Appreciate the Journey!
Have you ever heard of John Livingston? He was the brother of David Livingston, the famous missionary. The two boys grew up together in Scotland and received the same education and instruction. When the time came to each make a choice about his own life, John determined to acquire while David chose to become a missionary.
John lived a life of luxury and died one of the wealthiest men in Ontario. David died in a miserable hut in Africa after 33 years of toil and travel, constant fighting against tropical diseases and continual exposure to wild animals and savage people.
Two brothers on very different journeys in life! Two very different measures of what might be regarded as success. John Livingston’s life reflected a healthy, wealthy and successful businessman. Surely this is what God wants for us .... No not necessarily.
What we want and think we need to have in life, or how we measure success, is generally poles apart of what God thinks.
When John died, there was a brief note in the obituary column telling of his passing and of his being a brother to David. David Livingston was laid to rest in honour in Westminster Abbey.
We tend to think that if we pray hard enough, we tithe, we fast, we are good Christians and part of God’s family that God will lead us to success (however we may define worldly success), even if and when we are obedient to Him. Yet do we realise that His purpose may even be the opposite! It may shock you, but I don’t think God is as much interested in what you want, as much as what you are.
We are all on the journey in life where we are trying, dare I say striving, to do something, may it be become financially secure, travel, help others, own a home, study, be healthy etc etc. God does not need us to reach any of those goals of ours, because for Him what happens on the journey is the goal! God is in the business of growing us into spiritually mature, fruit bearing saints of the living God! And it’s the journey that does this, not the destination.
Mark 6:45-52 NIV
45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
Do you notice….”Jesus made his disciples get into the boat”? And then things did not go easily. The wind was buffeting the boat and they were straining against the oars. People had drowned in situations like that.
If these disciples had never put out to see and experienced what they did, they may have never seen Jesus walk on the lake and calm the wind! Their straining and difficulties after being sent out to sea, led to a strengthening of their faith. Ask any sports person doing serious training, straining produces strength. We are in training and that always requires some effort and strain. No way around it.
Even our bones go through remodelling, where old bone tissue is resorbed and replaced with new bone. This happens when there is mechanical stress on the bone eg from weight-bearing exercises and resistance training. This causes the bone to become stronger.
Spiritually its no different and its what is happening right now on our journey. The stressors we face right now is what is growing us. Just think of all the stressors in our lives right now. We have an opportunity to learn from it and grow or we are missing a huge opportunity. It is not some personal objective we or a future goal we have that is important. It is becoming one with God’s purpose that’s important. It happens now and not in the future.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NIV
6 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”[a]
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
It’s in our trials and straining, when the wind is buffeting us that we see Jesus walking on the water! That night in the boat was a night the disciples would never forget. Jesus had sent them on a difficult and hard journey, but one I am sure they never regretted! They grew so much!
Let’s have a look at the journey of Jesus’ life. From a humanistic point of view, it seemed he had a most unsuccessful life! The first 90% of His life, 30 years or so, we know comparatively little except that He was not famous, wealthy and nor did He hold any high positions in society. Then in the last 3 years (10%) of His life, He was rejected and despised in His ministry, after which He was killed for what He was! If it ended there we would not be sitting here. But God had a purpose, and things that happen do not happen by chance. They happen by design in the purpose of God. And especially for those in the Lord, God allows, by design or decree ALL things to happen for His purpose
Our real challenge is believing that God is in control and working out His purpose in in our lives and in life in general. He is drawing us into His purpose. And eventually we will get to the stage where we no longer say I wonder why God allowed this or that, because we know that God is in control and we realise that we don’t have the capability to understand His wisdom. But in all this He is shaping us and strengthening us just as He did by sending those disciples into rough seas.
God allows things to happen in our lives, and we come out better for it. Even though we may not see it at the time or even over extended periods of time. Life’s journey and the trials are making us grow, and He is maturing us for His purpose.
Throughout this bible things happen either because He allows it or He decrees it for His purpose!
AND for those in Christ Jesus they will ALWAYS work out for good- even though we can’t see it now.
