A few years back, while going through a major difficulty, God gave me a simple spiritual axiom which I have lived by ever since. “All difficulties are within God’s purposes”. We are literally surrounded by God, like a golf ball surrounds its’ core or a basketball the air contained inside, the sovereign God surrounds us with Himself: This is the literal meaning of the phrase “peculiar people” found in Titus 2:14 (KJV, “special people” in the NKJV). Nothing happens to us that is not either willed or permitted by God - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Job understood this as did the Apostle Paul, James and others. This has been such a comfort to understand. When difficulties strike I KNOW five amazing God things:
* God is faithful even when I am not - He cannot deny his love for me.
* God will never leave me or forsake me - NEVER!
* God has made a way of escape that I may be able to bear the difficulty.
* God is working in me both to will and work His good pleasure.
* God is working this thing, this difficulty, out for good according to His purpose.
* God is giving me an “overcoming” testimony.
God is not the “author” of bad but the “allower”, always producing good out of what the enemy meant for evil, in accordance with His purposes. Make no mistake... our God is fully in control, always has been... always will be! God is very intentional, He has a plan for us: Nothing happens to us (i.e., all things - all difficulties) that God doesn’t use to further His plan for us to be conformed into the image of His dear Son - to be perfected... God does not waste pain! This is the practical application of being “in the Beloved”, in Christ, where the circumstances of this life are used to transform our nature into Christlikeness, and approve our faith in preparation for our next life. “Narrow is the gate and difficult... full of adversity, is the way which leads to life.” Isn’t it good that God loves us too much to leave us the way we are!
It is normal during trying times to wonder why and try to pinpoint some specific cause, but God never answers the question why, and there usually isn’t a specific cause in our sense of the word. He who loved us too much to spare His only Son loves us too much to spare us - it is a great paradox. Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered, and endured the cross for the joy set before Him. Both James and Paul rejoiced in the pressures and difficulties of life’s circumstances, realizing these produce patience which in turn produces Godly character and hope, and releases the lavish outpouring of God’s love into our heart. Obedience, Godly character, hope, joy, patience, love, these are all very good things!
What should we do during times of difficulty, when we hit speed bumps on the threshing floor of life? First and foremost this is a time to draw close to God, to rest in Him and love on Him - we simply cannot love and worship God enough - trusting in Him without fear or worry. And we should draw on all those saints God has placed about us, to unite in prayer for God’s grace and healing power to be released in us - that His kingdom would invade our circumstances in power. These things we should always do.
So we pray for a greater revelation in our soul of the awesome love of God and for a deep unquenchable hunger for His righteousness to spring forth, that peace and joy would flourish in us, and that God’s word would bring healing and wholeness, the Shalom of God, to any needs of our body, soul, and spirit... that we would be the fragrance of Christ.
GOD ALLOWS IN HIS WISDOM
WHAT HE COULD EASILY PREVENT
IN HIS POWER
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