Recently our family received a tremendous breakthrough. After a season of severe testing (much of what I’ve written about), God gave us a time of refreshing and relief. As we begin to tell others of our testimony that included a season of perseverance, it becomes necessary to reflect on the things God demonstrated to us about his sovereignty and faithfulness. As recently as this week, our time of testing was put into perspective by a friend of mine. He simply said that he was happy for me and my family because he watched us week after week come to church and fellowship with the saints. He also mentioned that had I not told him what we were going through, he would not have been able to tell because we did not “wear our testing on our face”. My first thought was that he did not really know my inner most thoughts and the many days that I asked God, “why” and “how”. I guess at that point it did not matter because the image that God allowed him to see was one of hope and faith. Why am I telling you all this? Because at that moment of talking to him I realized all the more that it was truly God that sustained us. He supernaturally preserved us. It was truly a miracle! We were not swayed in our faith because of our trust and hope in him. So I write this today to encourage you in your situation. It may be dire, but you have to realize it is only temporary. That was one thing that we were told over and over—that this is just a season. The musical artist Timothy Wright has a song lyric that says, “I’m so glad that trouble doesn’t last always”. This reminds me of the scripture that says:
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
Does this mean that you are supposed to endure these times with a smile on your face? No, not necessarily. I know that my wife and I had disappointments and frustrations that caused us not to smile. But our overall temperament was one that trusted and believed in what God said. It really comes down to obedience and trust. Will you obey what the word of the Lord says? Will you trust the word of the Lord? At times things may not turn out as you would like. Had someone told me at the beginning of our trials that we would endure property foreclosure, vehicle repossession and nine months of unemployment I would have said, “no way”. Given a choice, I may have chosen not to go through those things but maintain our status quo. But not so! God had much better in store for us although it caused us some pain along the way. What is the saying, “no pain, no gain”? God uses our seasons of testing to nurture in us the things that will be most useful in the kingdom. He uses those periods as a training ground so that we can be better stewards over the resources that he’s entrusted to us. Look at Joshua as Moses’ aide. Look at Joseph who spent thirteen years as a slave and prisoner before his rise to the palace. Look at David who spent years in caves on the run from Saul before becoming king. There are countless examples I could name, but you get the idea. God has chosen you for this time to bring him glory. Will you accept the challenge? Will you believe in him? Will you trust him? It is not about the smile on your face as much as it is the smile in your heart. Be blessed my friend.