Perfect in Suffering
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)
I recently read. The word “suffer” is not a word that brings comfort or peace. When we hear someone is suffering, we feel concern, sympathy and even sadness for that person. The definition for suffering means “to experiencea sensation or impression (usually painful).” The other fact that we as Christians must deal with is that God allows suffering. Nothing on this planet or in the universe happens without God’s approval.
Why does this loving, gracious God allow tragedies that bring such suffering? Why does evil persist, even in homes and families who seek the Lord the most? These and many more questions are asked when we try to make sense of God’s ways. Satan has taken full advantage of these events in our lives; at least he has tried to. Have you ever had thoughts like: “Why should I believe that doing things God’s way brings me any assurance of protection or blessings?” Or, “If God loves me then why is He letting this happen to me?” The same logic applies when we turn those same thoughts to others. People hurt us, so let’s not trust people anymore. Circumstances hurt us, so let’s control everything we possibly can to prevent being hurt (Hurt, by the way, is just another description for suffering.).
The bottom-line answer is that we will never fully understand why God does what He does. We must live as He has told us to live–by faith. We must believe and trust that the Lord has a reason for everything that happens to us. When we dig into His Word and study His teachings, then we will have more peace in those times of confusion and pain. Today’s verse is an example of how we can find peace and hope in times of suffering. We should pray this verse and meditate on it as we are going through those times of suffering. If we can look beyond our pain for the moment and pray to see the bigger picture that God has for us, then we can find hope and even peace in what we are going through. Even in the midst of great tragedies that tempt us to ask God “why,” we can trust that He has a much greater plan than what we see in the short term. The question for us is whether or not we will trust Him or turn from Him.
Take time today to really meditate on the verse above. Take comfort and trust the Lord to “perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you” after you have suffered a while. Only God knows the timing of such things. Pray for the perseverance to endure.
We all need to be reminded of this from time to time. With all the hurt and suffering going on in the world around us and maybe even in our own lives we can’t become discouraged and allow it to over take our hope and joy but we must lift up our heads and remember this scripture. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Trust Him!
Make today beautiful!
Today’s Reading is 1 Peter 5:6-11
God Made You
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
It is an exhilarating experience to live the new life, with Christ inside me enabling me to live it. As a man was riding along in his Ford, suddenly something went wrong. He got out and looked at the engine, but he could find nothing wrong. As he stood there, another car came in sight, and he waved it down to ask for help. Out of a brand new Lincoln stepped a tall, friendly man who asked, “Well, what’s the trouble?” “I cannot get this Ford to move,” was the reply. The stranger made a few adjustments under the hood and then said, “Now start the car.” When the motor started, its grateful owner introduced himself and then asked, “What is your name, sir?” “My name,” answered the stranger, “is Henry Ford.”
The one who made the Ford knew how to make it run. God made you and me, and He alone knows how to run your life and mine. We could make a complete wreck of our lives without Christ. When He is at the controls, all goes well. Without Him, we can do nothing.
Lord, so often I forget to give You complete control and I fail. Teach me to rely completely on You for my strength and needs. Amen.
When I read this it blessed me. What a simple yet powerful truth, without Him, we can do nothing. I wouldn’t want to live my life without Him in it. Trust God, even when you don’t understand His plan. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him (Psalm 126:6).
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Timothy 1:12
Conceived in Crisis
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. (Psalm 57:1)
Marc recalls a moment from his childhood when his father called the family together. Their car had broken down, and the family would run out of money by the end of the month. Marc’s dad paused and prayed. Then he asked the family to expect God’s answer.
Today Marc recalls how God’s help arrived in surprising ways. A friend repaired their car; unexpected checks arrived; food showed up at the door. Praising God came easily. But the family’s gratitude had been forged in a crisis.
Psalm 57 has long provided rich inspiration for worship songs. When David declared, “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth” (v. 11), we might imagine him gazing up at a magnificent Middle Eastern night sky or perhaps singing in a tabernacle worship service. But in reality David, fearful for his life, was hiding in a cave.
“My soul is among lions” David said in the psalm, and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword” (v. 4). David’s praise was conceived in crisis. Although he was cornered by enemies who wanted him dead, David could write these amazing words: “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise” (v. 7).