Just look at what happened to Sodom – God intervenes and punishes where necessary, look what happened to Jeus, even in the horror of crucifixion God’s purpose was fulfilled!
God allows tribulation to happem!
Look at Job
Job 1:6-22 ESV
Satan Allowed to Test Job
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[a] also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
AND the outcome
Job 42:5-6 NIV
5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
Look at Paul’s thorn in the flesh
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
7 To keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Remember the story of Joseph,
Genesis 50:20 NIV
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Are you in the pit?
In our life, on our journey, God allows things to happen either by permission or decree for His purpose – and in the long term it will be good! Hard to believe sometimes! Job’s friends didn’t think it was good, and you may not think a thorn in the flesh is good, but God is moulding you, He is growing you, He is maturing you, so that you too can see Jesus walk on the water.
Despair and tragedy comes our way, - Joseph, Job, David (lost his son), God says to us… to me “do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you” Is 41:10
So why does God put us through sometimes very difficult trials and tribulation? Well, He is making us one with Him, one with His purpose, pure and holy!
And in doing so He is teaching us many things;
He is teaching us to depend on Him
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NIV
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
To pray deep prayers!
Humility. Paul writes in 2 Cor To keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh
Lastly in my list (there are many more learning points) and perhaps most importantly He is giving us an opportunity to help others by what we have gone through. By standing with those going through tough times, we’re in a unique position to provide support, reassurance and to be a witness of God’s grace and provision in similar circumstance. A witness to the grace of God, which you can now do because of what you have gone through!
We are on a journey of drawing closer to God. How we respond to everyday events and trials is an opportunity to draw closer to God. That is what is important – not the destination That’s why Paul says I rejoice in my suffering (Rom 5).
However, until we accept that God is in total control, we will never be able to be one in purpose with Him on our journey. Headwinds will make us question God.
Spurgeon writes this about God being in control
I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes—that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens—that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence—the fall of sear leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.
There is a verse I often think about sometimes when I’m feeling blessed and sometimes also when things are not going so well
Psalm 16:5-6 New International Version (1983)
5 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Now lets put this into practice! When we experience difficult situations, be it health, wealth or even political, things that are difficult to accept, this acronym helps me:
“LEAP of Faith is what I need”
‘L’ -look around at God’s creation and see how wonderful it is then…
‘E’- express your thanks and gratefulness for what he has done on creation and for you
‘A’- don’t be Anxious about anything (God has told us this!)
‘P’ – pray into the situation with “deep” prayers…………. Then have FAITH…..a LEAP of faith
faith that God is in total control – always.
Have faith that God has ordained this; by permission or decree or allowed this to happen that His purpose may be served…..and you know what, its for our best purpose too!
In tragedy, trials and tribulation God’s purpose will be served. I’m not putting my head in the sand like an ostrich, but I know all things work for the good of those in Christ Jesus. And I believe God’s word.
There is a great analogy where people think somehow God is complicit in the bad things that happen. The sun brings warmth and light to our world, but as it sets and night comes, there is darkness and cold. Does the sun cause the darkness and cold – no. In the same way God does not cause the darkness in our lives or the tragedies, BUT He can direct them! Just like He did with Joseph, Job and many many others!
Joni Eareckson Tada wrote this once…
“God allows what He hates to accomplish what He loves”
And that happens in our lives- on our journey- trials and tribulation that we hate, will accomplish what God loves!!
Embrace and appreciate every minute of your journey!
LEAP of Faith
L
Look around at Gods creation
Look at what God has done in creation and for you- incredible!
E
Express you thankfulness
Ps 16:5-6 Lord you have assigned me my potion & my Cup, you have made my lot secure. My boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places and surely, I have a delightful inheritance
A
Don't be Anxious for anything
Is 41:10 So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you and uphold you with my righteous right hand
P
Pray into the situation
Let Your will be done! I put this in Your hands
of Faith
Faith that nothing happens except by God's divine permission or approval or decree. God has allowed it to be! God has ordained it!