Trials have an amazing purpose

 
After eight hours of sound sleep, I woke up tired. A small thing compared to the many troubles in this world. We all face sorrow in life, wonder if God has forgotten us and why the world is in such a mess, even just our own portion of it. Reading today offers the fact that we live in a fallen world that is ruined by sin. Sometimes it is our own sin, but the reading says “more often than not it is one of those things” and many are affected by it.

Yet we have a sovereign God who promises to use all things for good in the lives of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). That does not say all good things, but all things. He even says:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

My mother said it too. Her version: “We must need it or we would not be getting it.” She set me up to accept trouble rather than fight them or pray to make them go away. This has not been automatic though. It takes time to realize that even though trials come, God still reigns. He is able to use even the greatest trials as He transforms the lives of His people:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1–5)

And sometimes He does deliver us. When I am thankful and obedient in trials (another difficult lesson) He keeps this promise:

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Psalm 50:14–15)

As I think of troubles in the world, how would I learn the love and power of God if everything was perfect? I call myself God’s spoiled brat as it is! He wants me to be like Jesus, so He allows me to experience whatever will help me “know how to be brought low, and know how to abound.” In any and every circumstance, I must learn the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need so that I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12–13) Otherwise, I’d be a wimpy brat as well as one spoiled.

PRAY: God, You always offer comfort in the midst of trouble. You do not always rescue me but You do provide grace and strength in it. You also assure me that at the end, all will be made right. In the meantime, You use trials as discipline, or to give me a deeper revelation of Yourself, and to transform me into the image of Your Son. I know that You always do what is right, even if I cannot see it. Whatever comes my way, I can be sure of this: “The eternal God is my dwelling place, and underneath are Your everlasting arms…” (Deuteronomy 33:27) for I have learned that in whatever situation I am to be content because I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11–13). Thank You!

The Highest . . .

 

In the OT God is often called God Most HIGH, a word combination that uses “elyon” meaning supreme or elevated. Different words are used for the High Priest but this word is also used for things lifted up or uppermost. An ordinary dictionary says HIGH means “of great vertical extent” or “greater than normal in quantity, size, or intensity” and variations all putting across the idea of being superior in some way. 

HIGH can also refer to God’s heavenly position, even though He is omnipresent and not confined to some dwelling beyond the clouds. This is more about His status and glory and the term used in praise . . .

Psalm 9:2. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 47:2. For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.

Psalm 50:14–15. Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Like this last verse, the obvious result of considering God as the Most High is calling out to Him in our need. He is Redeemer, our solid Rock, defender and friend, our refuge and strength, exalted far above all gods.

In glaring optimism, the evil one made this his ambition and declared in his heart . . .

Isaiah 14:13–14.  . . . “I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Aside from the obvious that there cannot be two ‘most high’ beings, this ambition has nevertheless caused great harm to humanity. This liar and destroyer who “disguises himself as an angel of light” turns hearts to adore and follow other things, mainly our own human judgment but also trusting in money, other people, ambitions, possessions, and so on, making them ‘most high’ in our minds just as Satan did concerning himself.

In the OT, the people of God build high places where they worshiped their idea of God or idols, a huge sin in God’s sight. As Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

Because of those sinful ways, Micah 1:2 announces: “Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.”

A hymn says, “It was my sin that brought Him down” referring to the crucifixion, but when compared to this verse, it was also my sin that brought Him down from heaven to “trample” (another meaning for tread) on all those places that we have elevated above Him!

The NT uses a Greek word for high or highest to describe God and praise Him. He is the “Most High God” and the God of heaven contrary to all other gods that humans create, the God and Father of Jesus Christ is the only true reigning God. There is nothing or no one greater than He.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. For me, this is worship but humbling. However, the Bible is clear; those who walk humbly and righteously before the Most High God are given the incredible promise that they will become the children of the Most High. Luke 6:35 tells me to, “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

Again, this verse reinforces the idea that all His commands tell me what He is like. In this case, He is kind to those who are ungrateful and evil — when He could strike all of us dead for our sin. He is also good without expecting goodness in return. There can only be one “Most High” yet to be His child is an utterly incredible blessing and a gift of His grace. My challenge is acting like it.