12Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Each and every one of us has some type of situation in our life that falls into one of these categories. Whether it is an unsaved loved one, sick children, unstable job, poor health, lack of direction or whatever the case may be we can all fill in the blank. There are things about this life that hurt us, confuse us, overwhelm us, and cause us to wonder “why?”. But as God’s children we have a choice to make about these situations. Which one we choose can affect the effectiveness of the whole thing.
Sometimes God allows chaos, hurt, pain, and struggles into our lives at the hand of Satan. Satan’s focus is to drag us down to failure and destruction. He wants to see us miserable and unhappy in our faith. He wants us to “give up on God” , so to speak. While at other times the hand of God brings into our lives situations that are not pleasant as well. But His whole purpose in these situations is to sanctify us and to allow our lives to bring HIM glory. Chastisement from the Lord* is never fun but always for our benefit, just like that of a loving Father. No matter the origin of these situations our response can make all the difference.
If we respond to these situations with Job-like faith and perseverance then God will be glorified. We can make God “famous” in our life by bringing Him into each and every situation that we encounter. If we allow Him to work in us and to use our life for His kingdom, even those trial that Satan intends for our destruction, will be used for God’s glorification!
Can you just imagine God in His throne room talking to Satan and says “Have you considered my servant, ______ (your name here)”. If He knows that we will give Him the honor and glory through a trial, than He will use us. How wonderful for God to know full well that we will serve Him no matter what. What an honor for God to know that we will not fail Him if He allows Satan to test us!
Let’s resolve today to be people that God can depend on to make Himself “famous” in this world. Through each and every situation we should mention His name and His work in our life. Then one day we will be a people that God can know will not let His name down no matter the situation.
*Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Great post! A good reminder for me.