Last time I dealt with the first
answer to the question, “Why is this happening to me?” Now let’s look at the second and third answer.
2. It could be turbulence that God
has caused or permitted in order that you mature spiritually.
God is committed to your growth. When you enter into a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ, you can expect God to get deeply involved in your growth
journey. God will be the contractor; you
are the lumber. God will paint the
picture; you are the canvass. God will
be the potter; you are the clay. God
holds the chisel; you are the stone. The
apostle Paul put it this way,
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
Oftentimes the storms in your life are initiated by God and
used like sand paper to rub off the rough edges. He is committed to doing what it takes to
make you more like His Son, Jesus Christ.
This will target all areas of your life - spiritual, relational, mental,
physical, and emotional. You won’t be
able to avoid the turbulence associated with His construction plans.
Let me highlight a couple examples. Do you remember Jesus sending His disciples
away from the crowds in a boat one night.
(Mark 6:45-52) He told them He
would catch up to them later. A storm
blew in and the disciples felt like they were going to die. Jesus set them up. He walked on the water during this massive
storm and stepped into the little boat.
He then commanded the waters and wind to be still. Jesus had sent them into a storm so they
would learn that He was more than just a man and that He could be trusted to
care for them.
Jesus did it again with the death of Lazarus (John 11:1-15). He deliberately waited until Lazarus died
before He came to the small town of Bethany to help. Others couldn’t understand why He didn’t rush
to heal Lazarus when He got the word he was seriously sick. But Jesus wanted the disciples to know that
He had the power over death. Talk about
an emotionally draining storm. But it
was necessary for the disciples to grow in their understanding of who Jesus
was.
Check out what the scripture says about this:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NASB)
As you can see, pain and discomfort, is
not always a bad thing. It can produce
amazing results if you will learn the lessons God is trying to teach you.
Next time the storm comes, think about
God’s plan for your life. Could it be
that the storm is intended to drive you closer to Him and cause you to become
much more like Him. Try thanking God in
the midst of the storm. As James would say
in James 1:2, “Consider it all joy…”
Next time we'll look at the third answer to the question:
“WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?”
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