Trials

First of all, I just have to say I am SO EXCITED because I'm going to see Beth Moore in Atlanta TODAY!! I was very blessed to get tickets to the Deeper Still Conference with Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, Travis Cottrell, and Mandisa. And I am PUMPED!!

Now on to the devotional!

Earlier this week, I published a devotional on the story of Joseph in prison and the way that God blessed him despite his terrible circumstances.

As I was reading over the first chapter of James (see yesterday's explanation...), I read this verse with a newly discovered understanding.

James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

Suddenly I realized that Joseph's story is not unique. Most (I'm hesitant to say 'every'...although I'm having trouble thinking of an exception...) Biblical stories begin with a calling, continue with a time of trial and testing, and end with a blessing.

• Noah was called by God to build an ark in a land where it had NEVER RAINED. He lived in the desert, yet he spent decades being ridiculed by neighbors and friends while he was building it. Can you imagine how discouraging that would be? You know that God has spoken to you, but everyone around you laughs and makes fun of you for believing the impossible. Yet God saves he and his family and gives them a 'brand-new' land. Now that's a blessing!
• Abraham left his country, his family, his people and travelled through Canaan basically his whole life. God promised him in Gen 15: 13 that his "descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and will be enslaved and mistreated for 400 years." He had a pretty rough time, yet when God called him to sacrifice Isaac, he didn't even hesitate. He simply believed that God was sovereign. When you get to chapter 24:1 it says, "Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in EVERY way." What an incredible promise!
• Moses killed a man and was forced to flee his home. He spent years in Midian, then years being called by God to deliver Israel from slavery. Moses wandered with the Israelites for 40 years...and never stepped foot on the land promised by God. Yet again and again, God showed His faithfulness and delivered them from enemies.
• Ruth and Naomi lost their husbands, and for Naomi her children, and were left destitute and without a home or food. The Bible even says that Naomi told her people to call her Mara, "Bitter", because she was bitter with everything that God had done. Yet, the story ends with God blessing Ruth and Naomi with a home once more...and placing Ruth in the genealogy of David...and the genealogy of Jesus. What more of a blessing could she ask for?

These are just a few examples of people who suffered through trials for months, years, even decades in some cases. Yet each and every time, God blessed them and showed them favor, both throughout the situation and in the end.

So as we go through times of suffering in our lives, take heart from those who have gone before us. God is faithful - thousands of years ago and today.