1 Peter 1: 7-9
9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
What is your impossible situation? What is your I need a miracle situation? I heard these lines in a song recently and it got me to thinking about how sometimes situations in our lives seem so impossible and out of control. We just don't know what to do about it or what to think about that situation.
I read the above scripture in 1 Peter last week and it got me to thinking about how gold is refined by going through fire, diamonds are mined from deep within the earth. We wouldn't have the beautiful jewelry and precious metals that we have without the trials of going through the fire or the mining process to get them to the quality that we are used to seeing now days.
The other day my 9 year old son came home with a rock, (it looked like he just went outside and picked up a rock out of the garden), but he was so excited because that was a crystal. It wasn't refined into a precious gem, it didn't look like anything spectacular, but his friend told him that their Grandma said it was crystals inside and that just made his day.
How often do we feel like that rock? We feel like we are just plain on the outside, there is nothing spectacular about us. We haven't done amazing things or accomplished great goals, but when God looks at us, He sees an amazing crystal that just hasn't been refined yet.
Sometimes it is really tough to go through difficult situations and we don't always understand the reasons for this but God is seeing a different picture than we are and He sees something beautiful and amazing on the other side of the trial. Did you know that there are many verses in the Bible about how God draws near to the broken-hearted? There are verses about how God can heal the sick, about how God is there for you no matter what. God did not promise us that we would have an amazing, stress free life just because we follow Him. There is a verse that actually talks about picking up your cross to follow Jesus. It is found in Mattew 16:24-25
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Isn't this just an amazing statement? God didn't say it was going to be easy to follow Him, He said to take up your cross and follow Him. Sometimes in our minds we think that everything should just fall into place and should be easy because God is on our side, but that is not the reality because God is wanting us to be more and more like Him and to show his power and glory to those around us.
If you were around someone who always had everything going their way and never struggled, how would that make you feel? Would you always want to be around them or would you think that maybe they were fake because nothing ever seemed to faze them? I don't wish struggles on anyone, but sometimes it can be tough to think that that person doesn't have their own struggles and trials that they are going through even if you can't see their situations.
Are you facing a medical diagnosis that seems impossible? Or maybe it's a financial situation that you don't know how to overcome. It could be a combination of problems that just seems to keep piling up and there doesn't seem to be a way to overcome?
Today let's look at those impossible situations, those situations that can only change with a miracle and let's give them over to God to perform His miracles through us. If you have time, look up the song "Don't stop Praying" and listen to the rest of the lyrics and see if it makes you think about the situations in your life differently today. Be encouraged and know that God is always with us. One of the statements I took from Pastor's sermon last week was that the "Result of the trial is praise." God is trying to make us into who we are supposed to be and sometimes that means we have to go through a refining process to get to where we need to be.
love this so much and is so encouraging...God bless you as you write....keep up the good work
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