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When
I didn't know the full character of the Lord, my faith was immature, and
my spiritual focus wasn't on Christ, I realized like Job, the loss of everything
I held dear. I had thought my world centered around church, my job,
my family relationships, friends and my health.
But all those things were taken out
of the way one by one except for God. My Sovereign Lord, in His wisdom,
sought to refocus my faith in Him. Isaiah 41.10 says, "Fear not, for
I am with you; Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you,
yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my right hand."
When I was undergoing these many
trials, the Lord strengthened me in the form of His Word, and of
encouraging and praying friends and family. I was struggling with
the loss of many things: faith, health, family, friends, and jobs so that
I couldn't clearly see my way through.
Hope and joy were alien to me, until
in a bible study about the names and characteristics of God, I finally
learned His total character. How loving and caring He is toward
me. Plus, I learned total surrender to His will and His Sovereignty
in my life. This is not to say that I don't still struggle
occasionally, but now, because of the refocusing on Christ and realizing
that He is my all and the other is the periphery of my life, the struggle
is of short duration.
My Lord in His mercy has restored
ten-fold what I thought was destroyed and taken from me. Like
Job, I rejoice in the marvelous works of the Lord in my life.
When (not if) you are undergoing
trials without end, let me encourage you, that in God's perfect timing
there is an end. When I thought that I had only a shred of faith
left, God revealed to me in His promises, that He would restore me and
lead me on His straight path. I clung to the promise that He would
not abandon me.
You can also cling to that hope and
promise! I'm praying that as you go through trials, you will
know that others in Christ are praying for you, as they faithfully have
for me.
Mary Moore
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