City Life Starter

The Word

Isaiah 41:10 AMPC

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

By Aisha Darwesh

As difficult as it is to endure seasons of suffering, what is truly comforting and amazing is the truth that God is still with us even in those hard times. It is often wondered why a loving God would allow suffering to occur, but I think it is even more wondrous that God, who is completely perfect and holy, does not abandon us to our depravity and allows us to experience glimpses of His Glory this side of heaven.

Heather Mattingly so aptly illustrated earlier this week that the very fact we consider suffering to be unjust is evidence of God’s indwelling Spirit crying out for justice from within us. If there is anyone who is provoked by injustice, it is our Heavenly King, whose throne is founded on righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14).  

I don’t think God is indifferent to our suffering, but He certainly doesn’t extinguish it from our lives. Why not? Why does God allow us to endure suffering? As Pastor Chris pointed out on Sunday, trials allow the genuineness of our faith to be proved true:

6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. (1 Peter 1:6-7 MSG)

In the story of His Glory, there is a deeper meaning to discover than our present comfort. Through every trial and test we face, our faith is getting stronger and more vibrant. I find it so fascinating to think the faith of our predecessors like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, David, and so many other heroes of the faith remains strong and widely celebrated to this day. Although these people physically died hundreds of years ago, their faith endures.

Despite all the different kinds of trials they faced, the common thread that connects all their stories is they believed in God and gave Him all the Glory. What an amazing heritage of faith we get to share.

There is no telling what kinds of trials you are facing today. I know there are people reading this who may have lost a loved one or maybe there are those who are fighting for their lives in the face of a terminal illness. There are so many heartbreaks we face on a daily basis, but guess what? No matter what you’re facing at this moment, you have the power to give God glory by trusting in Him in and through your trial.

This is not to say that God gets pleasure from our suffering. Far from it, it is He who delivers us from every affliction. Let’s not forget the promise in Psalm 34:19: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

While God does not prevent afflictions in our lives, He does deliver us from them all. For the afflictions that we are currently facing, He will help us and harden us to the difficulties by strengthening our spirits with His Spirit.

Because God is with us in every situation–good or bad, we truly have reason to rejoice. With Jesus in your boat, you can have peace in every storm. There’s nothing to fear or dismay with the King of kings and Lord of lords by your side.

Prayer

Father, I thank You for preserving me for a time such as this. You have a plan and purpose for my life and I know that you are taking all the trials I’m facing them and working good out of it because I love You and I am called according to Your Purpose. Lord, I pray for courage and strength. Empower me with Your Spirit and cause me to SOAR for YOUR GLORY! In Jesus Name, Amen.