Tag: Trials

Posted on

God’s Holy Heat

Dear Sister,

We know the analogy. The refiner’s fire. Precious metals undergoing intense heat in order to remove impurities resulting in glimmering gold and silver readied for the artisan’s creative mind and hand—And God’s ramping up of trials in our lives in order to surface besetting, even egregious sins, in order to elicit repentance and bring forth the purity of Jesus in our souls and behavior.

Which one of us Christ-redeemed sisters has not felt the singeing, the distress, the anguish of our Father’s furnace? The pain is often excruciating—especially when the refiner must make the fire hotter. The initial temperature did not remove the dross.

Those of us who have birthed little ones know the agony of labor and delivery and the sweet reward of the child laid on our breast. God wants that for us in the fires of refinement. He desires that the pain in the trials and the outcome of holiness be sweet to our remembrance and taste.

Is it enjoyable in the fire? Obviously not. Do we love the travails of infertility, losing little ones, wayward children, betrayal, cancer, lupus, accidents, death, the agony of our babies born with special needs and medical equipment displacing all the pretties in the room? Those are the big ones. What about the daily scrapes and bruises, disappointments, unmet expectations, anxieties, frustrations, elusive peace? Do you often feel like the sons of Korah in Psalm 88, lamenting God’s seeming abandonment?

Do we truly believe all things are working for our good? Are we being conformed to the image of Christ in patience and purity and holiness? (Romans 8:28-29) God tells us that the peaceable fruit of righteousness is the yield for those who are trained in life’s painful trials. (Hebrews 12:11) Are we indeed being trained or are we chafing and rebelling under the yoke of the One who is gentle and humble in heart and promises rest for our souls? (Matthew 11:29) Do we trust that discipline proves we belong to the Master and we are not illegitimate? (Hebrews 12:8) Can we honestly say, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised”, when our undesirable situation never changes? (Job 1:21)

Do we toe the line because we love our Savior’s face and groan at disappointing Him or simply because we are afraid of punishment? Or do we not care all that much and rely on distorted meanings of mercy and grace, not comprehending that these two can be severe in order to bring us to Himself in struggling or glad submission.

In the gifting, yes, gifting of trials in life, do we give thanks, obeying His admonition to be grateful in all things which is His will for us? (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Do we rejoice in difficulties because of the glorious fruit they produce in us? Do we find evidences of His holy attributes when our emotions are bent low with the weight of the present burden?  Can we say, “He is the Always Good” even when we do not understand?  Or do we grumble and complain, thrusting our fists at God, telling Him He does not know what He is doing?

Dearest Sister, let us ask ourselves these questions and ask the Lord of all to give grace to answer these queries according to biblical principles, with bare and honest hearts. Let us reckon His holy heat as good because He is good—always good. Embrace the emotions of pain and grief because they are real, but bring these under the authority of Christ. Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Bear in mind:  All trials are ordained through His loving hands; all trials are His discipline/teaching in the school of becoming like Christ; our sufferings will not always resolve in relief on this earth; some trials are actual chastening for sin. It is not for me to figure that out in your life, dear Sister, only in mine. Whatever our conclusions about the why of a difficulty, one thing is certain: All is for our good and for His glory.

“Count it all joy, my sisters, when [not if] you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

I’m so grateful for His preserving love and His holy, refining heat in my own life, preparing me for the perfections of my heavenly home, causing me to love the Savior more deeply and yearn to see Him face-to-face when trials will cease and I will truly be like Him forevermore. Oh, yes, I still grumble. I still question. I resist thankfulness. Rejoicing is not my first go-to.   But these times are shorter in duration and always end in repentance. That’s an advantage of aging physically and in the Lord, by His grace alone.

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 31:24)

“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him…” (Job 13:15a)

Enjoy this song by Shane and Shane and let the truths of its words sink deeply into your heart.  http://Though You Slay Me

With love,

Cherry

 

Posted on

Steadfastness and Endurance Through Tears

Breast-feeding was painful. It was hard. Every time my daughter would try and latch on tears of pain would flood down my cheeks. Parts of me were bleeding and getting infected that I never thought was possible. I had sores that would tear every 3-4 hours as my baby girl fed unaware of my grinding teeth and cringing toes. Barrett told me I could quit but the echoes of words from other mom’s would ring in my ears. Their faces would be contorted in remembered pain as they told me it would get better. I didn’t understand why God created this good gift of life giving nutrients to be so hard…or impossible for some. Yet the promise that this suffering would end gave me the steadfastness and endurance to continue…even in the tears.

You may not be able to relate to this example, but I know, sweet sister, that you have your own example of a trial or dark time where someone desires to comfort you with words that it will end. Maybe when you hear the word “cancer”, or you are so depressed you can’t get out of bed. Perhaps singleness is your struggle or your distant spouse. Do you face your plight with patience? Are you willing to accept or tolerate a delay to the end of your suffering without getting angry or upset? When your comforters come to help you look past the struggle to a hope of a future ending…or simply to remind you of being with Jesus in heaven forever…how do you respond? Do you grind your teeth and cringe your toes to press on or do you give up all hope?

We serve a God who defines longsuffering and patience. His creation chose independence shortly after He gave them paradise, yet instead of striking them dead at that moment, He had a plan that would save them forever. He gave them a sacrificial system, which filled all their senses of the cost of their sin. They would touch it as they brought their sheep to the temple, hear it in the screams of the sheep being led to slaughter, smell it as flesh burned, and see it as the smoke rose upward. This delayed His wrath toward His people for thousands of years until in the fullness of time, He sent His son to be the final sacrifice. He would be the perfect, sinless sacrifice that ended all sacrifice. God was patient with His wrath only to put it all on His own son for our gain. And now the Son sits at the right hand of the Father patiently waiting to come back one last time, to redeem all His people for all eternity. The Father knows the right time again. Yet, He patiently waits for the gospel to be told to all people, tribes, and nations. He hears the screams of the persecuted and welcomes them home with open arms. His heart breaks as the curse continues to take His image bearers with disease, famine, war, terror, and accidents. Yet His plan is perfect and He is patient to the end.

Oh, how I long to set my hope in the truth of this good news! That my pain here on earth will end, if not in a certain season, then at my resurrection. That I can suffer long because my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. That my anger at my circumstance will be squashed in the fact that my God knows, sees, and hears my pleas and His plan is good. Oh God! Give me this patience to endure my trial! And thank you for forgiving me when my eyes leave you and dwell on my short-term suffering. Give me friends that will encourage me to endure, despite the pain. And please, make me that friend too.

Your Sister in Christ,

Colleen