Responses to Trials

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery
trial when it comes upon you to test you..."

So, trials are a given in this life. But, how am I
as a Christian supposed to respond to them?

"...But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's 
sufferings that you may rejoice and be glad
when his glory is revealed. (1Peter 4:13)

"Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet
trials of various kinds."   (James 1:2)

"...give thanks in all circumstances for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1Thessalonians 5:18)

These scriptures are from the pen of three
writers: "Rejoice; count it all joy; give thanks
in everything."

This looks like a lot of surrender to me. I
cannot, absolutely cannot do this unless I
am consciously dwelling in Him as the branch
dwells in the vine. Otherwise, I kick against
any negative thing that comes into my life.
The flesh in me does not respond very well to
the negatives.

How about you, beloved, can you grasp
what God's will is for you when life crashes
in?

Tune in tomorrow and see what God has
been up to just this past weekend. What a story!

Thankfulness Corner:
Low mountains in white, in brown, finally in green.

Algebra

Algebra tests were a fiery trial for me. They tied me
in knots and I began to fail the tests. My homework
showed that I understood the problems, but fear of
failure immobilized me. My teacher recognized this
and after a tearful meeting in his office he told me
that on the next test he would give me a B no matter
what I did, and, if I got an A I could keep it. I got
a legitimate B on that test and an A on the following
one and ended the semester with a B average.

But this is not what God is talking about in the
verse I shared yesterday:

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when
it comes upon you, to test you..."

The trial in this verse indicates a sudden excruciating
event that pounces upon an unsuspecting individual
such as we saw with Daniel and his friends. There is
no time in the moment to prepare, but we are not to be
surprised. These trials are to be expected and God has
a purpose in sudden life changing events. My Algebra
teacher gave tests to see what we knew but perceived
that the test was not valid for me in this respect. God
has a different purpose. He wants to show me what He
all ready knows! He wants me to see whether my faith
in Him as a good, loving, compassionate Papa God, is
standing firm when everything in my life shouts: "NO!"

Thankfulness Corner:
The fullness of expectation for good
as I enter this new day.

Gut Wrenching Trials

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial
when it comes upon you to test you, as though
some strange thing were happening to you. But 
rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings,
that you may rejoice and be glad when his 
glory is revealed. (1Peter 4:12)

...at the fiery trial when it comes upon you--
not if it comes upon you. Shadrach, Mechach
and Abednego were at a place of worship when
the sickening thought rose, "that fire is going
to be our fire." Daniel hardly had time to think
as he was jerked out of his room and moved
swiftly towards hungry lions. In both cases these
men had to go through the fire, but both times
God miraculously rescued them. Sometimes
we sense that we are headed for a trial but God
suddenly intervenes and we escape. Then there
are the trials where we escape through death
into the arms of our Beloved and an eternity
without any trials at all.

Dear readers, it is not a question of if we are
going to find ourselves looking down the throat
of trouble, it is a given. Why does our God allow
so much pain into our lives? Good question!

Thanksgiving Corner
Fog against the mountains at dawn.

Big Lions have Sharp Teeth

The sixth chapter of Daniel has in it a very
familiar story. It is a story taught to us at an
early age and the words roll over our lips:
"Daniel and the lions den? Oh, yes I know
all about that!" But do we? What was it like
for an elderly Daniel who served as one of
the top leaders under King Darius, to suddenly
look in the face of death. His death.

"The king commanded, and Daniel was 
brought and cast immediately into the lions
den." (Daniel 6:16)

What was it that brought Daniel into the pit
of lion poop and sharp teeth? It was prayer.
He refused to change the habit of openly
praying to his God three times a day.
Daniel's open faithfulness to his God, and
to each king, got him into high places, but
also into to the lowest pit, where an ugly,
painful death awaited him. As I sit here
and ponder this story, I am asking God to
show you, dear reader, something new
about this story, something you have never
seen before.

Thankfulness corner:
The bathroom is toasty warm even at midnight.

Stories:
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.php

Another Turning

Or should I say churning?

Immediately after the discussion, the she took dog
for a walk. Nothing like a good walk at sunset to
get a proper perspective on life! When she returned
she wrote down the story and then laughed through
her tears as she read it to the he. Both of them studied
the problem together. It did appear impossible but
they were now on the same side of impossible. The
landlord, the he's cousin and a farmer, was called for
advice. The farmer agreed to come over the next
morning with a tape measure for a consultation. The
verdict: The bed is in! It will make it up the stairs and
then take half of the room, but it fits. One hundred
years ago the people slept on narrow beds. Their
unheated bedrooms were only used for sleeping and
the parents slept downstairs!

Dear reader, do you not see the loving hand of
Papa God? He brought us to the end of our own
resources; brought us back into a right relationship
with each other; then brought in a willing third party
who had the answer we needed. Yes, indeed, the
grandson will have a proper bed to sleep in and
this marriage has certainly been saved!

Thankfulness Corner:
Ridges of wax as candle cooled.

Stories
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.php

As the Stomach Churns

A certain he and a certain she wanted a bed, a twin
bed, for the small, really small, third bedroom. She
had bought a brightly colored bed set for the bed.
The he, but mostly the she, searched for just the
right kind of bed. Everything seemed so expensive!
But wait, what about a platform bed with a foam
mattress? Soon she discovered just what she wanted,
only 12" high and 41 inches wide. A platform bed
with three little drawers. The bed was on sale and
came with free shipping. What a deal! She quickly
ordered the bed. 

He comes into the room with a tape measure.

He: "The twin bed won't fit."
She: "I just ordered the bed."
He: "What are those measurements again?"
She: (Grumble)--opens lap top and finds the info.
He: "We can take out the window and take it in that
         way."
She: "I have been talking about and looking for a twin
          bed for weeks now...."
He: "The hall upstairs is very narrow and the doorway
          to the room is very low."
She:  "Here"--she hands him the order #--"you find
            something suitable. What in the world have
            people been using for a bed for the last one
            hundred years!"

Dear reader, She is mad at he because the process
has been going on a long time and she thought she
had the perfect solution. She is also mad at the stupid
farmhouse for being so very small--as if one can be
mad at a thing! He is mad at she because she is
sounding so unreasonable.

What will be the outcome?
Will the grandson have a place to sleep?
Can this marriage be saved?

Tune in tomorrow for another episode of
"How the stomach churns."

Thankfulness Corner:
The lowing of the cattle in the distance--they don't
belong to me!

stories:
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.php

In Captivity

Many Jews were taken into Babylon, only a remnant
remained behind. God told them to sow and plant,
and marry for this was not going to be a short deal.
So, what about the multitude, how did they fare?

"By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
On the willows' there
we hung up our lyres...
How shall we sing the Lord's song
in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137: 1,2,4)

It appears that these Jews stayed in the past and
stayed miserable. They stopped singing. They
refused to worship. They hung up their
instruments on the weeping willows along the
river. They were in captivity in their hearts not
just in their bodies.

Dear reader, when I live in the past of regret
and failure; when I live in a time of "better
then than now," I cannot be available to the
gifts and opportunities of the present--and I
stop singing. I am then in a captivity of my own
making.

Thankfulness Corner:
Long dark shadows walking along at Sunset.

stories: http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com/stories.php