the Joy of Testing (Part 2)

Last week we looked at the way the Lord tested different people in scripture. I would like to continue in this same vain and discuss ways in which the Lord tests us personally and how our painful trials can bring eternal joy.

The Mind
"I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:10

Last week we looked at Abraham, Philip and the Israelite children. In Abraham’s case God tested actions. In Philip’s case He tested his response through words. With the Israelites God tested both their obedience in action as well as their response in love. Now, let’s move to us for a moment. In Jeremiah God is testing our mind, our thoughts. Before we can ever be obedient in action our mind has to first line up with God’s word.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:15

We must test our thoughts to make sure they line up with God’s word. If they do not we are called to take those particular thoughts captive, to lock them up and throw away the key. We must make our thoughts obedient to Christ, knowing that he will test our minds.

Our Hearts
“On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.” 1 Thessalonians 2:4

1 Thessalonians Paul says, God tests our hearts. Obedience first starts in the mind, then settles in the heart before it turns into action. “For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34) In other words, God will test our hearts to see if what we have stored up inside will come out as a blessing or not.

“For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” Psalm 66:10

I love this test, "refined us like silver". Silver is only refined (made pure) one way and that is through the fire. Each time through the fire the impurities float to the top and that layer gets scraped off. Each time through the fire (the testing) we are losing our impurities and keeping the pure heart that God has given us. Our fires are not meant for harm, but for good. They are meant to show us the sin we need to purge so the righteousness can shine.

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13

Peter reminds first off, that we should not be surprised when we go through the fire and are tested. This is going to happen. It is part of God’s refining in your life. Peter also instructs us to rejoice when those testings come by doing so we are taking part in Christ’s walk to Calvary. We are picking up our cross of the testing just as Christ has picked up the cross of His testing. 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

Like Peter, James also reminds us to consider our trials and testing joy, but James uses a stronger language here. He says, consider it pure joy. James also goes on to tell us why we can have the ability to consider or testings pure joy. Our testings produce perseverance and when we persevere through the entire test we will be made mature and complete, not lacking anything! How exciting is that! To be able to look back on all of the trials and testings in our lifetime and say that we are now mature and complete, not lacking anything. What an amazing perspective.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Knowing what we have just seen from Paul and James, this is how we can see God working all things together for our good. The trials and testings are not fun, they are not pretty and sometimes we would even say they are not fair, but what are we learning as we are walking? If we look at the chaos of everything happening around us we will inevitably become discouraged. However, if we take our eyes off the chaos and fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), we will be able to say that our faith has been made mature and complete, not lacking a single solitary thing (James 1:2-4)! Now that is pure joy!

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you test us in our hearts and minds so that we can come out refined like pure silver. Help us to remember that in the midst of our trials you are forming us into your likeness, making us mature and complete not lacking anything! Thank you for working all things together for our good, because you love us. We know that our trials, while painful at the moment, will bring pure joy if we allow you to teach and mold us to become more like you. Continue to have your way in our lives and help us to find the joy in the midst of the testing. We pray this in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. 

The Joy of Testing (Part 1)

My heart continues to come back to a particular topic that I have shared before, but for some reason I can’t seem to let it go. As we all face a world wide trial, we can all relate to the pain that comes along with walking through tribulation. No one could have possibly predicted that almost every country in the world would be facing the same crisis at the same time, but here we are, wrapped up in a painful trial that is beyond anyone’s comprehension. 

Abraham
I was reading in Genesis about Abraham and in chapter 22 and the first verse states:

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.” 
Genesis 22:1

We all know the story of how God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, which is the test being referenced here. However, for some reason the words just seemed to jump off the page and burn deep in my spirit like a fire that could not be extinguished. “God tested Abraham.” Let’s take a look at some other places in scripture where God tests.

Philip
“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” John 6:5-6

The Lord targeted Philip to test him and see what he was going to say, how he was going to respond. Would he respond in faith, or would he doubt. The excerpt is taken from the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. How would you have responded to Jesus, in faith or in doubt? Philip failed this particular test because he responded this way, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” John 6:7 Quite honestly, I would have had the same response. Thank goodness the Lord is patient with us.

