Hebrews 11:37-38
“They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.”
Have you ever had people return from a trip and comment that God was with them and they had no trouble coming or going? Does that imply that if something had gone wrong that God was not with them? That’s something to think about, isn’t it?
I have had trips where I encountered unexpected difficulties. I didn’t relish those difficult times, but I could see the hand of God working. Pain and turmoil does not necessarily mean that God is not using us.
Job went through tremendous suffering and pain. The loss of all of his children, his wealth, and his health did not mean that God was not using him. Job has become the example for all of us that in the midst of the pain God is at work.
Joseph was another shining example of enduring pain for the sake of the Lord. Cast into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison was God’s way of placing him where he needed to be. When things go rough in our life we do not ever feel like God has forgotten us. Find His peace and live!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil