When Trials Come

Ephesians 5:20: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Hebrew 13:15: By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

     Okay, so not every day we live is going to be great and happy.  In the past month, I have had several days that felt like nothing was going right.  After losing a loved one in the beginning of August, it just seemed like nothing was working out in my favor.  I struggled with why it all had to happen this way, but I continually served God, even though I couldn't understand Him.
     Oftentimes we, as human beings, refuse to give God the rightful honor and glory just because life isn't working out in our favor.  And, even though human logic says we have a right to do that, we really don't.  Whether we believe so or not, God is good continually, even when life doesn't go the way we planned.  We often clam up and wince at the thought of giving God any praise for what He'd done.
     But what we don't realize is that, no matter what, life is going to throw curveballs.  What you do with that curveball, however, determines the outcome of your situation.  You can choose to be bitter and never truly get past that trial, or you can praise God through the storm and allow Him to pull you through it.  One saying you may be familiar with is "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain".
     If we look at the book of Job, we will see a great example.  Job lost everything: his children, his wealth, and his friends.  His own wife told to curse God and die!  Yet, what did Job do?  He said, "...the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord".  The Bible says that in all of that he did not charge God foolishly.  Now, Job could've cried and pouted, and he could've cursed God for taking everything away, but he didn't.  And later we found out that God not only restored what was taken from Job, but He gave him DOUBLE what he had before.
     One thing I learned from reading the book of Job is that sometimes our trial is setting us up for a bigger blessing.  It may seem like your trial is pointless and you can't understand why God is allowing all of this to happen to you, but every hardship you go through is just a set up for a bigger blessing, greater honor, or an increase where you once lacked.  Don't worry when you're going through tribulation.  God hasn't forsaken you.
     So, in closing, I challenge you to thank God each and every day for the blessings He has given you.  Even when your heart is broken and you can't see God's hand in your life, just say thank you.  He'll get you through it.  Don't spend your time worrying and charging God foolishly with things.

May God Bless,
Give, Love, Serve

P.S. The winner of Beyond Hope's Valley is Pete Mitchell.  Congratulations, Pete!  Please email me at lizijones474@gmail.com.