for us, we should not want to miss the lesson. According to chapters one and two of Job, Satan reports to God on a regular basis and he must ask permission before he can afflict our family, our finances or us.
God sets boundaries and Satan must operate within those boundaries. God allows our adversity for His glory and our good. At the end of Job’s trial, God prospered him twice as much as he had prospered before (Job 42:10).
God has rich blessings in store for us—if we endure patiently. We don’t want to be like the Israelites, who rebelled and complained against the Lord’s direction and spent the rest of their lives in the desert. They never entered the rest God had for them. Rebelling and complaining against the Lord’s leading is unbelief and will keep us from rest.
The Scripture tells us, Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they were not able to enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:16-19).
There was a time when I found myself in a very trying circumstance that seemed to go on and on—and on! I had been asking God to deliver me for quite some time, but I became tired of waiting.
One morning I journaled a prayer for deliverance. I dumped it all on God—again. As I began to get ready for work that morning I heard the Lord speak very clearly to my heart, “You’re praying the wrong prayer.” I should have been praying for strength to endure, for growth, to give honor during my trial, and most importantly, to offer God a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15).
I immediately repented, but unfortunately, I didn’t heed the Lord. I didn’t wait too much longer, and then I got myself out of the situation. Alas, instead of persevering and reaping the blessings from being obedient, I have endured the consequences of my actions. Like Jonah, I ran from God’s instructions! But also like Jonah, I paid for my rebellion.
Yes—going against God’s commands is rebellion!
When Jonah rebelled against the Lord’s instructions he was swallowed by a great fish. In trying to digest Jonah, the gastric juices in the belly of the great fish would have turned his skin a yucky yellowish-brown color, and caused the hair all over his body to fall out.
And if that were not enough, imagine the sheer terror of being thrown into the sea, swallowed by a great fish, and being inside its belly—for three days! Jonah must have looked a sight when he entered Nineveh. With no body hair and weird skin color—he must have looked a mess! No wonder several hundred thousand people repented.
So, dear friend, are you in a trial that is testing your faith in the Lord? If you’re not in one, hang in there—one is coming. Trials come to all of us who name the Name of Jesus, Lord. When it comes, snuggle into God’s arms through His Word and prayer, and enjoy the intimacy that only comes through trials. There are wonderful blessings in persevering through a trial that simply cannot be learned any other way.
Blessings or consequences—perseverance is a choice!
As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy (James 5:11).
Further Study
Psalm 62:1
Psalm 25:4-5
Psalm 27:14
Psalm 33:18-22
Psalm 37:34
Psalm 40:1
Psalm 104:27-35
Psalm 130:5-6
Psalm 145:14-15
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Friday, October 2, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
God is the God of the Darkness
He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. — Psalm 18:11-12 NKJV
I’ve always been afraid of the dark. As a child and even into adulthood, the moment the light went out, darkness seemed to pervade my very soul. Evil that wasn’t present in the light seemed to lurk just beyond my reach in the darkness—I could feel it!
Trials and difficulties are sometimes like the darkness. When they come and we can’t see our way, there seems to be evil lurking all around us.
The presence of the tempter is real and frightening. We know we should combat the evil one as the Lord did by using the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11).
But sometimes . . . sometimes, we are just too beaten by the pain of the moment, and it’s all we can do just to keep our head above water and function with some modicum of normalcy.
But God is the God of the darkness.
The Bible says, The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. — Exodus 20:21
God is the God who dwells in the darkness!
The Hebrew word for darkness is araphel—and it means to drip; to drop. It means literally that the heavens are lowering or drooping—hence to drip or drop down.
How do we understand this? How does a God who lives in unapproachable light (I Timothy 6:16) also live in darkness? Could it mean that darkness is only dark to us, and there is really no such thing as darkness to God?
King David said, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” — Psalm 139:11-12
Is that why Jesus waited until the darkest hour of the night and then came walking on the water during the fourth watch (3:00-6:00 a.m.), while the storm and water were raging? Did He want to show Peter and the others that He was the God of the raging storm in the darkness? Peter was doing fine walking on the water—until he saw the wind (Matthew 14:30).
Perhaps that’s the lesson. To walk through our darkness, our raging storms, knowing that Jesus is already there, walking before us, protecting us from behind (Isaiah 52:12), and holding tightly to us with His Right Hand (Psalm 139:10).
The Right Hand of God is none other than Jesus Christ (Psalm 80:15). With this truth, we should not fear the darkness; Jesus is holding tightly to us. Our darkness may also be for others.
The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense (dark) cloud so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
— Exodus 19:9, emphasis mine
Since the literal definition of the word for darkness means to drip down heaven, God was saying, “I am going to drip down heaven to you so that the people see Me and know that I am with you, and they will trust you.”
