"I have told you these things so that in me, you will have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33
Why is it that we prepare for everything in life, except for our trials? We study for exams and quizzes, we save for our wedding, we save for vacation, we even save for the dream car that we always wanted as a teenager and plan to purchase in our mid 50's. When in reality, there is no guarantee that we will live until our 50's, be able to take a vacation, or even get married (I apologize to those of anxiously waiting and praying for your spouse.). Why don't we put that much time into preparing for life's trials? We know they are coming, yet we find ourselves preparing for them in the middle of them and at that point, it is no longer preparation, but mere survival. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that we will have trials. What more do you need to know. It would be helpful to know when they were coming and what it is concerning, but we do not. However, we do know that we can overcome because he has overcome. Does us knowing that we will overcome make us complacent and keep us from preparing? I am not suggesting we worry, but maybe we should take some time getting ourselves ready. Questions or comments?
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Jessica this is so timely and true. Add trials to death and taxes as the only things that are certain in the words of that common saying. Actually the only thing that is certain is God's will, and we know He wants us to go through them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your prudent reminder - how are you preparing for trials? I don't think I've been preparing for much of anything myself but God had been bringing me back and making me see his pleasure and wonder in who He really is through study. But its very easy for me to forget something I've just read in the bible when a related situation comes up that I must deal with. I reckon immediate prayer is always the best way to start.
I do not know that there is a “formula.” I believe regular preparation is the key. However, something I think that is important and will certainly provide stability in the beginning of the trial is to speak the Word of God into your life and over your life. Remind yourself of what God has to say about you and who you are in Christ. I remember once before when I had to call 911 for an emergency. Before I could even begin to tell the dispatcher what my emergency was, she stated the phone number and address I was calling from, asked me to confirm the information, and stay my name. That is pretty powerful if you think about it. Before we begin to tackle our emergencies, we have to know and understand who we are in Christ. So some confession of the Word and knowing who you are in Christ is important.
ReplyDeleteBlessings…