trials

Measuring the Size of the Mountain

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I like that. Some problems might seem as big and immovable as mountains, but God still moves mountains. I heard someone say once that prayer isn’t so much about reminding God how big your problems are but reminding your problems how big your God is. Ain’t that the truth?

It’s easy to get caught up in the logistics of what looks like an impossible situation. You and I can easily be like Peter and get distracted by the waves and take our eyes off of Jesus. Then we’re sunk.

But thankfully, Jesus can still save. Jesus can take us out of our problems and obstacles, but more often than not, He takes us through them rather than around or over them. Our faith grows as we see God overcome what we thought was hopeless.

Jesus said that if we had faith, we could say to the mountain to move, and it would move. He didn’t say what the size of the faith had to be. I think it’s because it’s not the amount of the faith you have that makes miracles and moves mountains but the source of your faith. God is the one doing the moving.

I still believe that’s true for followers today as it was for followers back then. We may not see the same kind of struggles and trials that those disciples did back in the first century, but we have enough of our own. And we find if we remain faithful long enough that God can still work on behalf of those whose hearts are steadfast toward Him.

This is not me telling you to squeeze your eyes and summon up more faith. Even a tiny mustard seed amount of faith will do if it’s in the right place. I still remember what a friend from college used to say: it’s not big faith in God but faith in a big God. Remember that as you can stand still and watch those mountains move.

It Says That?

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“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19, ESV).

How I wish the verse said “Many are the afflictions of the wicked, but the righteous will avoid them all.” Unfortunately, it does not.

There is a popular brand of Christianity that preaches a prosperity gospel. Basically, if you’re righteous, you will reap spiritual, physical, and financial blessings. You will never see hardship. Any kind of suffering is not of God and you can pray it away if you have enough faith.

But Jesus said that in this world you will have trouble. Not might. Not may. Will. As in the forecast for your life is that there’s a 100% chance of affliction and trouble in your future. That’s the part that can be a bit depressing if you focus just on that part.

But the second is the hopeful part. But God delivers the righteous out of them all. As my pastor used to say, God never gives us a way out but a way through. We may walk through some dark valleys, but our Shepherd is with us.

I’ve pointed it out before, but in Psalm 23, the first few verses talk about God as our Shepherd in the third person. He makes, He leads, He restores. But in the valley of the shadow of death, it changes. Suddenly, it’s You are with me. In that place and in that season, God becomes personal and the experience becomes intimate. Theoretical head knowledge becomes precious wisdom gained from life experience of God walking with us through the worst that hell can throw at us and delivering us from it all.

No matter what, God is with us. That, not the inevitable affliction, is the key. God will be with us and all will be well because He is making all things new.

Little Victories

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So last fall I did something a bit offbeat. I bought a tiny tent for Peanut. It was $20, so I figured it would be worth it to give Peanut yet another napping spot where she could hide from the world while she gets her 23 hours of beauty rest.

I didn’t figure on the required assembly, so it sat on my bed for a while before I finally dug up the courage to read the instructions and put it together. More accurately, I read the instructions, couldn’t figure them out, messaged the company, got sent an instructional Youtube video, watched the video, then put the tiny tent together.

Then Peanut showed her appreciation by sleeping right next to it. A couple of times, she poked her head in to look around but decided she wasn’t having any of it. Finally, today I put in a different blanket that she’s used before and voila! She finally decided to try it out.

Sometimes, life can be hard. There can be very little going right for you. That’s when it’s important to celebrate the little victories. Did you get to the end of the month with all your bills paid? Victory. Did you get to the end of the month, period? Victory.

Do you have a roof over your head? Victory. Did you have at least one warm meal today? Victory. Were the clothes you wore today clean? Victory. See? You have lots of little victories to celebrate if you think long and hard enough.

God is good even when times are tough. God is working even when we can’t see it or feel it. Once we get over our American entitlement mentality, we see that every single good thing in life is a gift from God. Sometimes the trials themselves can be gifts if they cause us to look up in prayer and desperation. Pain can be God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world, including those of us who profess to follow Him (with much thanks to C. S. Lewis for that one).

Give thanks for all the little victories, and maybe just maybe you’ll see some bigger breakthroughs in your life. At least you’ll see God more clearly.

Do Not Be Surprised

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“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 1 Peter 4:12-13

3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Commentary:

The Purpose of Our Trials

In the midst of our struggles, we may feel overwhelmed, but God will carry us through.