Whatever crisis we face today, we can run to God for help. Then, we can praise Him as we wait expectantly, confident in His infinitely creative care for us.
This devotion uplifted me today. It caused me to reflect back on times past and even present when God has proven Himself faithful. Even in the darkest of times when all hope had seemed lost, I learned something valuable during those times, my hope is in Him. Greater is He that is within me than he that’s in this world. Remember, Your next crisis is your next opportunity to trust our unfailing God.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 57
Do Not Give Up
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)
Are you feeling “weary” these days? Do you ever feel as if “doing good” really gets you nowhere? I bet that if we were honest, most of us would admit to these feelings or thoughts at some points in our Christian life. If you spend much time at all reading Paul’s letters in the New Testament, you hear him telling us to persevere, to run the race with endurance, and to not lose heart. The Apostle Paul understood the trials of suffering and how hard it can be just to keep going, day in and day out. Today’s verse has a promise at the end, one that we can all claim in victory. If we do not grow weary and give up, there will be a time of reaping, a season of harvest.
The enemy will use every scheme he can against us to discourage us from moving forward. I wonder how many times we give up at the last minute. What would happen if we never gave up? When the Lord calls you to step out, you must go. Once you make that decision, you will be tested. You will be tempted to quit, especially in your thoughts. To combat the temptations to quit, we must stay in the Word of God to renew our minds and to surrender to His will over our natural-born desires. Through the Holy Spirit, we can overcome and live a life pleasing to God. Praise God, for He wants for you to overcome and live a life pleasing Him.
God is leading you, you must follow Him, step by step. Know that there will be times when you will feel weary and your heart wants to sink, but that is when you turn to the Lord for strength and encouragement. Do not give up! The victory may be a day away.
When I read this I was blessed by this devotion today, the victory may be a day away, wow, what truth!! It’s okay to admit weariness and discouragement, it’s what we do after that makes the difference. We must persevere, run the race with endurance, and not lose heart. Don’t allow the enemy to plant seeds of doubt in your mind, read your word and pray every day, stay close to God and watch His plan unfold in your life. In His time you will reap the harvest. Don’t give up on God, He has never given up on you. He loves you so much He sent His son to die for you. What love!! Be not weary, do not give up.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Galatians 6:9
Surprised by God
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Ephesians 3:20)
After 10 years of renting in a charming location, we discovered that our landlord suddenly needed to sell the house. I asked God to change the circumstances and make it possible for my wife and me to stay in this place we’d made home, where we’d watched our children grow up. But God said no.
When it comes to my needs, I worry that I’m asking for the wrong thing or that I’m not worthy of the request I’m making. But God’s no doesn’t need to shake our faith when we’re grounded—surrounded I like to say—in His love. In Ephesians 3, Paul understood that those who know the love of Christ intimately (vv.16-17) can trust God to have a loving reason for saying no.
Shortly after hearing “no” from God about my request, friends from church offered to rent us a home they were vacating. Our new location—with new appliances, new plumbing, new electrical wiring, and an extra bedroom—sits on the ocean, an idyllic scene of ships, sails, and sounds that daily remind us that God is bigger than any issue we face. Our loving Father used loving friends to give more than we asked.
Whether God gives us more than we imagined or far less than we desired, we can trust that His plans are much better than ours.
Lord, we know that You are good whether Your answers to our prayers are abundantly more than we asked or much less than we desire. Help us to accept whatever comes to us from Your hand. Thank You.
When I read this I thought, what a reminder. At times we get frustrated that God didn’t answer our prayers the way we asked Him to but we must remember Isaiah 55:8-9, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Trust Him!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Ephesians 3:14-21
The Pit or the Rock
The house in which I grew up was built in the late 1800’s and still had some of the relics from that period, such as an old cistern located in the backyard. I think at one time it had been a source of water. Since it was no longer used or needed, the opening was loosely capped with a rusty round lid. As a kid, I remember being in fear of accidentally falling into it. My imagination conjured up this image of a deep dark pit with a sinking bottom in which I would be forever trapped. I look back and think that maybe my fears were a little silly, but then I realize that sometimes as an adult I feel as if I wake up in that pit, dark and damp with no way out. Maybe a lot of us feel this way at times.
