Really?!

"Then the LORD asked Satan,

'Have you noticed my servant Job?

He is the finest man in all the earth.

He is blameless--a man of integrity.

He fears God and stays away from evil.

And he has maintained his integrity,

even though you urged me to harm him without cause.'"

Job 2:3 NLT

Wasn't it enough?  Hadn't he faced ample suffering?  Did his faith need further testing?  Hadn't he proved himself loyal to God?

It sometimes seems like God is toying with me, pushing me beyond what is necessary.  The truth is, however, He has His good, unfathomable reasons (Isaiah 40:13-14).

Bad with the good.  My idea of a good life is where I am protected from suffering, hurt and difficulty.  If I really think about it, I want a little taste of heaven here on earth.  I expect the world to be the proverbial bowl full of cherries.  If this is true, then, in the words of Erma Bombeck, "what am I doing in the pits?"

Job understood God's sovereignty more than I do. He realized that letting God be God means taking the bad along with the good.  It means things won't go according to my plan because God has something bigger and better in mind.  Even His concept of bigger and better is far different from mine.  Assuming my life here on this fallen earth is going to be all good is a mistake.  

Where, then, is my hope?  If I can't expect all good all the time, what's the point?  My hope is in Jesus Christ and what He can do through the bad.  My hope comes from how He will use every bad thing to transform me into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:28-29).  My hope comes from the realization that this place is not my true home;  I have something far better to which I can look forward (Hebrews 13:14, John 14:1-3).

Walking with God by faith means taking the bad with the good.

Others tested.  She hurts so much she cannot sleep.  Her slumber is often interrupted by bouts of pain.  So great is her suffering that she cannot leave her home.  In the midst of such agony, her beloved cat dies in her arms.  How can she bear such heartache?

It is hard to see others suffer.  When those around me are hurting, it's sometimes hard to know what to do.  Part of me wants to comfort and encourage, another is ready to judge and fix.  How I respond shows where my heart is.

The heart of Jesus is to weep with those who weep.  When he encountered the deep mourning of Mary at the loss of her brother Lazarus, he was deeply moved, so much so that he wept with her (John 11:33-38).  This is our calling as His followers (John 12:15).

Does God sometimes allow suffering into the lives of others to grow the bonds within the body of Christ?  Is His concern for the strength of the church greater than His interest in my welfare?  Does He allow trouble to give opportunities for His family to come together?

Walking with God by faith means sharing in the suffering of others.

Lessons.  Until I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't comprehend its height.  Standing at the top, however, and looking at the vista spread out before me, I gained a new understanding of how tall the Sears Tower was.  Standing at 1451 feet above the ground was similar to what it would look like to make it to the top of Mt Rainier in Washington state.  My respect for great heights grew that day.

God's ways are similarly higher than mine in ways I have a hard time comprehending.  I often think I can see what God is doing, or guess how He will operate, or assume I know in what way He will come through.  The reality is, however, that I have no idea.

I can't truly grasp God's superior sovereignty until I'm taken somewhere that goes far beyond my own ability to understand.  As I submit to His plan for my life, I gain a greater appreciation for His preeminence.  If I choose to fight His mysterious ways, I will go forward in anger and bitterness, questioning why a loving God would allow such suffering.  It all boils down to God having the right to do what He sees fit to do.  

Walking with God by faith means learning hard lessons about the sovereignty and supremacy of God.

It's hard to know why God allows suffering, especially when it seems I've endured enough already.  Living in relationship with Him, though, means I must let Him lead me through the valley of the shadow of death at times, trusting that He is with me.  I can learn to take the bad with the good, to respond in love to the suffering of others, and to realize His preeminence; I just can't expect to fathom His ways.  Then, when I feel like saying, "Really, God?"  I can instead say simply, "God."  I live in His world, so yes, really.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can give up my rights to direct my own life.

When do I assume God will never take me anyplace bad?

Why do I think I should be protected from suffering when the world is filled with it?           

I am the LORD Your God

"This third I will bring into the fire;

I will refine them like silver

and test them like gold.

They will call on my name

and I will answer them;

I will say, 'They are my people,'

And they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

Zechariah 13:9

He faced a pack of hungry lions in their den.

Another lost his wealth and his family all in one day.

His faith earned him death by stoning.

One man faced ridicule and mockery for 120 years because of his obedience to God's calling.

Still others face pain and suffering due to health issues.

Many suffer death and loss.

Did someone say following Jesus was easy?

I have heard it said that if we would only tap into the power of Jesus, we would be delivered from all pain and suffering.  The truth is that I won't experience that kind of bliss this side of heaven.  John's Revelation revealed that, "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)  Until the new heaven and the new earth is created, however, I am stuck with life in a broken, fallen world.  