Israelites
“Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” Exodus 20:20

Moses is telling the Israelite people that God has come to test them. Moses even goes so far as to give them the reason for the testing. So that the fear of God will be with them and keep them from sinning. I find it interesting how our tests can bring us closer to God, provided that we run to him instead of from him. It is in that closeness that there will come a desire not to sin. My son put it best when he told us that he respects us as parents so much that he desires to do what is right in order to keep our relationship with him in a place of peace and joy. He told us he doesn't desire to do anything that would break that trust he has with us as parents.

Our relationship with God should be so deep and close that we desire to do things that bring our Heavenly Father joy. Anything that brings God joy will always be in the opposite direction of sin. All that to say, if we allow it, the tests will bring closeness to our Heavenly Father and out of that closeness brings a desire not to sin so that His name can be glorified.

 “...The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 13:3b

This verse falls behind Moses telling the Israelites that they should be aware of prophets who speak of following other gods. Moses says that when (not if, but when) this happens, they are to know that it is a test from the Lord to see if they truly love him with all their heart and soul. Oh, how timely this is for us today! Especially in light of the world’s race-car pace brought to a screeching halt due to covid-19. How many idols/other gods can no longer function and operate now that we are isolated to our homes. Let me give you just two examples. The idol of sports, can no longer be played. The idol of the entertainment world, can no longer continue to produce their ungodly movies, TV shows, and music. The Lord is using this time to  test us to find out whether we love him with all of our heart and soul. Well, do we? We certainly have the time now to ponder this question and the time to search it out for ourselves. We have the time to make an educated, informed decision as to which side of the fence we are going to live our lives on. I find this time we are in to be fascinating. 

Please don’t misunderstand me here, I’m not saying covid-19 is from the Lord. But, can’t God use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise? (1 Corinthians 1:27 KJV) Can't God work all things together for good? (Romans 8:28) There is always going to be the opportunity for joy to shine forth in our pain if we give God that opportunity. We don’t always look at our trials through a kingdom lens, but what if we did? What if we stop to smell the roses in the middle of the city dump? What if we fixed our eyes on Jesus when the wind and the waves were trying their hardest to take us out and the rest of the world with us? (Matthew 14:28-32) 

What if?

Oh, Lord, in these uncertain times may our pain be turned into joy because we have taken this time to fix our eyes on you rather than the swirling chaos around us. Thank you for putting our faith to the test, knowing that on the other side of it our faith and love for you  will be stronger because we put our trust in you. We pray that through the test you will show us your joy. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. 

Under Attack

We recently sent out a newsletter to our friends and family updating them on everything going on with our family and Liberia. In that newsletter, there was a quote by an unknown author that reads:

“Faith can move mountains, but don’t be surprised when 

God puts a shovel in your hands!”

We all will face mountains in our lives, some small, some big, and some astronomical. Whatever the case, we are never ill-equipped for those mountains, even though, at times, it may feel as if we are. The mountains in our lives are no surprise to the Lord. He knew they were coming. He has the tools we need to conquer those mountains. The Lord equips us with everything we need to face our mountains.  

As you know, my family has been called to the mission field of Liberia, West Africa. We have spent the last year traveling the United States raising funds and I am excited to announce that in one short month from now we will depart for this sweet country. As we have been diligently packing bags and applying for visas, satan has been setting siege to our family. My extended family has undergone a flood of attacks some of which include heart attacks, car accidents, dog bites and our most recent news a diagnosis of muscular sclerosis (MS). Part of me is outraged, the other part of me just has to chuckle because the attacks only mean one thing, we have satan so upset and in such a state of panic that he has no other choice but to throw a temper tantrum. Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way happy that my family is under heavy attacks from the enemy. But I am reminded of the words of Paul: 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And perseverance must  finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

I can either choose to ignore this passage and get angry and bitter, or I can stand on the word of God and know that coming out the other side of these things, my family and I will not be lacking anything. I much prefer standing on the fact that we will be made mature and complete and not be lacking a single solitary thing.  

