The Crown of Life
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Psalm 139:7-8
Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
Revelation 2:10 RSV
Do not fear what you are about to suffer... that you may be tested. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Galatians 6:9 NIV
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Job 1:6-7, 13--22
6. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7. The Lord said to Satan, "Whence have you come?" Satan answered the Lord, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." 13. Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; 14. and there came a messenger to Job, and said, "The oxen were plowing and the asses feeding beside them; 15. and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them, and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you." 16. While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you." 17. While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, "The Chaldeans formed three companies, and made a raid upon the camels and took them, and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you." 18. While he was yet speaking, there came another, and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; 19. and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you." 20. Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshiped. 21. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." 22. In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Another example this morning of God leading me in an unexpected direction! I opened to Job—what better book to find yourself in when your heart is troubled and your spirit is being assaulted by tests? Of course, I’m not facing anything close to what Job endured! I’m just trying to work out a couple of things in my life that are nagging at me, and keeping me from focusing all my attention and praise on God 100% of the time.
These scripture excerpts illustrate that man will always struggle to achieve perfection. We will never be worthy of God’s love and mercy. But he offers it anyway! He will never disappoint us or abandon us! And like Job we must declare at every little turn or bump in the road, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Satan is so hard at work, waiting to seize upon an opportune moment to turn us away from God! He boldly declares to God that he has returned "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." Pretty frightening! But these scripture offer us hope! God is ever with us! Yes, we will experience hardships—but they are nothing compared to what Christ endured. Not that they are small, meaningless, inconsequential; but rather that viewed in terms of Christ’s crucifixion, they are more bearable! Not that we don’t question God’s plan, but that when we question, when we ask for a reason, an answer, a purpose for our hardships, God answers, “because I said so!”
We must believe that today’s trial is preparing us for some future event or situation, where what we learn through our faith in God’s good intentions and what we learn about our own strength and courage through faith in God, is preparing us to endure something in the future. And maybe it won’t be as hard to bear, because we’ve learned today to trust in God and His plan, and His timing, and His will.
I know it sounds if I’m saying God plans us harm to make us strong! But that’s not what I mean! What I mean is that when we face difficulties of any kind, God offers His comfort and peace to us through our faith in Him. And when we come out on the other side, look back and realize God was always there with us, our faith is strengthened. So that the next time we hit a bump in the road, we might not panic or over-react! We don’t make it about us. We make it about how trustworthy and faithful God is.
God is so good, so wise, so loving and so great! We cannot help but worship Him! And through our faith in Him, and because of His great mercy, he promises the “crown of life.”
I hope you spend your day trusting that God will be with you through every bump and turn in the road! And that you will worship him with every word, and thought, and action throughout your day.
Mary
