As we have been working through this series on “Pain” I have been thinking about all the difficulties and challenges that have been painful and the opportunities that accompanied them. It seems to me that the part of me that gets better is the part of me that holds out until the pain is over. Every time there has been a great opportunity “God ordained” direction there have been challenges as soon as the door was opened.
Some times we pray and ask God to make a way where there is no way, He leads us to a land filled with giants and a lot of times we think we missed God because of the challenges, surely God wouldn’t send us in a way where there is going to be problems????? but, nevertheless “I so like that word” that’s what happens a lot of the time. I think part of the reason for this is He doesn’t want us to forget who our source is , he wants us to trust Him even when we are in His perfect will.
Go back to the bible and take another look at the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey. There is no doubt that it was God’s will for the Israelites to go in, but when Moses sent in the spies they came back with the report that the land was indeed good BUT there where Giants in the Land (challenges) and the response has been the same for most believers every since surely God doesn’t expect us to go in to a land like that????? But two guy’s were up for the challenge Joshua and Caleb They saw everything that the others saw but they where motivated by faith in the One who sent them, God, they had not forgotten the faithfulness of God and trusted Him to be with them. The others where driven by fear and they doubted that God was big enough to defeat the giants that where in the land.
Then I think about Jesus Christ and the bible tells us that he did “all things well” and that the father was “well pleased with him”. He was baptized in suffering and pain yet he lived a sin free life. Gods perfect will for Jesus was for him to walk the “via dolorosa” the way of suffering and no one can deny that God’s blessing was firmly on his life. We see him “Jesus” deal with one circumstance after another as God laid out his plan for his life. Every time he followed God, it lead to a challenge and a blessing until he laid down his life at the Cross. He accomplished Gods will for his life and it cost him his life. Why does anybody that makes a commitment for Christ to “Follow him” think he will never lead them into pain and suffering? It is because he loves us that he allows pain in our life because HE wants us to be like HIM, complete in every way. I pray that you and I can always pray not My will but YOURS FATHER. and thats the way I see it in my market.