September 10, 2024

1 Peter 4:12-13

Some believers like to portray their life as ideal and carefree. But in reality, being a Christian isn’t easy. In fact, sometimes we’ll experience trials that truly test our faith and ability to trust in God.

In today’s passage, Peter refers to times of testing as a ‘fiery ordeal.’ He says we shouldn’t be surprised when adversity comes. It’s important to remember that God has a purpose for our difficulties and will see us through them (Romans 5:3-5). Here are some of the goals He may have for painful experiences:

At times the Lord uses hardship to cleanse us. Trials drive us to Him. And as we focus on God, we’re increasingly able to see things from His perspective.

A difficulty in our life may be the Lord’s way of testing us. He could be trying our faith, endurance, or devotion to Him.

God uses suffering to demonstrate His power to sustain us. When He brings us through challenging times, He glorifies Himself. In turn, this encourages others, because they have witnessed God’s sustaining power in our life.

Ultimately, hardships strengthen our testimony. In the midst of our struggles, we might feel overwhelmed and discouraged. But once the storm has passed, we can often look back and see the Lord’s providential hand carrying us through” (Charles Stanley).

41

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“In the Bible, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.
Day 41 came and the rain stopped.

Moses committed murder & hid in the desert for 40 years.
Year 41 came, and God called him to help rescue Israel.

Moses went up on the mountain for 40 days.
On day 41, he received the Ten Commandments.

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
Year 41, they walked into the Promised Land.

Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days.
Day 41 came, and David slew him.

Jonah preached a message of repentance to Ninevah for 40 days.
On day 41, God stopped His plan to destroy them.

Jesus fasted and was tempted for 40 days.
Day 41, and the devil fled.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days.
On day 41, He ascended into Heaven.

All this to say…don’t quit. The rain will stop, the giant will fall, and you will enter your ‘promised land.’ Don’t give up at 40.

41 is coming” (Chelsie Zurcher Wren).

In the Bible, the number 40 represents testing or trials — and sometimes judgment. All these examples show that what we endure may be severe but it is always finite. There’s a limit.

Sometimes 40 days can seem like forever. But just as the rainbow of God’s promise followed the flood, so day 41 will surely follow that 40th day of testing.

I’m not promising vast material blessings will come your way, but I do think God’s favor follows adversity, provided its because of enduring trials and not receiving consequences for sinful actions.

God is faithful. God honors those who honor Him, and the eyes of the Lord roam the earth seeking those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. All it takes is a mustard seed amount of faith in a mountain-moving God.

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The Peace of Christ

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“‘I give you MY peace’ John 14:27. Jesus, thank you for a peace that doesn’t just prepare us to die well, but also to live free. The peace of no condemnation and your full delight. The peace of knowing you’re working in all things for our good” (Scotty Smith).

I’m thankful that the peace of Christ isn’t based on my ideas of what peace should look and feel like.

My idea of peace is no conflict, no discomforts, no pain, no trials. If I had my way, I’d go from ease to ease, from comfort to comfort, and never grow up. Jesus’ way isn’t about making me suffer simply for the sake of suffering, but in my trials and tribulations I can 1) become more like Jesus, and 2) identify with Jesus in His own sufferings (which were way worse than mine will ever be).

Peace isn’t the absence of storms, but being sheltered in the midst of those storms. As the old song says, sometimes Jesus calms the storm, but often He comforts His child in the storm.

Peace is ultimately an inner solitude that nothing from the outside can shake, a confidence of faith that no outside crisis can kill, and a trust that says, “Even if He kills me, I will still keep trusting” (adapted from Job 13:15).

Grant us peace tonight that passes all our human understanding and guards our hearts and leads us to adoration of You, O Lord.

A Drop the Mic Moment

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If microphones had been invented in the late 1800’s when Spurgeon was in his heydey, I’m sure he would have been at least a little tempted to drop the mic after saying this little nugget of wisdom.

The temptation is real because it’s human nature to focus on hardships over blessings. I think we have very selective memories when it comes to trials versus blessings. When life gets hard, it’s difficult to focus on the joys we’ve experienced. All you and I can see sometimes are the moments of darkness and pain.

But it’s the trials that are temporary like the writing in the sand. It’s the blessing that comes after the momentary affliction passes that will endure.

Jesus is saying to each one of us going through hardship to take heart and remember that He has already overcome the world and conquered whatever it is that causes you grief and pain.