There was thunder, lightening, and darkness on Mount Sinai when God called Moses to come up.
The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. — Exodus 19:20
The children of Israel were afraid of the thunder, lightening, and darkness. They did not want God to speak to them directly (Exodus 20:18-19), yet Moses braved the darkness to approach God. There on the mountain, in the darkness, Moses experienced fellowship and the blessing of God’s Presence. There God spoke to him face to face (Exodus 33:11).
Could the darkness that comes into our lives literally be God dripping heaven (Himself) down to us? Could the thunder, lightening, and darkness in our storms be God’s way of getting our attention, welcoming us to know Him more deeply? Perhaps even honoring us in the sight of others as He did Moses, Joshua, Joseph, David, Paul, and others?
If it is, He is waiting in the darkness, and He invites us to dwell with Him—in the darkness! Just as He was there to welcome Moses to the top of Mount Sinai and bid Peter to “Come” and walk to Him on the water, He sometimes bids us into the darkness to be with Him as well.
The darkness will never be too dark; the storm will never rage too severely. The Master mixes the cup of suffering (the darkness) specifically for us.
According to Philippians 1:29 God grants us the suffering (darkness) as a wonderful gift, wrapped especially for us. God considers suffering a very special and gratuitous gift (favor) to us.
But oftentimes, we shun the darkness and despise God’s gift of “favoring” a gift He gives to accomplish His perfect purpose in our lives.
Like Moses, Paul welcomed the darkness. He had learned the lesson well (Philippians 4:12), and he considered everything dung (rubbish) that in any way hindered him from knowing Christ more intimately (Philippians 3:1-14). He considered suffering the very thing that kept him close to Christ (II Corinthians 12:7-10; Philippians 3:10).
Which of us would not go if we received a personal invitation to meet with God at a specific place and time? If I received such an invitation, I would be giddy with anticipation. Being a normal female, my first thought would be, “what shall I wear?” Second, “what do I want to ask God?”
But in the process of preparing my heart to meet Jehovah El Roi, The God Who Sees (deep into my soul), what I wore or said would become inconsequential; I would want simply to bask in His Presence. Everything else would become trivial and unimportant. His Presence would be all that mattered. Yet when the invitation comes in the form of darkness, I must admit that my initial reaction is fear and dread.
It is easy to see God in what we consider to be good and wonderful things in life. Get a great job or promotion—praise God! The Lord blesses us with healing, a wonderful mate, a prime parking place, or some other wonderful gift—praise the Lord!
But darkness—a wonderful gift? Few of us welcome the darkness of pain by praising the Lord. But darkness is to be welcomed. Darkness is God’s invitation to come away with Him—just Him and me. No one else can dwell in my darkness or yours.
Friends and family can encourage us; they can listen; but they can’t experience our darkness. The cup of suffering is mixed for each of us individually, and God means it to be our alone time with Him—just the two of us enjoying intimate time together that excludes everyone else and everything else.
So, dear friend, are you so afraid of the darkness that you choose to live life less than abundantly? Are you satisfied with just enough of God to save you and give you all the good things of life, but not enough to throw off everything that hinders you from an incredible intimacy with the Lord?
If God gave you a choice, would you welcome the darkness where He is over the comfort of your own choices? That is the choice.
Remember—God is the God of the darkness!
The darkness is only dark on the outside. Within the darkness we discover, as Moses did, that God exists in a brightness that is only visible after we have entered His darkness (Psalm 104:2).
In His Presence we shed our fears, and delight in the awesome intimacy of dwelling with our Creator (Exodus 34:29-35).
“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.” — Isaiah 45:3, 7
Further Study
Psalm 74
Psalm 88
Psalm 89
Psalm 104
I’ve always been afraid of the dark. As a child and even into adulthood, the moment the light went out, darkness seemed to pervade my very soul. Evil that wasn’t present in the light seemed to lurk just beyond my reach in the darkness—I could feel it!
Trials and difficulties are sometimes like the darkness. When they come and we can’t see our way, there seems to be evil lurking all around us.
The presence of the tempter is real and frightening. We know we should combat the evil one as the Lord did by using the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11).
But sometimes . . . sometimes, we are just too beaten by the pain of the moment, and it’s all we can do just to keep our head above water and function with some modicum of normalcy.
But God is the God of the darkness.
The Bible says, The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. — Exodus 20:21
God is the God who dwells in the darkness!
The Hebrew word for darkness is araphel—and it means to drip; to drop. It means literally that the heavens are lowering or drooping—hence to drip or drop down.
How do we understand this? How does a God who lives in unapproachable light (I Timothy 6:16) also live in darkness? Could it mean that darkness is only dark to us, and there is really no such thing as darkness to God?
