We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God justified us through our faith in Him (Galatians 2:16). His grace enables us to stand firm on the Rock of Christ through all of our storms, troubles and trials. We rejoice in our hope of the glory of God, which is being revealed in us little by little, bringing hope in the midst of our suffering. This grace produces perseverance, which gives us the power to walk in the Spirit in spite of what is occurring in the natural world all around us (Romans 5:1-3).
When our children grow up
and move away from home or when we lose a loved one or a treasure we hold dear,
we lose part of our identity. We are unsure of who we are, because loss
dramatically changes us. We may even doubt God’s loving kindness, because He
allows such shattering events to alter our life. We struggle through the murky
gloom of the trial, until we see the light, which God shines into our darkness (Psalm
139:12). Then we allow God to envelop us
with His loving arms, which sustain us through all of our troubles (Psalm
23:4; Isaiah 43:2).
We find our true identity in
Christ, regardless of what we lost or what we still have available to us. We do
not categorize our self by the role we play in life, but by our relationship
with our eternal God. He is the vine and we are connected as branches to His
life-giving source. We remain in Him regardless of our struggles or losses in
life. In Him we bear much fruit, and apart from Him we can do nothing (John
15:5-6). Even when we cannot see Him,
Jesus is right there within us, giving us the wisdom, strength and grace to overcome
the obstacles in our life.
Expecting God to grant the
cravings of our heart is not the secret to a happy life. We find no peace, joy
or contentment by getting what we want. God sees the entire forest; we only see
the trees right in front of our eyes. God knows the end from the beginning, and
He knows what we truly need to live fulfilled lives (Isaiah
46:10; Ecclesiastes 3:11). God’s will is
for our ultimate good now and throughout eternity. Job lost his wealth, health
and family all in one day; yet, God gave him more than he lost both here on
this earth and also in eternity.
I have seen hurricanes sweep
through a city, and all the Christians I know regained power to their home
within minutes, they have minimal damage to their homes, and they do not lose a
family member or suffer any great setback or hardship. However, sometimes
Christians do suffer loss. God is not impotent when we do, and He is not unkind
or vindictive if He allows us to feel pain and devastation (Job
2:10). We eventually come to the
understanding that God causes all things, even catastrophic things, to work
together for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). As
in the case of Job, God will give us back more than we ever lost (Job
42:10).
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for
your mercy on us. We cry out to You for help, because You are the Most High
God. You fulfill Your purpose in the earth and You send the Holy Spirit to help
us (Psalm 57:1-3). We trust You for
protection and provision. Remind us to hide beneath the shadow of Your wings until
the storm is past. Remind us that the Son is always shining in our life
regardless of our circumstances.
Thought for the Day:
The measure of God’s
goodness is not determined by the trials in our life, but by the way He walks
through them with us. Thank you, Gracie Hill, for the use of your photo.