Weeping and trials may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

 

God’s Sweet Approval

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“Happy is the person who can hold up under the trials of life. At the right time, he’ll know God’s sweet approval and will be crowned with life. As God has promised, the crown awaits all who love Him” (James 1:12, VOICE)

Sometimes, the trials of life can feel devastating. A family member passes away. You lose your job and go through a financial crises. You deal with a debilitating injury or illness like cancer.

Sometimes, it can be the small things that get you down. Maybe a friend who normally texts you back didn’t respond this time. Maybe you had a Murphy’s law kind of day at work where everything that could go wrong did. Maybe it’s nothing specific and you just feel forgotten and abandoned.

Whatever it is, you can always hold up under trials by holding on to God and His sweet approval. The approval of God is not what awaits you at the end of the trial. It’s what gets you through the trial. If you belong to Christ, it belongs to you already.

Knowing God is in your corner and on your side makes any difficult circumstance bearable. Knowing God is still the God who fights for you in your battles makes even the hardest days easier to navigate.

No matter what you’re under, God is still watching over you. No matter how long the wait seems, God’s patience toward you goes longer. Remember, He was not willing that you should perish but that you should have eternal, everlasting, abundant life. He really  is for you.

Remember what God in Jesus went through for you. He thought that you were to die for. He still does.

That’s a reminder that all of us need halfway through another crazy and unpredictable week that never seems to let up.

It’s not that you’ve got this as much as He’s got you.

 

Borrowed Thoughts

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I think a part of me would very much like to sleep until noon every day. That part of me would love to gorge myself with chocolate as much as possible and only eat foods that while being extremely tasty, are extremely bad for me.

I remember what a pastor said once. He said that no one ever wakes up in them morning and thinks, “Hey, today I’m gonna screw my life up beyond all recognition.” It all starts with choices.

I’ve never woken up thinking, “Today I’d like a heaping helping of humility and trials and crappiness in my day. I want everything to go wrong and to feel like the day is never going to end.

Just like the Israelites probably never thought, “Gee, I’d like to wander around in a desert for 40 years, eating some strange pastry that falls from the sky and drinking water out of rocks. That sounds like my cup of tea.” But that’s what they got.

God doesn’t often give us what we want as much as he gives us what we need. I may want non-stop chocolate, but I need to be healthy and not weigh 800 pounds. I may want to sleep late every day of my life, but I need to spend time with God in the morning to get my bearings put right.

I heard that discipline is getting us to a place we would have never thought to go on our own. On my own, I’d never think to develop a constant prayer life and a complete dependence on God. But when I find myself in places where my way just doesn’t work and I have no more answers, I find myself praying to and depending on God a lot more.

I’m grateful now looking back that I didn’t get a lot of what I asked God for in prayer. I thought I knew what I needed, but it was only what I thought I wanted at the time.

A perfect illustration is looking at a 1-year old. He may think he knows what he needs and what is best for him, but he doesn’t. He has to be told what is and what is not good for him. The father may have to discipline him to get him to see what he wants and what is best for him aren’t always the same thing. I’m a lot like that little boy.

May you and I come to embrace the hard days as well as the good ones, because they remind us of how much we really do need God every day. May Jesus use the trials and troubles we face to develop in us a constant faith and a undying hope and a love that won’t quit.

 

Etch-A-Sketch Theology

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Raise your hand if you’re old enough to remember the Etch-a-Sketch. I am. I was never very good at the controls but I had fun with one of those back in the day. I was reminded of them when I saw Etch-A-Sketch art for sale at a Greek festival I attended.

The only problem with that is when you shake the device, whatever you’ve created is erased and you’re left with a blank slate.

Some people have what I like to call Etch-a-Sketch theology. It works just fine until some tragedy or loss shakes them, then their whole belief system vanishes.

Usually the theology that gets rattled is the kind based on feelings and circumstances.  The kind that looks at God as a cosmic genie bound to give us whatever we want and to make our lives easy and comfortable with no sickness or pain of any kind. The kind that sees sins to avoid rather than people to love.

I’m not saying that I have the perfect theology and that everything I believe is spot-on. I freely admit there’s a lot that I don’t know and have to leave up to God. I’ve had my doubts and fears along the way, but God has proved stronger than any of those.

The kind of theology that stands all kinds of weather is the kind that comes from immersing yourself in God’s Word. It comes in hanging around godly people who have survived their own storms and made their fair share of mistakes and learned a lot. It comes from a humble and teachable spirit.

I hope you find a theology that’s built not on shifting sands or prevailing winds but on a solid foundation. Or as the old hymn says,  “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”