Maintaining Our Confidence in God Despite Our Suffering

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded”
(Hebrews 10:35).

People put their confidence in many things, all of which will disappoint them at some point.  God is the only one in whom we can have complete faith and trust.  As believers in Christ we put our confidence in Him, but how easy it is to forget that truth when we are continually faced with pain and suffering.  We may temporarily lose our faith and trust, doubting His ability to bring us through these trials.

In Hebrews 10, the author reminded his readers of their early days in the faith when they withstood their suffering with confidence (verse 23).  The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “They had experienced some form of persecution and had come through it triumphantly.  This should teach them that in Christ they had blessings of a kind they could never have had if they had given way to persecution.  There should be no going back on that kind of endurance now”. 

As the years have passed and my health problems have become more debilitating, I have been (and still am) tempted to lose my confidence in God.  How quickly I “throw away” the history of His faithfulness and forget how He has used these sufferings to grow me in my faith.

Reminding myself of the specific ways God has shown Himself faithful encourages me to hold on to that confidence. Verbally declaring my faith and trust in Him is a strong defense against the attacks of Satan. Reading testimonies of other believers who have endured great persecution also motivates me to hold fast to this confidence.

Our pain and sufferings are difficult and at times seem unbearable.  But we can pray for eyes to see the blessings we are receiving through our trials and persevere in our endurance as countless other believers have done and are doing, “holding unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You have continually proven Yourself worthy of my complete faith and trust.  Let me triumphantly hold on to my endurance and confidence in You, knowing You will not fail, and my reward will be worth the suffering.  Amen.

Surviving the “Staging Area” of Chronic Health Problems

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9).

Each fall my husband takes some camping/hiking trips.  A few years ago as he was gathering all of his equipment in one room, he called it his staging area.  I had never heard that term before and teased him about it.  Now when we plan to go somewhere, we joke about our staging area.

I recently looked up the definition of a staging area.  It is “a place to gather in preparation on the way to a destination, or a temporary location to stay while awaiting transition to a new field of operations”.  Two words impressed me – preparation and temporary – and I realized that my chronic pain and health problems are a staging area for my eternal life.

Every aspect of this earthly life is preparing me for eternity.  Pain and suffering deepen my personal walk with and faith in God like nothing else can, causing me to rely on Him alone and reminding me that this life is not all there is.

Staging areas can be messy.  Our family room loses its neat appearance during these preparation times and that can’t be helped.  So it is with my earthly body and life.  I want my life to be neat and organized, but pain and illness are messy.  Life doesn’t go as planned, but this is only temporary.  I am on the way to a “new field of operations” – my heavenly home.  Right now God is preparing me for what lies ahead.  There are things He wants to teach me and aspects of Himself that He wants to reveal to me in this staging area of pain.

In many ways I’m ready to move on to my new location, but I pray that I can view this staging area as a valuable tool God is using to prepare me for this glorious new destination, and willingly live with mess until then.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, give me the perseverance and faith to accept this staging area of pain and suffering that You are using for my good, even as I keep my eyes fixed on my eternal destination with You, and all that awaits me there.  Amen.

 

 

Holding Fast to God through the Pulls and Tugs of Life

“But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now”
(Joshua 23:8).

Sometimes it seems my life is a tug of war.

When I am with healthy people, I sometimes feel that I can’t relate to their lives anymore.  I may be bombarded with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.  Conversely, on my better days I sometimes feel guilty because so many people I know are still suffering.

Illness aside, life in our society is a constant pull between now and later.  We no sooner enter one season when the next one is promoted.  Fall and Christmas decorations appear in July.  Where did summer go? I am never able to fully enjoy the “now”, but am always being reminded of “the next thing”, and that it should be bigger and better than the present.

Perhaps the greatest tug of all is trying to live out this earthly life in a godly way while staying focused on eternity at the same time.  How do I manage these pulls and tugs?

I must begin each day yielding myself to God’s plan. I need not feel either inferior or guilty, but simply trust that God’s way for me is best.  I am to show His love to all those with whom I connect - healthy or sick - remembering that His plan for each person’s life is tailored specifically to them for His purposes.

While I can certainly enjoy anticipating and planning for the future, I must guard against discontent with the present and purposely stay focused on what God has for me right now - both the blessings and the trials.

Above all, as I rejoice in and long for heaven and a pain-free perfect life with God, as I remember that whatever in life is lacking now will be more than compensated for in eternity, I also need to see the glimpses of heaven on earth and know that God’s strength, mercy and grace makes each day not only bearable but purposeful.

God can and will keep me stable through life’s pulls and tugs, as long as I keep a firm grasp on Him and His truths.

Prayer:  O Lord, as I am pulled and tugged by the realities of both heaven and earth around and within me, give me the wisdom and strength to hold fast to You, this day and every day.  Amen.

 

What a Trumpet, a Clay Pot, and a Light Taught Me about Fighting Pain and Problems

“Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he (Gideon) placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside”
(Judges 7:16).

When I think of Biblical warfare strategies, I usually think of the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6, but this passage gave me some more insights.

Gideon and his men were outnumbered by their enemies, but they followed God’s directions.  They blew their trumpets and shouted.  Their clay jars broke and their torches shone as they fought their way to a triumphant victory.

I see some great lessons for me here as I battle with pain and problems.  My trumpet is my voice of praise.  We are called to praise God regardless of our circumstances.  When we do, our spirits are encouraged and we are able to view things differently.  And for those times when nothing changes, we have the assurance of knowing we are being obedient to God and will be rewarded in eternity – which will be well worth the wait.

