How our trials bless us

Whoa.  Wait a minute, you might be thinking.  How could this mess I am going through be a blessing?

Let us review, dear friends!  

Here's a short list of how trials formed the saints of Scripture:

- Daniel experienced firsthand God's supernatural power in protecting him from the voracious lions
- Jesus was in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (and He is with us in our "fiery furnace!")
- God protected David from Saul's murderous plans again and again, bringing him into his destiny as King
- Job was doubly blessed - more than he had been - after he lost everyone and everything in life
- Paul's letters to the churches are the most-quoted Scripture of all time; he wrote them from a prison cell
- Jonah needed to learn that God's grace is for all - even for those he couldn't stand; he finally learned obedience
- Joseph was left for dead by his jealous siblings; he ended up ruling over them eventually
- Jesus endured severe hunger and thirst in the desert where He was tempted by the devil; He began His world-changing ministry directly afterwards; He is Lord of all

So how does this add up in my life, you may be asking.  

Well, what desert, den, or dungeon are you in right now?  There's your blessing!  Eventually.

How, or even if, we get to eventually is up to us.  Will we suffer with patience and endurance, trusting in the only One Who can rescue us?  And, by the way, why isn't He rescuing me already, you might ask. 

Trust.

Do we trust Him to know how long our trials should last?  Where they will take place?  And the severity of them?

No, God isn't cruel, in case your mind is wandering into those dangerous waters.

God is love.  God loves us.  God wants the best for us.  Period.  These are truths we can take to the spiritual bank, friends.

Like the marathon runner who endures excruciating pain just to finish the grueling race, we too must learn to endure all that the Lord has for us.  Otherwise, we will miss the "finish line" He has for us.  We will miss out on seeing Him full whack.  Just think what Daniel, David, Paul, and the rest would have missed if they would have wriggled out of God's trials for them?  

Remember, wherever the trial is coming from, when you belong to Christ, He has full Sovereign control over your life.  It is God who causes or permits the trials, friends.  Father indeed knows best.

Can we be the makers of our own trials?  Sometimes.  But even then, God knows best!  God will still show us the way - either around, through, or out.  Our job is to simply to trust and obey Him.

As we enter the End Times more fully, remember that the devil is going to crank things up even more (even though he has already lost the ultimate battle and he knows it).  It is his last-ditch attempt to destroy as many people as possible through his lies, deceptions, and discouragement.  

But as we stand strong in Christ, we win!  But we had best be grounded in His Word, in His Presence, in His love and strength, because we are no match for the enemy of our souls in and of ourselves.  But in Christ!  Wow!  

Remember that All-powerful is just that - all powerful!  No matter how much the devil cranks up his schemes, we, as Christians, know the Winner - the Lord Jesus Christ!  Alleluia!  

Let us be found in Him.  Let us endure any and all trials with the power of His grace and might inside us.  Let us press on to know the Lord no matter what.  He is worth it!  

Go on and thank Him for your trial, knowing that He is preparing you for the days ahead and knows exactly how much you can take.  It is all for our good and His glory!

Dear Lord, we are a society that is accustomed to comfort.  Give us our 90-inch TVs and recliners, but please do not put us through the wringer!  Oh, how we have been deceived!  For when we think that our comfort and "fun" are what life is all about, we miss the bigger and better picture: a life lived for You. Help us see all of our trials as Your way of showing up in our lives, Lord, to bring us out better, stronger, more mature in our faith, and closer to You.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.