As I have been praying about all these situations, I asked the Lord “why?” (Yes, I know, faith is the crucifixion of the question why, but I believe that sometimes a heart can ask this question in a truly honoring way.) The response I got back was “in order for your faith to grow.” If the Lord simply takes away the attacks before we have to walk through the trial, what have we gained, how has our faith grown? I am a firm believer that the Lord will put a shovel in our hands in order to not only move the mountain but to build our faith in the process. 

Quite a while ago I read a devotional from “Our Daily Bread” that talked about a man who was in desperate need to have access to hospital care for his wife. (Please note that this story was coming from a time before there was access to planes and cars.) The only way to get to the hospital was to go over a mountain that lay between his village and the hospital. As the man frantically attempted to get his wife safely to the other side she passed away before he could get her the help she needed. Upon returning home he had determined that he would make a way to have faster access to the hospital for others. After much deliberation, he began to dig. The townspeople assumed that the death of his wife had caused him to lose his mind. However, despite their best efforts, they could not convince him to stop digging. As the weeks and months went on, people in the town began to understand the need to have access to medical care. Little by little, they began to join in the digging. And after several years of digging day in and day out, a tunnel had been dug through that mountain!

Our faith starts out as a mustard seed, but this does not mean that God wants it to stay that size. He will ask us at times to put in some blood, sweat, and tears in order for our faith to grow. Our faith must be made “mature and complete” in order for us not to lack anything. As my family remains under attack I take comfort in knowing that despite satan’s best efforts to shipwreck our faith, we persevere. Our faith may start out as a mustard seed, but with stubborn perseverance, it will grow! 

Related posts: The School of Trial, Falling Into Place, Touching The Hem Of His Garment, My By Faith Shoes

Heavenly Father, you know the needs of our hearts. You know the trials and mountains that we face. Thank you that your plans are to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11) in the midst of our mountains. Things might not go according to our plans, but our trials and struggles never surprise you. You saw them coming long before we did. Give us this day the things we need to accomplish today’s mountains or even today’s section of the mountain. Help us to remember that just because our mountains get bigger, does not mean you love us less. Your love is not a yo-yo, up one day and down the next. Please solidify in our spirits that our mountains are not an instrument to measure your love for us. Lord, seal all these things upon our hearts in Jesus precious name.

The School Of Trial

God does not allow us go through a trial only for us to flounder around and get nothing out of it. Our trials will always bring about some form of blessing if we are willing to wait on the Lord through it all. It is true however, that some blessings may be harder to find than others in our times of adversity. I read in a devotional some time ago that,  “We learn the lessons of truth through the school of trial.” How true that statement is. I am so grateful for the trials I have had to face in my life, because through them I have been blessed by so many life changing  lessons! God truly does know what he is doing when he allows the tough things to enter into our lives, because it is in those trials, that heart changing blessings can truly flow in us and through us.

“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

Psalm 119:71

Sometimes it takes trials for us to learn the decrees of the Lord. I love the way the Psalmist puts it here, he states that “it was good for me to be afflicted.” How many of us, in the midst of our trials, tribulations and pain can say it is this is a good thing? That thought is mind boggling isn’t it? The other food for thought here, is that the lessons we need to learn may not stick unless they are bundled with some adversity. Let me show you what I mean. For some of us, we had no trouble trusting mom and dad’s word not to touch the stove because it was hot and we would get burned. For others of us, that simple warning was not enough for our obedience, and in that case the school of hurt and pain had to take place before we obeyed the words of mom and dad to stay away from the stove. Yes, for some of us it may have actually have taken the pain of getting burned and getting hurt before we learned the valuable lesson of obedience.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

I realize that I quote this verse quite a bit, but this particular verse has been a life verse for me. It is a verse that has gotten me through so many of my most difficult battles over the years that I can not ignore the power that this verse has had in my life. The Psalmist said that it was good for him to be afflicted, but James goes a step further and says that we are to consider it pure joy when we face trials. We are to actually take delight in our trials rather than count them as a drudgery. We are to grow and prosper from our trials, to come out the other side stronger than when we went in. This is why we can consider our trials to be a joy, because we know that the Lord is going to use our school of trial to help us grow stronger in Him.

Delight in God’s word, commands and precepts

“Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.”

