Change the Preposition
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1: 6-7
Because I am a work in progress, I have to admit that even though I declared in last week’s devotional about that I trusted in the Lord, I still was not fully settled in my soul about everything that had been happening. I was sharing these thoughts with my Wednesday evening Zoom call ladies (a group of six ladies who connected through Emmaus, who are now each other’s accountability partner and beloved sister in Christ), telling them that although I had the head knowledge of His promises, the need to trust Him, and the fact that it is flat out ludicrous for me to worry about what is happening in my job prospects and family’s health, I lacked the ability to fully make it happen in my heart. I just couldn’t get there from where I was emotionally and spiritually. I wanted the physical reactions I had been experiencing (racing heartbeat just from sitting at my desk, jitters, headaches, and the like) to stop, and in their place I wanted that perfect peace that Isaiah mentions in chapter 26, verse 3: You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
My friends told me the same things I would tell one of them if they were in my same predicament. They prayed with and for me, and one of them announced that she couldn’t wait for the day that I told this group about the surprising new job I had that I never thought I would be able to get, for that meant that it was only through God and that He delivered on His promise to meet my needs. I was challenged to glorify God in these days of uncertainty. Again, all things that I knew with my Vulcan-like logic and intellect but the head knowledge wasn’t translating into the heart knowledge, leaving me feeling quite disconnected and maybe even a bit worried, if I’m honest.
The very next morning during my prayer time, I asked the Lord to help me get to the point where I felt that same confidence in my heart, to overcome that disconnectedness. I was tired of being the victim in the screenplay of my life and the guest of honor at my own pity party. I honestly cannot remember now how exactly it happened, but the thought occurred to me as I was talking with Him that the trials I’ve been facing haven’t been happening to me; they have been happening for me. The Lord was not some capricious bully out to smite me out of cruelty; He was my Abba Father. He loves me and wants to grow me, with the ultimate goal of being more Christ-like. Talk about a game changer—a total change in perspective! I know it sounds cliché, but I felt different after that realization—lighter in my spirit and a bit more joy in my step. The random racing heartbeat has gone away thus far, tempered by the peace He has given me because I trust in Him.
He is so good, I tell you—so amazingly good!
Prayer Requests
· For unity and grace as we fully participate in the season of Advent by preparing our hearts for the celebration of the birth of our Savior and Lord
· For those who are convalescing from or facing various health-related issues
· For the caretakers of those who are ill
· For the broken-hearted and the lost
Friends, I know that the perspective He allowed me to have is one that you can have as well, if you earnestly seek for Him in the midst of the trials and tribulations you experience. I am praying for you.
Quotes
“Real peace is not the calm. Real peace is the presence of God in the storm.”
“When you’re hanging on by a thread, make sure it is the hem of His garment.”