But those of us who follow Jesus do not suffer in vain.  God does not protect us from the fire of trial and tribulation.  Rather, He uses it to bring about His purposes.  I can trust Him that, "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  (Romans 8:28)

Purification

When a silversmith refines silver he holds it to the hottest part of the fire, attentively watching it lest it be destroyed.  The blistering flames burn away all the impurities, leaving pure silver.  He knows when the process is finished when he can see his own reflection in the precious metal.

God is our refiner.  Malachi 3:3 says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."  The LORD holds me to the hottest part of the fire, guiding me through unbearable circumstances that bring pain and suffering.  His loving eyes, however, never leave me lest I be destroyed.   

As I go through the difficulties of life, impurities of sin like selfishness, pride, lust, jealousy, hatred and envy are burned away leaving a more pure form which reflects the character of my Maker.  Others notice more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as they perceive God's Spirit mirrored in the parts which have gone through the fire.

This means when I face health issues lining up like so many soldiers in formation, I can trust my Refiner to be using the pain and suffering in a way that will glorify Him.  Or when I lose my job, my life savings or my family, I can rest in the knowledge that God will use it as a hot, cleansing fire.  If nothing in my life seems to be going the way I had hoped, the thought that with struggle comes godliness can help to keep me pressing forward toward the prize.

Following Jesus does not mean life will be filled with only pleasurable and enjoyable things, but it does mean that the hard things will be expertly used by our loving and gracious Refiner.

Testing

I remember watching old westerns and seeing someone pay off a debt with a gold coin of unknown value.  The recipient would then bite down on the coin, knowing that if he could leave marks, it must be the real thing. 

While my dentist may not approve of this method of testing, it is a fairly reliable way to find out if an object is made from pure gold.  In fact, testing is necessary to determine whether gold is real and of what purity it is.  Several methods can be used including rubbing it across porcelain tile, holding it near a magnet, dropping acid on it or the aforementioned hardness test. Whichever method is used, testing is necessary to discover it's character.

In the same way, God tests me like gold.  He takes me on test runs to give me a chance to try out my faith.  As Peter said, "you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  (1 Peter 1:6b-7)

I can say that I have faith in God, but until I go through hard times I won't know whether or not that faith is real.  It's kind of like chairs.  Chairs are tested extensively and the chair industry has actually set standards to address issues such as the strength, durability, stability and safety of the furniture.  Even though I didn't know chairs were put through the kinds of hardships and ordeals a seat might receive in regular use, I am glad to know that I can trust them when I go to place my full weight in one.  There's nothing worse than sitting in a chair that fails!

Before God can trust me with big assignments, I must pass the little tests He sends my way.  If I can handle the little bit of money He provides for me, it might be His plan to trust me with more. If I show myself to be faithful to His calling in a small assignment, He could have bigger things in mind.  If I am able to trust Him to fight my battles for me when faced with a minor dispute, maybe He'll try me out in a larger battle.

Following Jesus means I'll be trusted to do the big things once my faith has been tested in the small things.

Proper Perspective

There is so much to fear in this world: terrorist attacks, financial ruin, health failure, war, and random acts of violence.  I also am afraid of failure, of looking like a fool, of being left all alone in the world or of revealing my true self.  There is a lot to fear.

God reminds me in Isaiah 43 that I have nothing to fear because He has chosen me and I belong to Him.  He is the LORD my God!  Take a moment to meditate on the words of this beautiful message set to music by Hillsong.  

Even though I mess up more times than I can count, I belong to a loving, gracious and merciful God who will not turn away from me.  I have nothing to fear because He has my back. Because of the blood of Jesus, my transgressions are remembered no more.  Then I can claim these words of God told through the prophet Zechariah for myself:  "I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph.  I will restore them because I have compassion on them.  They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them." (Zechariah 10:6)

Remembering who I am in Christ, a child of God, will help me to put things in the proper perspective.  He is the Lord my God. . . and I have nothing to fear!

Following Jesus doesn't mean I'll be shielded from terrifying situations, but as His child I need not fear.

As Erma Bombeck is famously credited with saying, "If life is a bowlful of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?"   Living my life for Jesus is not all roses and sunshine.  I must expect difficulties as they are used to refine me, test my faith and help put things in proper perspective, because I belong to God, the maker of heaven and earth!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can remember how God uses difficult times.

How do I focus more on the fire instead of keeping my eyes on the Refiner?

When am I so afraid that I lose sight of the LORD?