Psalm 119:143

When I looked up that word delight in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it said… “a high degree of gratification :  joy; also :  extreme satisfaction, something that gives great pleasure” Despite all of the chaos flying around us at times, we can absolutely take delight in God’s word, His promises, and yes, even His commands! When everything else around us is shifting and changing, God and His word are our constant. They do not change and they never fail. We can delight in the stability of that fact.

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,  for by them you have preserved my life.”

Psalm 119:92-93

When we keep our focus on the afflictions of this life they will inevitably lead us down a path of self destruction. But God has better plans for us. He has plans to preserve our lives as we put our focus on Him rather than our trials. What a joy it is to know that God’s precepts can save us from even the worst of disasters. Please note here that this does not mean we will have smooth sailing. We all know that smooth waters never made an expert sailor out of anyone! It’s the school of trial that gives someone the title of export sailor. Let’s be real here, would you rather be chartered across the seven seas on a ship captained by a novice sailor, or someone who has navigated through some of the most violent of storms? I think many of us would agree that we would all choose the seasoned captain for sure! Delighting in the word of God will allow us to navigate through the largest of storms and come out the other side a seasoned captain. As any sailor knows, storms are going to happen, it is not possible to avoid them all. But what we do in the midst of those storms will determine whether we become spiritually shipwrecked and broken, or merely bruised and battered but spiritually whole.

Benefits of persevering in our trials

We are victorious

“But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those

who have faith and are saved.”

Hebrews 10:39

Isn’t it comforting to know that no matter what we face in this life we, no matter how hard it gets that we belong to the one who created overcomers! We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed. We belong to those who have faith and are saved! We might not be delivered from our storms, but we will get through them by the grace of God.

We are given great peace

“Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

Psalm 119:165

When we delight, take joy in and love God’s word we will have great peace. A peace that passes all understanding that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). That is the beauty of it all. God give us peace in the midst of our trials. I can recall some trials that I have walked through that in the natural I should have been freaking out because of the circumstances I found myself in, but the Lord gave me such a sense of peace that freaking out  never even entered my mind. We can have peace in the midst of the storm, but what we choose to focus our attentions on will determine whether or not we will have peace. When we focus on the trials, peace is nowhere to be found, but when we focus on the word of God peace will flood our heart and mind.

Since we are called to peace, let the peace of God rule and reign in your heart (Colossians 3:15).

Call to action

What trial are you facing today? Have you ever considered thanking God for the lessons you are learning, or are about to learn because of this trial? May I encourage you today to find the blessing in this trial that you are walking through. Write down the things you are thankful for that directly relate to your trial. Then you have blessings to fight with if the trial proceeds to worsen, and blessings to encourage you when the trial is over. Remember the Lord has not abandoned you in this time. He loves you and desires for you to draw near to Him, and delight in His word. It’s these little changes in our thinking that can help us get through the toughest of times.

Lord, I thank you for sending us to the school of trial, not for a punishment, but so we can learn and grow in the things of you. Thank you that when we come out the other side of the storm we are no long novice sailors, but seasoned captains. Help us to delight in your word in the midst of the trials and not be distracted by the wind and the waves raging around us. Help us to keep our eyes steadfast on you and your word, because we know that in the midst of it all you will give our hearts and minds great peace. We ask these things in Jesus precious name.

Worthy To Be Praised

If I only gave God praise when I felt like it, He would be one abandoned and lonely God. In the midst of the ongoing trial in my life, I have had to learn to say “God is the God of my head pain.” I have had to learn to give Him praise in the face of my ongoing pain because if I waited until I felt no pain or I felt good in order to give Him praise, than God would be still be waiting for me to open up my mouth. I have had to learn to seek His face despite the the pain I am feeling. The apostle Paul found himself in a similar situation in 2 Corinthians 12:7-8. He served God whole heartedly with a thorn in his side. Now, scripture is not explicit on what that thorn was exactly, but I tend to personally think that it was some form of physical pain, something that was chronic so that it was a continual reminder to Paul. He had asked God to take it from him but the Lord would not. Paul had to learn to worship God in the midst of his pain!

