From Pain to Purpose

"The farmer does not sift his wheat because he dislikes it, but just the opposite; he sifts it because it is precious. And thou, child of God, thy trials and changes and constant catastrophes and afllictions, are no proofs of want of affection on the part of the Most High, but the very contrary."~Charles Spurgeon

Sometimes it is tempting to look around & wonder why Christ seems to be moving everywhere but where we want Him to.  However, it is in the midst of our trials that we are under the very glory cloud of the Lord.  Let us not grow weary & complain if we are found to be in a dry land.   Perhaps your "desert" is a season of failures, fears or maybe you've sinned or been sinned against.  Maybe you are in a season where you are losing everything financially or physically and it feels like you have nothing.  Fix your eyes upon the Author and Finisher of our faith, the very Creator of the universe.   I pray that you are encouraged in that our Father doesn't just bless with earthly things but His ultimate desire for you is to conform you to the likeness of His beautiful Son.  We are surrounded and often motivated by worldly blessings and that is why it's so easy to think that spiritual blessings(changes of the heart mind) are second place. I have been guilty of thinking that very thing. Sometimes we get so caught up in what's going on around us that we forget to look up until a crisis (our desert) hits.   God has you where you are for a purpose and we are called to perservere under trials.  He is a King, THE KING and His reward, when we are faithful to His calling, is " immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine"(Ephesians 3:20).  Our flesh craves earthly successes and pretends not notice the starving soul.  Yes, it is good to strive to succeed and yes God blesses that, we are actualy commanded to work. And sometimes He does bless us with possessions but that is not always the case and we do not have to look far beyond our own cities to see that truth.  If it is not true ALWAYS and for EVERYONE then what is true?  What can we know for sure? When we see people today, starving, being martyred, people who are being beaten and spat upon and worse for standing upon for their faith or for simply breathing, could we honestly tell them that God wants to give them a bigger house and the finest of "things"?  Of course not.  What then?  What does God desire to do in us, ultimately?  This is what the Lord wants....for us to "Be holy because, I the LORD your God, am holy." He calls us to have a broken and contrite heart and to walk in love toward others.  Does that mean walking around like a pauper in rags and mourning all day and never succeeding?  No.  Nor does it mean walking around like you are better than anyone, because that is most certainly not the case.  Does it mean that when we are rewarded some temporal reward that we are to reject it in some Pharisaical false humility? No. We are to praise Him, rejoice and be glad when these things happen and we are to give all glory to Him who gives.  What it does mean is that we are to strive to be more like Him.  Perhaps you are in the desert because He desires to show you something.  When was the last time you asked the Lord to search your heart?  You see, our hearts so often stray from seeking His Truth & provision. What a more perfect time than to ask Him to do that right now? The result of seeking Him in this way is a complete surrender, a renewed understanding that He is our ultimate source and that we need Him above ALL things. It is in times like these that Christ continues His perfect work in us.  Then we can truly say that we are blessed when we are in a season like Job, for it is all to often that when we are in the palace, we forget how much we need Him and grow cold or worse, luke warm.  I encourage you to use this time of trial not to complain but rather to seek Him and ask Him what it is He wants to show you. Be willing to listen and obey. Remember that He knows the plans that He has for you and they are good :)
Whatever situation you are facing right now, even if it is successes, you are in it for a reason. That reason is not to give you wordly things that will burn away in His presence, although sometimes you will be rewarded in that way.   Remember that ultimately, He desires to sanctify us through His word. His desire is that we put off our old nature and put on the new, proclaiming, with love & humility, His goodness and love for ALL. Let it be our daily prayer, not for more and more earthly treasures, but for more and more of Him. Let us be sensitive to where we fall short and come to Him with a humble heart and a desire for Him to change us, no matter the cost.  Perhaps then, after all of that, He may use us to teach, guide and encourage others who are going through their own dry land.   (Ephesians 3:14-21)