Good grief

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately on suffering, and the trials God puts in front of us and I think suffering enables us to draw close to Jesus, because of the suffering He went through on the cross, the trials we encounter in our lives, however small or big, enable us to relate and experience just a hint of what Christ suffered for us. To save us from ourselves. To pay our debt. Through His suffering we are made pure. Collosians 1:22 "But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation".

I also think that God draws a lot of parallels in our lives through pain and suffering because He wants us to understand how He feels when He looses us. The grief that we feel when we loose someone we love, is the same grief that God feels for us when we are lost to Him. And through our grief we find comfort in Him. Lamentations 3:32 - "Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love".

I don't know about you, but I have often prayed for patience! Its something that should be prayed for with care and consideration ;) Its not something that has ever come very naturally to me, and I have discovered that suffering goes hand in hand with the lesson of patience. James 5:10 - "Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord."

It has always blown my mind reading James 1:2 and how we are supposed to consider it pure joy when we suffer trials of many kinds. It got me thinking recently that God loves us too much to leave us where we are at. We know that He disciplines the ones He loves, and we should be consumed with joy just at the thought that He is working in our lives and by His amazing love and comfort He provides in our times of hurt and pain. Pain is raw, and it reminds us that were alive, that we are human and that we feel, and i guess it's what you do with your pain, and how you channel it that matters.

I was watching a DVD called "Hope: When life hurts the most" by Louie Giglio, and he talks about using our suffering as a megaphone for Gods glory and spreading His word, using a painful experience or tragedy to spread the Good news. He mentions we are all going to encounter some form of life shattering pain in our lives that could very well shake our faith, but it's how we use that experience, and channel it that is important. Its easier said than done, because no one knows how they will deal in a situation like that...but if God loves us so much to pick us up and carry us when were too weak to carry ourselves, how can we dispute that He has our best interest at heart, and how could we deprive both God and ourselves from experiencing His overwhelming comfort and strength to pull us up and draw us near. It's hard to comprehend Gods love for us, He loves us more than we could ever love anyone, and its a perfect love. I guess you never know where a tragedy can lead you, or those around you...maybe even to God. :)

Rob Bell Nooma: Rain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYKa9E1xzao

I love this video...it makes me all weak at the knees thinking how our trials can seem soooo awful to us at the time, even looking back, but I love the concept that God would never, not for one minute take away those moments we dread to even look back on, because at those times in our lives, the only thing we had to cling to was God and his overwhelming love and comfort and strength. And those are the moments we are closest to God...and God gets to whisper in our ears: "I love you, Im going to get you through this, trust me". As if God would take those moments away for anything. He gets to be close to us, and comfort us in the moments we are at our weakest and suffering.

Psalm 55:22 - Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall".

There is a crazy peace that comes with trusting in God and giving all our burdens over to God. I have encountered an indescribable joy through some of the trials i have experienced in my life. The whole 27 years so far ;) I like to remember that so often I THINK Im happy where I am, but then God knocks the wind right out of my lungs, to the point where I feel I cannot breathe, but He is only answering prayers of prayers gone by, prayers I have prayed to make me stronger, molding me into the person He wants me to be, for Him to use me, and I remember that all He is doing is answering my prayers. God loves me too much to leave me where I am. He wants good things for me. He wants me to be the best I can be. And that requires relying on him just to be able to breathe sometimes.

By trusting in God and putting His will before our own, He says He will give us the desires of our hearts. Not only will he give us the desires of our hearts, but through the process of trials, He will give us more Godly desires, and our worldly desires will become less and less. :)

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD; and he will give you the desires of your heart.

We need to walk by faith not by sight.


Psalm 55:22 - Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.