Resiliency

"'All right, you may test him,' the Lord said to Satan. 'Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically.' So Satan left the Lord's presence." -Job 1:12
 
I wonder if God and Satan ever have the above conversation about you and I. Often things happen to us over which we have no control, that do not appear to be a consequence of any sin or action we have taken. It is true that doing the right things don't always equal everything working out according to plan: God is not a vending machine - we can't make Him to do the things we want based on our behavior. But, we can trust Him that what He has promised will come to pass at the appointed time. (Habakkuk 2:3) 

It is during the desert times when we are most tested in our hearts. We will continue to believe that God loves us? Will we continue to believe and trust Him, in spite of what seems like a void of hope? Will we continue to do the right things, "No matter what"? It is these times when we are tested, to see if we will be found resilient in our faith. 

Job was tested so greatly, he lost his business, his family, and his health. His friends didn't understand what he was going through and assumed he had done something to offend God. Job also did not understand - and questioned God as to why He had to go through such hardship, even though he thought he had done all the right things. God responded - "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?" (Job 40:2) and Job repented. "I know that you can do anything..I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance." (Job 42) 

Righteousness doesn't always equal lack of hardship. But resiliency in faith reserves our heavenly reward. Will you be found resilient in your faith?

The Gift in Adversity

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." -James 1:2&3

 
I often reminisce on my family history. So much of what we encounter in our daily lives roots back to our childhood experiences. (See Paul Hegstrom's book Broken Children, Grown-Up Pain.) But when I think of what happened then, I no longer see it as something to avoid and diminish as awful. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't fun, and I still deal with the consequences of some of what happened then. But instead of feeling full of dread I am filled with gratitude that God allowed me to be in such a place so that I would need to depend on Him more, and that I would know Him as my Heavenly Father. In place of the pain and hurt, He has placed irrevocable joy.

I doubt many of us that are in or have been in difficult circumstances could call them a blessing. It has taken a lot of time, a lot of healing, and a lot of restoration, but it was so worth the cost. The joy of knowing Christ and experiencing His peace, love and joy in spite of circumstances is better than any diamond, ruby or emerald on this earth, or any comfort we might enjoy. If you've never been through adversity, you'll never know how valuable it is to be without it. And, you'll never know the blessing of the depth of God experiences we need in order to get us through those tough times.


Someone once told my dad, "God must love you a lot. He does not allow such difficult experiences into a life that He does not plan to use greatly."

Have you discovered the gift in adversity?

In the Pit

“Then they took him and cast him into a pit.”  -Genesis 37:24

Joseph was his father’s favorite. Subsequently, he was despised by the rest of his brothers.

Joseph’s brothers plotted against him to kill him. Instead of killing him however, they threw him into a pit and then sold him into slavery. But God had a different plan.

Joseph did not know that the pit was the door to his destiny.  When he was thrown in the cistern by his brothers, I am sure he did not think God had anything to do with it.  But after his journey of years of imprisonment in Egypt and his subsequent elevation as second in command of Egypt, Joseph had discovered a lot more in hindsight than he could have seen for himself in the moment. Joseph effectively saved Israel and the surrounding nations from a drought that would last 7 years because of his faith in God.

There are several reasons God uses the pit in our lives:

• The pit is for our healing & restoration- so we can walk in integrity (wholeness)
• The pit is to increase our dependence upon God to supply all our needs “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
• The pit is for our character development and maturity

We cannot effectively get ourselves out of the pit in our own strength. But, we can speed up the process by forgiving those who have wronged us, realizing that we cannot avenge ourselves of any wrong done to us, and being faithful in the small things in order for God to promote us. When we have been faithful and our heart is pure before God, God is then able to elevate us to the next place.

Do you find yourself in a pit right now?  Make sure you are seeking God in this place and keeping your heart pure before Him.  If God can find us faithful in the small things, He will elevate us to greater things.

Finding God in the Midst

"Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm..." Job 40:6

We live really busy lives. With work, school, church, social activities, hobbies and family time it becomes more and more difficult to schedule quality time with God. Even if we do have a quiet time, it's short at the most!

On top of all of this, things happen in our lives that discourage us, and may cause us to feel troubled or want to give up on our pursuits. Perhaps we have challenges in our lives such as an illness, workplace obstacle, relational conflict, or maybe service in church has become difficult. Whatever it is, we can find God in the midst of the storm.

The point at which we say, "God, take this cup from me," is the moment we need to push through to receive God's blessing. It's at this moment we need to stop and ask ourselves - what does God have for me in the midst of this? It's the moment of maturity, of growth - it's the moment where our strength ends and God's begins.

In the midst of Job's storm, after he realizes how powerful and omniscient God is, he repents for his unbelief in God's sovereignty and says, "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." (Job 42:3) God restored His fortunes and gave him twice what he had had before. God increased Job's territory greatly after all of his challenges. But, Job pressed through - He got to the point of worshipping God and letting go of the outcome even in the midst of his personal devastation.

Are you encountering significant challenges right now? Have you put yourself in a place to encounter obstacles that will grow and stretch you? Often these moments are not comfortable, but we need to put God at the center of our attentions to help us through. If we are able to stand firm, God will be able to bless us with our inheritance in Him.

Overcoming Discouragement

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31:8  

The Israelites were discouraged. After Moses had sent Joshua and 11 other men to explore the Promised Land for forty days, ten of them came back with a bad report, and the people were upset.
 
"All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, 'If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?'" -Numbers 14:2-4
 
Joshua and Caleb were the only ones with a positive outlook.
 
"Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, 'The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.'" -Numbers 14:6-8
 
How easy is it to look at a situation with natural eyes instead of looking past the challenges and seeing with eyes of faith? Both Caleb and Joshua had faith in their God that He was going to do all that He said He would do. They were living based on God's promises, not on what they saw. So, when they saw the size of the giants in the land, they were not discouraged. They had faith in God that He was greater. But, Joshua also knew that the Israelites had to get their hearts in the right place in order to ensure God's blessing. "Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." -Numbers 14:9
 
How often do we miss what God is doing because we see our situations as bigger than Him?
 
Winston Churchill, British politician known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
 
Let us be "faith optimists", and allow God the opportunity to work when we think the obstacles are insurmountable. God delivers on His promises - always! Our part is having faith, trusting that He is bigger and that He has our best in mind. Our God never fails!