Life, as you’ve probably already discovered, is an interesting little proposition.  One of ups, downs, ins, outs and goofy little quirks we as Christians call trials.  I, unlike many ministers (and Christians in general), am very thankful that Jesus told us that tribulations would come.  Otherwise, there would have been many times in my life that I would have felt like some sort of misfit Christian.  The good news is my name isn’t Rudolph (You know the red nosed reindeer) and God isn’t shipping me off to the island of misfit toys.  (Sorry, just a feeble attempt at humor.)

I have however found it part of my calling to encourage people who might be feeling like a feeble excuse as a Christian.  You see, I have observed that far too many believers are of the misguided impression that life as a Christian will be a honky dory bed of roses and if it’s not then they must be doing something horribly wrong.  The good news for those dealing with crazy situations is that this simply isn’t true.  I wish I was at liberty to tell you of the things I have watched other Christians go through. (That way I wouldn’t make myself look so bad so many times just for the sake of an illustration.)

As one of my favorite ministers so eloquently describes it, we are in a war for our worship.  I love the book of Job, and I especially love Job’s response in The Message bible after he lost everything: “…and he fell on his face and worshiped God.”  Not exactly the normal response to that scenario, huh?  Far too often Job and God get blamed for the mess that happened to the hero of our story.  Even Job’s "comforters” blamed God for his demise.  When in reality Satan brought the destruction to destroy Job, to get him to do what was suggested to him by one of his buddies (a term that is said in jest.) “Curse God and die.”  Perhaps you have felt as though you have been living life in Job’s shoes lately.  You keep pressing into God with all your might, but the situations keep pressing in on you.  Just when you think it can’t get any worse…well you get the point.  I have great news for you: God’s grace is sufficient!!

What? You don’t find any comfort in that?  I didn’t either when I was facing continual pummeling from the enemy of my soul.  I did however understand the concept of God’s grace is sufficient.  Mix that with the concept of a war for my worship and I found the strength I needed to stand.  I assure you the storm will pass.  I assure you that God is faithful and just to perform His word.  I assure you that as I stood in the face of what seemed to be hell itself I didn’t feel like winning the war for my worship.  I didn’t feel that God’s grace was anymore sufficient than the apostle Paul did when God told him three times “My grace is sufficient” while he was dealing with the infamous thorn. Truth is, I felt like I wasn’t experiencing any grace at all.  Yet I kept pressing into Him.  I hate using myself as an example because it feels like I am saying, “Look at me, I’m sooooo special!”  The deal is this: My God is probably your God.  He is faithful. He does love you and He will see you through.  Just keep doing what seems illogical: worshiping and standing in the fact that His grace is a tremendous place of strength and it is truly sufficient to overcome the stuff you're dealing with.

I know for some of you that seems like a statement that is way too easy, but it’s just the truth.  For me I found that when I began to focus my attention on the faithfulness of God instead of the enormity of the situation(s) I was facing. I began to see His favor, His hand more.  Notice that I didn’t say I did something to get God to bless me.  A statement like that usurps His sovereignty and reduces God to a formula.  Sorry, I just don’t believe that way.  (Shocked some of you, didn’t I?)  I heard a minister friend say it this way once: “If I hold my finger right up next to my nose, what do I see? I see finger and very little else, but if I stretch my arm out in front of me and hold up my finger I see the world around me.  My finger is still there, but now my perspective changes.”  For me to deal with the giant pile of dung in front of me, I decided to see it as fertilizer for the breakthrough I needed instead of focusing on the smell and the un-sightliness the pile.  Your approach to this little proposition we call life and the trials that come, can make huge changes in the results you see.--bob