Psalm 31:22, “You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You”
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If you are born-again, having accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, no doubt you have gone through difficulties and trials in your life. Perhaps you are having problems or going through a trial at this very moment. When we go through tough times, we must remember that God is working purposefully, intelligently, and lovingly in our lives. The prophet Isaiah used the illustration of a farmer to teach this truth to the Israelites. A farmer works with a specific purpose in mind, which is to harvest a crop. When God digs into our lives, His plowing has a purpose also, a spiritual harvest that will enrich us for eternity. A farmer also works intelligently. Isaiah described the careful selection of plots for different seeds (Isaiah 28:25). God too is careful to select for each of us exactly what we need for spiritual growth. Our trials and problems are not the result of fate. A good farmer also uses as gentle a method as possible to thresh his crops. Our loving God exercises the same principle. He never causes us needless pain. Then Isaiah concluded that the Lord is “wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance” (Isaiah 28:29).
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I will close with an illustration entitled "It Came to Pass" … Some members of a church were sharing their favorite Scripture passages with each other. A number of verses were quoted, most of them on salvation, assurance, or God’s provision. One elderly man, though, stood up and said that his favorite words in the Bible were “It came to pass.” He continued, “When sickness strikes, it encourages me to know that it will pass. When I find myself in trouble, I know it won’t last forever. I’ll soon be able to say, ‘It came to pass.’” Although this man had placed a different meaning on those words than the writers of Scripture intended, he saw in them an important truth that is found throughout the Bible. No matter how unending a trial may seem, the day will come when it will no longer be a burden or a source of suffering or distress. In fact, it will seem like nothing in the light of eternity. Second Corinthians 4:17 tells us that our “light affliction … is but for a moment.” Knowing that our burdens are temporary enables us to bear them with a triumphant outlook. Whether your trials last for days, months, years, or a lifetime, they are still “but for a moment.” Like that wise old Christian, you can say, “This too shall pass!”
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Further Thoughts:
Many of the troubles we encounter can help us avoid greater problems of independence, self-sufficiency, and pride that set in so quickly when all goes smoothly. The difficulties we face can contribute to our spiritual health if we will see them as tests of our faith and as opportunities to develop endurance. However, too often we try our hardest to carry some heavy burden or work out a difficult problem on our own, but without success. After having done our best, we wonder why we have met with nothing but failure. Lovingly and patiently our heavenly Father reminds us that we must learn to depend on Him, and that we haven’t tried our hardest until we have called on Him for help.
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(1) Do circumstances in your life seem out of control?
(2) What troubles or trials have you been experiencing?
(3) How could God be using these circumstances to draw you closer to Him?
