Prayer – Lord, there is so much chaos in our lives—little trials—and some people are going through major things: cancer, death of loved ones, financial upheaval, broken relationships, loneliness, rejection, broken or sick bodies. The list is endless—but through it all, we can count on You to strengthen Christians and even to encourage those who struggle with their faith—their actual belief in You. Most of all, Lord, help those who are spiritually blinded—give them new understanding of Your mercy, Your grace, and a desire to know You more—to have a relationship with You. Thank you for hearing our prayers.
Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. 1 Peter 4:12-13
Meditate
on God’s guidance in scripture.
Are you
suffering…going through trials?
The Jeske Family Sod House
Built near Warden in early 1900's.
Imagine the trials they endured.
We
are told to give thanks for everything. I remember a meal we had at our home in
Wichita Falls, Texas, with Hubby’s boss—a full Colonel and a Texan. We’d just
had a terrible dust storm…and the wind was still blowing, much like it does in
eastern Washington. In the meal blessing, I had thanked God for the wind.
Colonel Darton, a strong Christian believer, was surprised by that, “Are you
really grateful for the wind?” When I realized what I had said I had to laugh. Yep,
be thankful in all circumstances.
Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Even the
wind can be a real trial—frustrating. I can only imagine how my great-grandparents lived in a sod house with the dust blowing in the early 1900's. Growing up when the Columbia Basin Irrigation
Project had just opened up farmland in the early 1950's, we had a lot of blowing dust…and sand. It
would come in through the walls of the bunkhouse where we lived and Mom would
have my sister and I vacuum the walls. Dad would have a ring of dirt around his
nose and mouth when he came in from driving the tractor through the fields. On bad days we could hardly see
the road in front of our house and town which was a couple of miles away was
engulfed in rolling clouds of dirt. Everything would just be gritty during a
dust storm, but that was life on the farm. On good days we were grateful for
the sunshine, the opportunity to have our farm, the crops that finally grew, the
beef, chickens, and pigs we raised for food, and for each other. I look back
and yes, I am thankful in all circumstances. Thankful even for the trials.
Trials make us depend on the Lord…and make us stronger.
These trials will show that your
faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though
your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains
strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor
on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:7
Sometimes
the trials may be spiritual…but don’t forget that Jesus has your back. He will
never leave us or forsake us. When we trust Him, He gives us endurance.
We can rejoice, too, when we run
into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And
endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our
confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For
we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to
fill our hearts with his love. Romans
5:3-5
It's easy
to say these verses—but we are challenged to live them. The key is to trust and
endure—to call on the Lord for help with that, knowing that He will come to our
aid and our character will be strengthened. Hang in there. We can count on God’s
love. There is hope. Hope in our salvation.
Verse
of Salvation ~ But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and
sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a
thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to
darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert
and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk.
But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of
faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise
noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment