"And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
For those God foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son
that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters."
Romans 8:28-29
Yesterday was one of the hardest days of my life. In retrospect, it wasn't because it seemed that God was working against me, shutting all the doors in my face. I thought this day was crummy because things looked hopeless, like we would never find a place to live in this new land, but that wasn't the reason either. Why did I struggle so much in my attitude toward our circumstances yesterday? Because I lost track of the message in today's verse.
God is not about my comfort. He is not here to make my life easy and to ensure that all the pieces fall into place smoothly and simply. My Father is not about giving me the quick and easy solution so that I won't have to suffer. Instead, God is all about building my character. He is here to conform me into the image of His Son. My Father is all about building my faith through suffering.
This means He will sometimes send me down a road that has all the markings of a dead end. It also means He will occasionally take me to a path that the world has labeled as off-limits or as a foolish way to go. Additionally, it can mean that He will sometimes drop me off in the wilderness and seemingly abandon me.
While these experiences bring much suffering, they are not without a purpose. As I labor toward what seems to be a futile goal, looking around me and finding no way out, I suddenly discover a hidden treasure, a small gate covered by vines that no one else noticed. (Matthew 7:13-14)
As I ask myself if I'm a fool to have left everything to follow God's calling, wondering if I will ever again have a place to call home, I remember that even the Son of Man did not have a place to lay His head.(Matthew 8:20) God has a greater purpose for my life than what we all tend to run after; comfort, pleasure, the trappings of a successful life. Instead, He intends that I build up treasures in heaven that will last forever. Most of the time my focus is on what I see around me instead of the unseen jewels of His kingdom. Therefore, my Father finds it necessary to sometimes take me down a reckless path to purge me of such worldly mindsets.
Even though the wilderness seems like a lonely place, it is also where my faith is tested, where I find out what I truly believe. Words are cheap but when it seems everything I find to be valuable is taken away, I will learn whether what I profess to be truth is really what I hold in my heart. Do I walk by faith, or am I easily knocked off the solid rock when things look hopeless? I will only know for sure when God takes me to a desolate place.
Today it is my intention to keep my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith.(Hebrews 12:1-2) Then, no matter what news I hear regarding the temporary home we are hoping to secure, my real hope will be on nothing less than my Solid Rock.
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