We all face times when we do not feel like giving praise to God. Some of us might be able to come up with some very convincing arguments as to why we can’t praise the Lord right now. But what we need to remember is that we should not praise God because we feel like it, we should give God praise because He is worthy to be praised. Just because we are facing a difficult situation does not mean God is any less worthy of our praises. In fact, it is in the midst of the hard times that our sacrificial praises will break down the walls of our heart and allow us to see the Lord face to face. It is in the moments that we feel like walking away and giving up that the praises flowing from our lips will heal much more than just the mere situations we find ourselves in. The Lord is so much more interested in healing our hearts and forming our character than He is in rescuing us from our struggles. Let’s face it, it is only by traveling a difficult road that the character of God can be worked out in our lives and praise is the vehicle God uses to to usher His character into our hearts, especially when we praise Him in the midst of our trials! 

Example of Abraham

If we look at the individuals in the Bible, they were not handed the heart of God on a silver platter. They had to work for it. They had to struggle through some things. It had to be built into their lives. The character of God did not come automatically or by pushing a button, nor did it come over night. It took time for God’s character to be worked out. It took some deep times of praise flowing from their lips in the midst of adversity to see these things come about. Let’s look at Abraham as our first example. From the time Abraham was promised his son Isaac until that day finally came to pass, 25 years elapsed. In that time Abraham struggled with doubting God’s promise was going to ever take place. He doubted so much so that he took matters into his own hands by lying with another woman. Abraham’s inpatients and doubting did not change the fact that God was worthy of praise nor did it change the fact that God was going to fulfill His word. Abraham was named the the father of faith and make no mistake, he was not given that name without a cost attached to it. The cost of praising and trusting God in the hard times, the cost of laying his one and only son on the alter was the reason Abraham was able to carry this name.

Example of Joseph

Joseph was another person who had to wait for the character of God to be built in his life before the promise could come to pass. He was 17 years old when he had dreams that God was going to use him greatly. But then he spent the next 22 years in training until he saw those dreams come to pass. The road to fruition of those dreams was riddled with it’s fare share of adversity. Joseph was sold into slavery, falsely accused of a crime he did not commit and imprisoned for that very crime. Yet the adversities that Joseph faced did not make the Lord any less worthy of Joseph’s praise nor did the time that elapsed mean that God was any less capable of fulfilling His word. The Lord took the perfect amount of time to work out in Joseph’s heart the character that was needed for the day that Joseph would come face to face with his brothers once again. It is quite clear when Joseph meets his brothers that he had spent an immense amount of time praising God in those 22 years. For if he had not, it would clearly have shown up on that day.  If God had not worked out in Joseph’s heart His character, I am quite sure that Joseph would have had his brothers killed, or at the very least sent them away to fend for themselves in the day of famine. But since God had taken His time with Joseph, it allowed compassion to grow in his heart toward his brothers rather than anger and frustration. 

How much different would these Bible stories have turned out if these men would have gotten frustrated with the dealings of God in their lives and in their frustration walked away from God’s plan? What would have happened if they stopped giving God the praise He is worthy of? What would have happened if they only praised God when things were going perfect for them? I can only guess that their hearts would not have been in the right place to receive the blessings that God had promised them. The struggles that these men faced were necessary in order to prepare their hearts to receive the blessings of God. We can be certain that these men kept their hearts in a place of continual praise because the blessings of God flowed out in abundance on their lives and the lives of the generations that came after them.  

We are no different then Abraham and Joseph. God wants us to praise Him not only in the good times, but more importantly in the times of hurt, frustration, pain, trial, tribulation, strife, struggle and turmoil. Our situations in no way reflect God’s worthiness to be praise. God is worthy to be praised whether we are on the mountaintop or in the valley of the shadow of death. God is not “good” in the times of abundance and blessing and “bad” in the times trouble and hardship. God does not change just because our situations change. 

When we praise in the hard times, it allows God to work out His character in our hearts in order to prepare us for the promises yet to come. When we do not praise God in the midst of our challenges the character of God can not be worked out in us and when the promises show up we will find ourselves ill equipped for what is placed before us, or worse yet, we can not receive the promises at all because we are not prepared for them.

