The Lord gives, the Lord takes.....blessed be His Name! (Job 1)
The words of a man who had it all and then lost just about everything, livestock, children, health. And yet Job by the power of the Holy Spirit was still able to say the above words. This trial was tough though. He cursed the day of his birth and that allows us to see his hurting side.
What do you do when you are hurting? I hear people say they are trying so hard to make it through a tough time. I love these words from a Casting Crowns song- "I'm trying so hard, to stop trying so hard..." Theses are words of grace. Psalm 46 says to just be still and know that God is God! Let God bring you through and if you want to be "doing something" until God reveals His plan then practice these 3 W's. I shared this with my congregation as I am doing a series on Job this month.
The 3 W's when trials come your way. (it really works!) 1) Worship- Job simply said, blessed be His Name, shall we accept good but not bad? This world is in rough shape. Sin has changed everything but so has grace! Worship the Giver of grace who promises that in the end all things will work out!
2) Wait- I know its tough. I hate to wait. Isaiah says to wait upon the Lord and He will renew our strength. You either believe it or not. I've found its easier to believe it than fight God all the time asking why. Through my trials, concentrating on the Who is much better than the why? And the Who is Jesus who loves you, yes, you, the one reading this right now!
3) Wonder-Not- Peter tells us that we should not act as though something strange is happening to us when we go through trials. Again, sin is in the world, but so is the Savior! These trials come for the strengthening of our faith. Job says, when I have been tested I shall come forth as gold!
We at Project 52 want to do all we can to help people through tough times. When I think of the tree plantings for people who have lost loved ones it hurts to see them hurt. What helps, if only in a small way, is simply to say, I worship you God, I will wait and I will wonder not for You are the One who gave His life for me, blessed be Your Name!
And God bless you!!!
In Christ,
Pastor John
Monday, July 13, 2009
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