Reading the words of King David in this Psalm should give us all hope and encouragement. If David had such moments of despair, then we must know that our feelings of being trapped in a pit of miry clay are not unknown to our Lord. Jesus knew how David felt and He knows how we feel. The Lord hears our cries, the Lord inclines His ear to listen to us, and He will not only lift us up, but will lead us out. The key is to trust Him to do so. We must believe that the Lord is going to rescue us because we cannot do it in our own strength. Trying to climb our way out of the darkness is exhausting and depressing. And sometimes it is in that darkest moment, when we sense a hand reaching down, picking us up and setting our feet back on the rock. We did not need to try; we just needed to surrender our fears to the Lord.
Where are you today? Are you in the “horrible pit” or “upon a rock”? Regardless of the place you find yourself, just know that the Lord is right there with you. He is the only way out of the pit and He is the only one Who can establish our steps in the right direction. Pray today that you can trust Jesus for all your needs and that in trusting Him, you can wait patiently for His perfect timing.
When I read this three words came to my mind. God is good! His timing is indeed perfect. Again, I needed this reminder today. God amazes me, He always knows what I need when I need it and He speaks right to my heart. I pray today’s devotion speaks to your heart in such a way that you walk away changed, uplifted and encouraged. I know I did!! 🙂 Trust Him today for ALL your needs.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalms 40, Acts 27:1-26
Who is God to you?
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? (John 3:12)
Do you ever think you can figure God out? I mean, there are certain prayers that He should answer just the way you asked it. After all, I am his child and He only desires what’s best for me and I know what’s best. So I give God options of how He should answer my prayers. And through the years, I have noticed common themes of how I pray. My prayers always include peace, joy, comfort, safety, ease, love and happiness–or making all of the green lights. But my prayers never include things that bring pain, suffering, confusion, hurt or tears. Don’t we all tend to pray for the good things because that is what is best for us?
There is a modern day parable about a man during a flood. He prayed, “God, protect me. I have faithfully served You for all these years and You have always kept me safe in this house.” What he was really praying was, “Save me my way.” Well, the rains came down and the water rose and rose. Radio warnings were blaring to evacuate homes. His neighbors all left. He didn’t, he just kept praying. A county sheriff came by and said, “Hey, leave!” but he said, “No, I know the Lord will protect me and I’m staying in this house.” The water got higher and this time, the Coast Guard came out. But the man still refused to go. As the water rose, the man sat on his roof, determined not to leave his home. A helicopter came by and said, “Sir please come with me, I’m here to save you.” The man said, “No, only God will save me and I’m staying.” Well, the man drowned and now, he is standing in heaven. The man said to God, “What happened? I thought you were going to save me.” God responded, “Well, I sent the police, a boat and helicopter. What else did you want?”
This man’s concept of what God should do for him and what God would do for him was very different. He didn’t like God’s options. Sometimes what we want God’s will to be for us, and what it really is, brings us conflict. We want to serve God our way, please God our way and live for God our way. God says He protects us, so we expect protection to come our way too. Today, submit to the Lord’s leading in your life. He knows what is best. Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to His will and that you can be willing to do things His way. The end result just might reveal heavenly things to you.
When I read this I instantly thought about what was preached in church yesterday. Instead of going to God every time asking for something, let’s take time to just say Thank You and entrust everything else in our lives in His hands and be willing to do things His way, not our own.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 55:8-9
Questions for God
And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might . . . . Surely I will be with thee . . . (Judges 6:14,16)
What would you do if the Lord showed up in the middle of your workday with a message? This happened to Gideon, one of the ancient Israelites. “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (Judg. 6:12–13). Gideon wanted to know why it seemed as if God had abandoned His people.
God didn’t answer that question. After Gideon had endured seven years of enemy attacks, starvation, and hiding in caves, God didn’t explain why He never intervened. God could have revealed Israel’s past sin as the reason, but instead He gave Gideon hope for the future. God said, “And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might . . . . Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man” (vv.14, 16).
