Knowing the Possibilities

 

Every Christian has a burden for those they love who are without faith. We want them to share the joy of being in the family of God, of hearing His voice and being led by Him through the perplexities of life. Even though He may challenge us with difficulties, we have the choice of listening to His direction vs. trying to do it life on our own. Choose His will helps me find the wonder of His grace in both simple  and complex situations.

For instance, He challenged me to plan a family reunion, totally unfamiliar territory. I argued. Like Moses at the burning bush, I claimed my inexperience, lack of skill, blah, blah, but He insisted. Three times He has waked me up at 5 am and outline the next steps. I still feel unskilled, yet excited that God is doing the planning and that ensures an outcome that I cannot imagine.

Now I hear that someone I love has a health issue that could mean deterioration and even death. I  am not sure of that person’s standing with God and this morning am challenged with the possibilities. On the positive side, this could be a fiery furnace that changes her life.

In that OT story, the three who were cast into the fiery furnace came out as they went in—except their bonds. Their bodies were unhurt. Their skin was not blistered, hair not singed, garments not scorched, and no smell of fire on them. This is how God wants us to come out of trials — liberated from our bonds, but untouched by the flames.

Christians can learn that trials are a place of victory, not in having it removed, but winning by yielding to God in those trials. One writer puts it this way:

The real triumph—triumphing over sickness, in it; triumphing over death, dying; triumphing over adverse circumstances, in them…  Our triumph is to be in it. Christ’s triumph was in His humiliation.

Our victory can be in what others think is tragedy. Another friend fell and has been ten months in recovery from her severe injuries. She is in a wheelchair but when others express hope for a full recovery soon, with glowing face she says, “Oh, God isn’t done with me yet.” How incredible and contagious to see a person burdened with trials yet having a heart of joy. This woman is broken in body yet unbroken in patience. She displays the wonderful grace of God even in a severe experience that He has not (yet) fixed.

As for the person diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening problem, the worst possible scenario is not trusting Jesus in that situation. Even as Jesus walked this earth and performed miracles, spoke truth and did all that God asked of Him, there were many, even the religious leaders, who rejected Him. Concerning them, Jesus responded:

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41–44)

This is the most negative response, not to trials but to not trusting Jesus when He is reaching out in loving grace to aid us, whether in ordinary life or in the extremity of a life-threatening situation. It begins with saying no to the offer, but winds up to being blinded by rejection to the point that God could hide His offer from their eyes. How awful to lose sight of grace and of Jesus.

PRAY: Lord, my prayer today is that You will keep the eyes of Your people open to Your goodness and purposes for any trials we face, but also You will persist in reaching those without faith with Your incredible grace. You know each heart and You know what will draw anyone to receive Your great gift of faith in You. It could be a fiery furnace. It could be seeing the faith of Your children. It could be losing all their own resources and having a deep sense of need. Whatever the situation, You can be trusted to have Your way with those with and without faith. Not my will but Thine be done — so You are glorified in the doing.