King David said, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” — Psalm 139:11-12
Is that why Jesus waited until the darkest hour of the night and then came walking on the water during the fourth watch (3:00-6:00 a.m.), while the storm and water were raging? Did He want to show Peter and the others that He was the God of the raging storm in the darkness? Peter was doing fine walking on the water—until he saw the wind (Matthew 14:30).
Perhaps that’s the lesson. To walk through our darkness, our raging storms, knowing that Jesus is already there, walking before us, protecting us from behind (Isaiah 52:12), and holding tightly to us with His Right Hand (Psalm 139:10).
The Right Hand of God is none other than Jesus Christ (Psalm 80:15). With this truth, we should not fear the darkness; Jesus is holding tightly to us. Our darkness may also be for others.
The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense (dark) cloud so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
— Exodus 19:9, emphasis mine
Since the literal definition of the word for darkness means to drip down heaven, God was saying, “I am going to drip down heaven to you so that the people see Me and know that I am with you, and they will trust you.”
There was thunder, lightening, and darkness on Mount Sinai when God called Moses to come up.
The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. — Exodus 19:20
The children of Israel were afraid of the thunder, lightening, and darkness. They did not want God to speak to them directly (Exodus 20:18-19), yet Moses braved the darkness to approach God. There on the mountain, in the darkness, Moses experienced fellowship and the blessing of God’s Presence. There God spoke to him face to face (Exodus 33:11).
Could the darkness that comes into our lives literally be God dripping heaven (Himself) down to us? Could the thunder, lightening, and darkness in our storms be God’s way of getting our attention, welcoming us to know Him more deeply? Perhaps even honoring us in the sight of others as He did Moses, Joshua, Joseph, David, Paul, and others?
If it is, He is waiting in the darkness, and He invites us to dwell with Him—in the darkness! Just as He was there to welcome Moses to the top of Mount Sinai and bid Peter to “Come” and walk to Him on the water, He sometimes bids us into the darkness to be with Him as well.
The darkness will never be too dark; the storm will never rage too severely. The Master mixes the cup of suffering (the darkness) specifically for us.
According to Philippians 1:29 God grants us the suffering (darkness) as a wonderful gift, wrapped especially for us. God considers suffering a very special and gratuitous gift (favor) to us.
But oftentimes, we shun the darkness and despise God’s gift of “favoring” a gift He gives to accomplish His perfect purpose in our lives.
Like Moses, Paul welcomed the darkness. He had learned the lesson well (Philippians 4:12), and he considered everything dung (rubbish) that in any way hindered him from knowing Christ more intimately (Philippians 3:1-14). He considered suffering the very thing that kept him close to Christ (II Corinthians 12:7-10; Philippians 3:10).
Which of us would not go if we received a personal invitation to meet with God at a specific place and time? If I received such an invitation, I would be giddy with anticipation. Being a normal female, my first thought would be, “what shall I wear?” Second, “what do I want to ask God?”
But in the process of preparing my heart to meet Jehovah El Roi, The God Who Sees (deep into my soul), what I wore or said would become inconsequential; I would want simply to bask in His Presence. Everything else would become trivial and unimportant. His Presence would be all that mattered. Yet when the invitation comes in the form of darkness, I must admit that my initial reaction is fear and dread.
It is easy to see God in what we consider to be good and wonderful things in life. Get a great job or promotion—praise God! The Lord blesses us with healing, a wonderful mate, a prime parking place, or some other wonderful gift—praise the Lord!
But darkness—a wonderful gift? Few of us welcome the darkness of pain by praising the Lord. But darkness is to be welcomed. Darkness is God’s invitation to come away with Him—just Him and me. No one else can dwell in my darkness or yours.
Friends and family can encourage us; they can listen; but they can’t experience our darkness. The cup of suffering is mixed for each of us individually, and God means it to be our alone time with Him—just the two of us enjoying intimate time together that excludes everyone else and everything else.
So, dear friend, are you so afraid of the darkness that you choose to live life less than abundantly? Are you satisfied with just enough of God to save you and give you all the good things of life, but not enough to throw off everything that hinders you from an incredible intimacy with the Lord?
If God gave you a choice, would you welcome the darkness where He is over the comfort of your own choices? That is the choice.
Remember—God is the God of the darkness!
The darkness is only dark on the outside. Within the darkness we discover, as Moses did, that God exists in a brightness that is only visible after we have entered His darkness (Psalm 104:2).
In His Presence we shed our fears, and delight in the awesome intimacy of dwelling with our Creator (Exodus 34:29-35).
“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.” — Isaiah 45:3, 7
Further Study
Psalm 74
Psalm 88
Psalm 89
Psalm 104
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