Do you ever wonder why God has allowed suffering in your life? Instead of answering that specific question, God may satisfy you with His nearness today and remind you that you can rely on His strength when you feel weak. When Gideon finally believed that God was with him and would help him, he built an altar and called it “Jehovahshalom (The Lord Is Peace)” (v. 24).
There is peace in knowing that whatever we do and wherever we go, we go with God who promised never to leave or forsake His followers. Amen.
What could be better than getting answers to our why questions? Trusting a good and powerful God.
When I read this I knew without a doubt it needed to be shared. What profound truth, we are so quick to focus on the why when all we need to do it trust God, He is good, He is powerful.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Judges 6:11-16,24
Letting Go
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. (Genesis 12:1)
For our wedding anniversary, my husband borrowed a tandem bike so we could enjoy a romantic adventure together. As we began to pedal on our way, I quickly realized that as the rider on the back my vision of the road ahead was eclipsed by my husband’s broad shoulders. Also, my handlebars were fixed; they didn’t affect the steering of our bike. Only the front handlebars determined our direction; mine served merely as support for my upper body. I had the choice to either be frustrated by my lack of control or to embrace the journey and trust Mike would guide us safely on our route.
When God asked Abram to leave his homeland and family, He didn’t offer much information concerning the destination. No geographic coordinates. No description of the new land or its natural resources. Not even an indication of how long it would take to get there. God simply gave the instruction to “go” to the land He would show him. Abram’s obedience to God’s instruction, despite lacking the details most humans crave, is credited to him as faith (Heb. 11:8).
If we find ourselves grappling with uncertainty or a lack of control in our lives, let’s seek to adopt Abram’s example of following and trusting God. The Lord will steer us well.
Help me, Lord, to trust You with the uncertainty in my life. Amen.
When I read this I felt the tandem bike was a great example of how we may feel at times in our walk with God but the choice to either be frustrated by our lack of control or to embrace the journey and trust He will guide us safely through life is key to having true peace. He will steer you well, trust Him to do so.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Genesis 12:1-9
Christ is Unchanging
This isn’t one of those verses that really needs to be expounded on. It’s pretty straight forward. Any difficulty with this verse comes with understanding and applying its implications to our lives. If Christ is unchanging, what does that mean for us?
First off, it means that we have yet another reason to worship Him and trust Him. He’s not going to flake out on us and He isn’t going to suddenly change and decide that He doesn’t want to be bothered saving and loving us. He has saved us and always will. He has loved us and always will.
Secondly, it means that we should change, because He isn’t going to. He is always going to be worthy of our praise and honor, so if even some small part of our life doesn’t honor Him, it’s got to go. He is always going to be holy, holy, holy. He is always going to be just. So we have some transformation to undergo if we are going to be in His presence. He saved us and is remaking us in His image and we should welcome that painful reformation because when’s He done remaking us, we’ll get to join Him in the eternity of holy splendor.
Third, this should change how we respond to different seasons of life. Our response to God tends to be proportionate to our perception of how He is treating us. When we are in good seasons, God is a good, loving Father who cares and meets all our needs. But when we are in hard seasons, God becomes a cold, caustic jerk who doesn’t understand how much pain we are in. But when we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, we have to acknowledge that the Father who lovingly provided for us yesterday is still a loving Father when we suffer today. His love for us may show itself in different ways in different seasons, but it is crucial that we understand that our circumstances are not an indication of how He is changing, but of how we are being changed to be more like Him.
When we understand this, it should give us courage, confidence and comfort to face each season as it comes because we have the unchanging, unbending, unyielding Rock of Ages on our side.
When I read this I was hesitant to post it but I couldn’t shake how much truth there was in it. I can’t honestly think of a time in my life that I’ve thought God was being a “jerk”, there were times I couldn’t understand the why but for some they may have had that feeling and it’s important that we are honest with ourselves and then be encouraged, confident and comforted to face each season as it comes because we have the unchanging, unbending, unyielding Rock of Ages on our side. When the enemy tries to fill your mind with negativity towards God remind him who you choose to serve, trust and believe in no matter the trials your facing in that moment because He is the same yesterday, today and forever! Don’t allow the seasons in your life to alter your confidence in Christ but allow it to draw you closer to Him, He loves you more than anyone in the world.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Romans 8:24-25