Trials and struggles

One thing is for certain; no matter who you are, what your religious views might be, what political party you belong to, what race you are, what sex you are, there are going to be times of struggle and heartache in your life.  In the last week I have seen so many of my friends going through these very trials.  From people who have been in full time ministry for well over 50 years to people who didn't necessarily attend church regularly, yet this one thing they all have in common this week...they have experienced tragedy in their lives.

Tragedy is a pretty broad term.  It can mean the loss of the loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of a friendship, so many things are encompassed by tragedy.  In the last two weeks, I know people who have suffered all of these losses, and some have even experienced multiple losses at the same time.  It's extremely hard to understand why.  I'm sure some wonder why God has allowed all this tragedy to come about, why God has allowed their hearts to be broken into a million pieces, and as much as I wish I could say I'm about to give you the answer in this little ramble, I can't.  I truly believe there are many things that we will never understand this side of Heaven.

The Bible assures us that God works in mysterious ways, and I believe that more and more as I go through life.  But something else the Bible assures us, is that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28)  We have to keep in mind that even in the darkest times and hardest trials of our lives, God is working His purpose and plan in our lives.  God won't always change our situations and trials, but God is always changing us.  As He changes us, we begin to see a little more clearly His divine plan in our lives.

But, regardless of knowing all that, when we go through these types of terrible and difficult tragedies, our faith is shaken to the very core.  It's easy for me to sit and type about how all of these things are working to make us stronger and that God is working in our lives, because I'm not the one directly facing all these situations.  But, to my dear friends who are, just know that God is still with you.  He is still going to be with you, He is going to strengthen you, He will be your peace if you'll just leave things in His hands.  Tell God how you feel.  If you're angry at God, tell Him that you're angry.  If you're upset with your situation, tell God that you're upset with your situation and trials.  He may not change the trial, but He will change you.  God is a big God.  He can take our anger, our hurt, our pains, our broken hearts, and He can bring about a peace that passes all understanding, if we'll let him.

For all of my friends going through struggle, know that there are many people praying for you.  Know that we're lifting you and your families up in our thoughts and prayers, asking God to give you His perfect peace and to speak peace be still to your storms. 

Like the song says:

Life is easy when you're up on the mountain,
And you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known;
But then things change and you’re down in the valley:
Don’t lose faith for you’re never alone.
 You talk of faith when you’re up on the mountain,
But the talk comes easy when life’s at it’s best.
But it is down in the valley of trials and temptation,
That’s when faith is really put to the test.
For the God of the mountain is still God in the valley:
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right;
And the God of the good time is still God in the bad times,
The God of the day is still God in the night.