Blessed Suffering

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy," (1 Peter 4:12-13 NKJV).

At first glance, the title of this post seems wrong. Our humanity looks at the words blessed and suffering and does not see them working together. However, they complement one another quite well in the heavenly realm.

Everyone wants to be blessed We all long to see the pain stop, the cancer or disease to be healed, the relationship to be restored, the wayward child to return home, the money we need to appear, along with many other things, some of which you may be thinking of right now. I don't think we go out looking to embrace suffering, rather we seem to recoil and run from it. However, everyone has or will experience it.

Suffering can be blessed when we choose to embrace it when we experience it. Jesus tells us, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world," (John 16:33b NKJV emphasis mine). It is clear from this passage of Scripture that we will experience suffering but it comes with a promise to remember. Jesus has overcome the world. This is what we hold on to. This is where we can shine for Jesus.

We may be walking through some difficult valleys right now but we can choose how we walk. We can choose to hang our heads, drag our feet, and go through the struggle kicking and screaming, or we can embrace where we are and hold our heads high - looking away to Jesus - , walk on with steadfast assurance, and even skip and sing, praising the Lord for "counting us worthy to suffer for Him."

This may seem impossible but it isn't. I encourage you to memorize this Scripture - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). In Christ we are all overcomers. I also encourage you to listen to Mandisa's song "Overcomer." You can find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8VoUYtx0kw

There is such hope in this song. The truth is that whether we are healed on this earth or healed in heaven is up to the Lord and He knows what is best for each of us. He loves us beyond anything we can imagine. It is through His will that we are here. Nothing comes to us that He doesn't allow. So you can rest knowing that if you are walking through a valley right now He is either right beside you or carrying you. You are not alone. Choose today to embrace your suffering, giving the burden to the One who understands completely. He will love you and guide you through. One day, you will be able to look back and see God's fingerprints all over your situation.

Heavenly, gracious, and merciful Father,
Thank You for Your promise to never leave nor forsake us. Thank You that we never need to walk through a dark valley alone. Lord, I call on You in Jesus' name to touch each heart who reads this post and seeks You out. Fill them with your blessed assurance that You are with them. May You be their sufficiency and meet their needs, bringing them to a place of healing in Your perfect timing. Grant them Your peace Lord in Jesus' name, Amen.

Never Separated

                                                   

What is going on in your life right now? Thinking about the people around me, there are many different circumstances people find themselves in each and every day. Some people are where they are by choice, some have no choice. I have friends who are going through mountaintop experiences: enjoying the presence of newborn babies in their families, waiting to have books published, finishing up college, preparing to graduate their children from high school, and such. I also have friends who are going through valley times: parents in long-term care facilities, illness of all sorts, times of struggle with family members, and the list goes on. Take a moment to think about your life. Where are you?

In whichever list you find yourself (and you may be going through times that place you in both), you can rest in the assurance that you have a Comforter and Redeemer in Jesus Christ. Paul was no stranger to tough times. In his life he was persecuted, beaten, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. But he continued to trust his Saviour. In Romans 8:38-39 he shares a promise we can cling to:

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,

nor angels nor principalities nor powers,

nor things present nor things to come, 

nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." NKJV

Did you see it? NOTHING can separate us from the love of God! I think of illness that robs a person of their faculties - that does not separate them from the love of God. What about  the loss of a job? No, that can't separate them from the love of God. Do you see? God's love is more powerful than anything. He is "the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" (Revelation 22:13 NKJV).

Looking at where we are may give us perspective to see that God can work wherever He has us.

"To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:"

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

Remember, there is a time and season for everything. This season you are experiencing will not last forever. If you are experiencing a moutaintop time, don't lose heart. When the valley comes along, take time to look around. In the valley is where we grow, if we will take the time to focus on Jesus and not on the circumstances we find ourselves in. If you find yourself in the valley, keep you eyes on Jesus and be comforted in the knowledge that everything has a season, and seasons do not last forever.

Dear friends, keep your eyes on the Lord. Pray and draw near to Him.

Blessings, Natalie

Powerful Praise

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:2 NASB

What trials are you facing today? Have you thanked the Lord for them? James admonishes us to consider it all joy when trials and hardships come along. Something from this passage of Scripture that leaped squarely off the page into my focus, and rested on my heart was the word when. James doesn't say if-he says when. Dear friend, trials will come. If you haven't encountered them yet then God bless you, however they will undoubtedly come to us all in one form or another. Likewise, for those of us who have and are encountering them now, how are we handling them?

Acknowledging His sovereignty over our lives and laying it all down before Him, that is the greatest gift we can give Him. Tough times are around us everywhere. I don't think I know of anyone who is not encountering some kind of trial at this time. Each one is very different. Each person deals with their "stuff" differently. However, don't judge a book by its cover. Realize that some are more private than others and do not want to share it. Yet, for the most part, we all struggle or have challenges of some kind.

Can you praise Him anyway? Can you lift your hands, right now wherever you are and thank God for all the things in your life, good and bad? Will you trust Him to "never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5) and to be with you wherever you go? Relying on Him and going through trials will test our faith and produce endurance.

Here we have another promise. When our faith is tested it produces endurance. In order to run a marathon, we must have endurance. Like a marathon, this life on earth we have been given to live takes endurance. It is riddled with times of testing. How we go through it is what matters. Are we going to allow it to make us bitter or better? The choice is one each of us make, each and every time we come up against some kind of trial.

Let's commit to raising our hands and falling on our knees praising God through the storm, until we see the sun break through. He loves you so much. He knows every part of you, even to the hairs on your head. Trust Him. Have faith in Him. Give Him all of you.

Dear heavenly and gracious Father,
Lord, thank You for Your promises. Thank You for always being with me and guiding me through every day. Help me to trust in You more and more each day. I pray for Your guidance, wisdom and discernment as I face trials. Help me Lord, to look to You, lean on Your Word, and praise You in the midst of all that happens.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Blessed Endurance

“Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and see the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful,” James 5:11 (NKJV). The Christian life is not all peaches and cream. There are some blemishes and pits. Christians walk through trials and fires, just as anyone does. However, we have a secret weapon: faith. Where God is, there is hope. Sometimes, hope is all we have to cling to. Do you know the song that goes, “for the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley…”? Going through the valleys of our lives is where we grow. Stop for a minute and think of the valley. In the valley is where the lush green grass, fruit trees and flowers take root, burst forth from the ground, grow, blossom and bear fruit. This is the place where it all happens for us too. We long for mountaintop experiences, yet our growth of faith and endurance come from being tested in the valleys of our lives. When you have reached a mountaintop experience, take the time to enjoy it. Take it all in and bask in the glory that is God’s alone. But don’t tarry there too long. Pray, believing God’s promise to “never leave you nor forsake you,” (Hebrews 13:5), and head wherever He takes you—even if another valley is what awaits you. It is often difficult to explain to someone who is struggling with physical, emotional or spiritual battles that they are being blessed, but it is true. Take Job for instance: He had it all, he lost it all, and through it all he never lost his faith in God. In the end, he regained it all with more added to it. God blesses those who endure. Will you take the time to praise the Lord for being with you, whether in a mountaintop or valley experience? Will you allow Him to lead you into the valley and follow, without hesitation? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths,”(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).