Scripture compares our physical bodies to jars of clay.  We are molded and made by God, but this earthly body is temporary.  Gideon’s jars were shattered in battle.  Each battle we fight with pain or problems causes another crack in our jars until we feel we can no longer hold together.  But what happened when Gideon’s jars were shattered?  The light was revealed.

When we allow God to break us through the pain and trials of life, then the light of His Spirit and Presence is able to shine through.  As we die to self and hopefully glorify Him in the process, His light guides us through our battles and on to victory.

Our pain and problems may seem overwhelming.  We may feel more outnumbered than Gideon and his men did.  But God’s battle strategies are better than ours.  So let’s praise Him while walking in faith and allow ourselves to be broken so that His power and light may be revealed in us. With God, we have the victory.

Prayer:  Lord God, so many times I feel outnumbered by my pain and problems.  May I not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not ours but Yours (II Chronicles 20:15).  Amen.

Moving Forward with God

“He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live”
(Acts17:26).

Perhaps you have heard the expression “moving forward” in reference to letting go of something difficult and moving on to a healthier state emotionally or relationally.  Right now I am dealing with moving forward in a literal sense – to another state.

My husband is planning to retire next year and we want to move closer to our children.  We have lived in this area for 32 years so this will be a major adjustment.  We will soon be visiting various locations hoping to finalize where to move. 

Although I am more than ready to downsize, I am already becoming anxious about how I will survive this move.  I am concerned about finding the right grocery stores, doctors, and church. I am wondering how I can pack and unpack with my back and fibro issues.  So many anxious thoughts, and I don’t even know when or where we are going yet!

This verse in Acts is a great comfort to me.  Although we may not know where we are to go, God does.  He will guide and direct us.  It may be very challenging and require much patience and faith on my part, but God will bring me through it.

Even if we are not facing the difficulties of moving, chronic health problems bring other struggles.  The above verse says much more to me than the fact that God has chosen where and when I am to live.  It reminds me that there is no aspect of my life that is not under His divine control, including my pain and problems.  He has a plan and will direct me through it all.  I need to trust Him and move forward through whatever I am facing.

Life is not stagnant.  Some things improve and others become more difficult, but we are all walking out what God planned for us.  Each step is bringing us closer to the best location ever – our eternal home – so let’s keep moving forward.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, what a comfort it is to know that You have a perfect pre-ordained plan for my life.  As I give You all my fears and uncertainties, give me the faith to trust Your plan and move forward in my walk with You.

Colliding with God

“All your waves and breakers have swept over me”

(Psalm 42:7).

Our family spent many vacations at the beach.  I enjoyed the ocean, but I never liked being caught by a wave.  I still remember having huge ones crash down on me, sucking me under and dragging me along the ocean floor.

One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is “The Hurt and the Healer” by Mercy Me.  It reminds me of my wave experiences and the words are very appropriate to my life of pain.  The song acknowledges that even though part of us seems to die as we collide with God in the midst of our pain, He restores us, and one day all will be made plain.

Through my years of pain, I have had many “collisions” with God over His plan for my life.  At times I have felt that the waves of physical and emotional struggles were so overpowering that I would be drowned by them.  They have dragged me along the ocean floor leaving me bruised and exhausted, but God has breathed life back in to me time and time again and He has been glorified.

There is one lesson I learned from my beach experiences - the best thing to do when facing a wave is to dive in to it rather than run from it.  When I try and outrun a wave, I get caught and pulled under.  However, if I dive in to it, I am lifted up with it and brought safely down again.

I want to have the faith to face and dive in to the waves God brings into my life rather than running from them, trusting that He will lift me up and carry me on them.  I may still be dragged around, but I don’t need to fear.  He will bring me back to life.  And one day I will ride one of those waves out – all the way to the shores of eternity. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, sometimes I feel that my collisions with You are too much for me to withstand, but I know in faith that is not true.  As I face my waves of challenges, give me the courage to dive in to them, knowing You love me and will carry me through each one.  Amen.

 

 

 

Hope – the Anchor of Our Souls

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”
(Hebrews 6:19).

One of our favorite vacations spots is the beach, and I always enjoy watching the boats out in the water or in the harbor when we’re there.  My nautical knowledge is limited, but I do know the purpose of an anchor – to keep the boat in a certain location so that it doesn’t drift where it should not or does not want to go.

In order for an anchor to hold a boat fast it must be heavy and secure enough to hold the weight of the boat.  Many anchors actually have hooks which dig in to the ocean floor to keep the boat secure.  The anchor is attached to the boat by chains, ropes, or cables.

This verse gives a wonderful description of our hope as an anchor for our souls.  In the verses preceding and following this verse, we learn what this hope is.  It is the certainty of God’s promise that we are his heirs and that He is our great High priest, who even now is interceding for us before the Father.  We are also urged not to fall away from the truths of Scripture and to continue growing in maturity.

As we sail through our days – particularly those of pain and suffering - we need an anchor to keep us from drifting into wrong ideas and beliefs.  Our lives get quite choppy at times and it is easy to slip away and lose hope.  Our faith is the chain which secures us to the anchor of hope in Jesus.  And that anchor of hope in Christ will not fail us.  His promises are hooked deep into God’s eternal plan.

Many of our days may be overcast or stormy.  It can be tempting to pull up anchor and allow ourselves to drift away.  But placing our hope in who we are and what we have in Christ will keep us anchored securely until we reach the shores of eternity. 

Prayer:  Thank you Jesus, for the hope I have in You. Keep my faith firmly anchored in all You give me both now and eternally, despite whatever storms I must go through.  Amen.