So that.....

In the past few days, my family and I had to deal with a challenging situation. A situation bearing striking resemblance to the picture we were looking at in the previous posts; where the spies were confronted by giants in the Promised Land. But the Lord is good! He had prepared us for this. I was overwhelmed by His all-encompassing peace and I continuously had my mind set on remaining in His Rest. Nothing in our picture changed; nevertheless, we had perfect peace.

From time to time we all find ourselves in these situations; where we do not have all the answers to the questions, where we are no longer the ‘captains’ of our lives and where we need to trust on Someone else. Sometimes these trying times are due to illness in our bodies, broken relationships or crossroads we encounter on our life journey. This is normal. It’s part of life. Even Jesus said that we will have these tough times. BUT He went on to say “do not let your hearts be troubled, I have overcome this world”. Can you see? He has already ensured your victory!

I would like to share with you three portions of Scripture that can help you through this tough spot in your journey:

John 9:1-3 (1) As He passed along, He noticed a man blind from his birth. (2) His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind? (3) Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.

How many times have you heard: “why?”, “Why did this happen to me?”, “What did I do to deserve this?” Countless times I’m sure. Haven’t we all felt it at one stage or another? Guess what? The people of the Bible weren’t too different from us. In this portion they were asking the same question we ask, namely “why?” Did you note Jesus’ reply? There is no why, there is only a so that.

You see, my friend, it is not about how we evaluate things in the physical that is going to bring us to the place of God’s Rest, but an understanding of the Truth that it is all about Him. God decided to expand His Kingdom to the earth (through us) and it is still His plan to fill the earth with His glory (Rom 8:30; 2 Cor 3:18; Col 1:27). In other words; God is still working in us to reveal His Son to us and in us. This is in order that He might be revealed through us. According to Romans 8:19 this is exactly what all of creation is longing for; it’s longing for the revelation of God’s children!

Now don’t get me wrong, there are situations in life that has everything to do with us, the things we do in the flesh, but as Paul says, we are not of the flesh anymore, but of the Spirit, and now we also walk by His Spirit (Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25).

Be encouraged today; God loves you very much! He has great plans for you. The giants you are facing are your bread (for your nourishment); we will grow when we see how He works in us and through us (in our difficult situations). Remember: all of creation is waiting for you to see who you are, namely God’s own child!