2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal
glory that far outweighs them all.
Romans 8:18 I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us.
There is a purpose for every problem. Problems are used to draw you
near to God and we get to partake in the suffering of Christ through our trials
John 16:33 "I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes
upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to
you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on
rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with
exultation.…
We learn things through our trials that we steadfastly ignore or fail
to learn any other way than through sufferings. God could intervene to prevent
certain things but consider the glory revealed through the trial:
God could have kept Joseph out of jail- Genesis 39:20 -23 So Joseph's master took him and put him
into the jail, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; and he was
there in the jail. But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him,
and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed
to Joseph's charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was
done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise
anything under Joseph's charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he
did, the LORD made to prosper.
God could have kept Jeremiah from being tossed into the slimy pit – Jeremiah
38:6 So they took Jeremiah and put
him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of
the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in
it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
God could have kept Daniel out of the lion’s den – Daniel
6:16-23 Then the king gave
orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions' den. The king spoke
and said to Daniel, "Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself
deliver you." A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den;
and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of
his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. Then the king
went off to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was
brought before him; and his sleep fled from him. Then the king arose at dawn,
at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den. When he had
come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke
and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom
you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?". Then
Daniel spoke to the king, "O king, live forever! "My God sent His
angel and shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was
found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no
crime." Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be
taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury
whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
God could have prevented Paul’s three shipwrecks – 2
Corinthians 11:25-27 Three
times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked,
a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent
journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my
countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the
wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in
labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often
without food, in cold and exposure.…
God could have kept the three Hebrew boys from being thrown in the fiery
furnace – Daniel 3:16 -27
…"Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the
horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall
down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not
worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing
fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?"
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we
do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. "If it be
so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing
fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. "But even if He
does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods
or worship the golden image that you have set up." Then Nebuchadnezzar was
filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach,
Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven
times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain valiant warriors
who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast
them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their
trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into
the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. For this reason, because the king's
command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of
the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. But
these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the
furnace of blazing fire still tied up. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was
astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it
not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to
the king, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men
loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the
appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!" Then Nebuchadnezzar
came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said,
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High
God, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the
midst of the fire.…
God chose not to stop all of these trials from happening; through all
of the problems the people were drawn closer to god. Problems force us to look
outside of ourselves and to depend completely on God. Since the ultimate goal
is to become Christ-like we will go through similar trials.
Problems do not always give way to what God intends. We must learn to
divorce ourselves from our fleshly desires and remember that God’s plan is for
our greater good and that His rewards are eternal.
No comments:
Post a Comment