Lord, we thank you that you are not worthy of praise based upon our situation. Help us to remember that you are worthy of praise whether we are on the mountaintop or in the valley of the shadow of death. You are worthy of praise no matter what situation we find ourselves in. Help us not to see you as “good” when things are going well and “bad” when our lives seem to be in turmoil. Help us not to only give you praise when we feel like it, but help us to praise you in all things because you are worthy to be praised. We thank you that you are working in us your character each and every day. Continue to have your way in our hearts and lives in Jesus mighty name. 

Are You Willing?

I was sitting in church one Sunday and the thought came to me. “Are you willing to praise the Lord even if the healing doesn't come? Are you willing to love the Lord even if your prayers are not answered in the way you think they should be answered?”

Walking in Faith
These are some pretty thought provoking questions. As you know, I have been living with daily head and neck pain for years now. And as I apply these questions to my particular situation it becomes quite challenging to my faith. Many people have walked away from their faith in frustration when they have felt as though their prayers were not being heard or they were not seeing the physical evidence of God moving in a particular situation. One thing I am learning is that the kingdom of God is not about giving us what we want when we want it. The kingdom of God is not a made to order restaurant. It’s not Burger King. We can’t have it our way. Now, don’t misunderstand me here, I am not saying that we will never see the desires of our hearts. But what we will see is God moving in our situations for a greater purpose than we have the capacity to see with our limited natural vision. As humans our vision is limited to the physical realm. There will be moments however, when God will show us occasional glimpses into the realm of the spirit, tiny glances of what He is doing. However, there will be times, in fact most of the time, when the Lord will not speak a word about His plans or purposes. This is where faith comes into play. The Lord is calling us to have faith that He knows what He is doing even if we do not know what He is doing. Following God does not mean we have to know each and every little detail of the journey. It just means we have to trust the one who is leading.

Needs Vs. Wants
The kingdom of God is not about giving us what we want, it’s about giving us what we need. The distance between our wants and our needs can be a vast canyon that may never actually cross paths with one another. What can sometimes cause us much frustration in this walk of faith is the simple definition of the word need. God’s definition of the word need, and our definition of the word need often times do not even come close to lining up. Our definition of the word need will usually stem from some form of an emotion with something. For example, when I started this particular journey, my prayer was "Lord, I need you to heal my body." Emotionally, all I could do was focus on my "need" for a physical healing. Instead of healing my pain, the Lord has shown me what the true needs are. The issues of the heart and mind were the needs that have superseded the healing of my physical body. What I have learned is this, whether or not the Lord ever heals my body is not the point here. The Lord sees the need to heal my heart, and to heal the way I think and perceive particular situations. This healing has brought about a much needed eternal perspective in my life that would not have come about if the Lord had just taken away my pain. This is a healing I am so deeply thankful for!

I could have easily walked away in frustration over the fact that God did not “heal” me yet. But what would that accomplish other than allowing the devil to win the victory over my life? And there is no way I am handing my life over that easily! God is not done with me yet and I know that. So healing or no healing, the walk is not over and there is more work to be done. So it is pointless for me to grovel in the thoughts that God has not “healed” me. In all honestly, He already has healed me by the sheer fact that He has done some massive reconstructive surgery on my heart and on my mind because of this journey.

I would like you to stop and think about your own life for just a moment. Is there something in your life you have been asking God to do for you? Are you willing to praise the Lord even if that particular thing never takes place? Are you willing to love the Lord even if He never answers your prayer for that situation in the way you think He should? These are challenging questions. As you take the time to ponder them I will be praying that God brings healing to your heart and mind on this journey. It is a challenging journey, but one that will bring about a true blessing if you allow the Lord to work out some things in your life.

Lord, I thank you that you are faithful to complete a good work in us even when it is not what we think we need. I thank you that you know the true eternal needs for us and that those are the things you desire to work out in our lives far above the temporal things of this life. Help us to gain eternal perspective as we search out the answers to these challenging questions. As we ponder these questions may our walks be more solidified and steadfast! I pray that you work in us the things that can not be shaken, the things that can not be moved, the things that are eternal and the things that can not be destroyed. Have your way in our lives Lord. Take care of our needs.