About Trials – Letter to a Friend

September 24, 2011

Maria Fear, Idols, Isaiah , 4 Comments

My Dear Friend

I, Maria, a fellow believer, called by Christ to be an ambassador and servant of the New Covenant, write this letter to encourage you and offer a perspective about the trial you are undergoing.  I have prayed for you for years.  Usually I have begged God to remove the trial.  But just this week, I have heard a different message about trials and now want to pass this on to you.  It is shaping how I am praying for you.

First I read J.I. Packer discuss trials in the context of the sanctification process. Trials are not to be feared, because we have the assurance that we are well loved since we have been adopted and given the full status and benefits accompanying son-ship.  Our status is not in question when we are tried, tested and undergo rigorous lessons in the Spirit-led school house. Rather, trials are the means by which our characters are transformed to be more like our older brother.  Packer writes, “God wants his children, whom he loves, to bear his character, and he takes action accordingly.”

Next I heard Mark Dever admit that he was a weak and immature pastor in the way he has prayed for his parishioners in the past.  Now instead of just asking God to remove trials, he focuses more on the gains to them from this time in the furnace.  He still prays for release from disease, joblessness, relationship pain but also prays for much more.  He sees the positive purpose of trials. (This way of praying reminds me of John Piper praying that his cancer NOT be wasted).

Finally, I was listening to Joni Erikson Tada’s musings about rose petals.  When crushed between two fingers, they release sweet fragrances.  She was mentioning this in the context of battling a recent lung infection on top of her quadriplegia and breast cancer.  She was attempting to deal rightly with suffering upon suffering in a way that was biblical.  She admitted that she doesn’t understand the ‘whys and wherefores’ of all of her struggles and medical setbacks, but fights to trust the one through whose hands all things come filtered for our good and His glory.

So dear friend, please know that I continue to pray night and day for you that:

  • God would comfort you and be with you through this suffering he has chosen for you
  • This trial would remove all idols from your life, those things which we love and ‘have to have’ more than God
  • That you would embrace it and go through the Valley without fear, knowing that Jesus is with you
  • That you would KNOW without a doubt that what God has given you already IS ENOUGH (a restored relationship with Him and real hope for uninterrupted life and future glory)

You might react with scorn:, “Easy enough for you to say, Maria!  What you call this short and fleeting life feels oppressive and I’m tired.  I just want to lie down and be done with the suffering.”   But remember something, dear one.  Since I love and care for you, I suffer too.  Love always bears the pain of the other.  So to you and to me I say,  let us “Take courage, fear not, behold our God!”   (Is 35:4)  And in beholding, may we become like Him.

More thoughts on prayer

September 14, 2011

Maria James, Luke, Prayer , Leave a comment

“You have not because you ask not”  – James 4:2b

– for Jesus said – “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11: 9-10

The life of prayer is the greatest adventure in this world because God is the director.  Each trial brings more practice, new insights and a deeper understanding of what it means to

-acknowledge a need and my inability to meet it

-ask God specifically for what I think is needed

-trust Him that He will answer the need in His time and for the good of many people (some of whom I do not know)

-practice waiting as a form of worship

Wes and I had an experience when he was a senior in high school.  He and his friend had applied and visited West Point together.  Both passed all the requirements and were accepted, but Sam had a hiccup – he suffered from asthma and would need a medical exception in order to enroll as a candidate.  I was sure that if we prayed in faith and didn’t waiver that all would be well.  We prayed our hearts out for Sam.  As we approached the day of departure, I believed God would come through at the last moment.  And He did, but His answer was not what I had prayed for!

Sam instead enrolled at another college and enjoyed his four years.  I was really shocked that God did not change circumstances as a result of our praying.  Reflecting back, however, I gained new insight into prayer.  We cannot manipulate God.  I am learning that when I pray, trusting God means to hold loosely what I ask for and desire. It’s rather a waiting that He will sovereignly bring about what is best.

And since I cannot see the big picture, I have to let go of my plans.

I’m now facing a situation that is out of my control.  It has to do with travel plans for a family wedding, the Army and this son Wes who is now a lieutenant. The best laid plans of civilian moms can be interrupted by Uncle Sam.  Today as I pray, I wait peacefully.   I don’t feel as desperate for my way to be done.  I won’t manipulate God.  I will wait on Him. And if we have to move to Plan B, I will trust His guidance with those decisions.

“My God would never….”

September 8, 2011

Maria Uncategorized , 1 Comment

Have you ever heard someone exclaim indignantly or self-assuredly, “My God would never send anyone to hell….”?   This person’s god usually is the kind of god that would NOT do whatever he/she finds troubling.

But we are not invited to pick and choose or craft a god that fits our personality or meets our needs or conforms to our worldview.

This tendency is akin to someone saying, “I don’t like triangles that have pointy ends.  From now on I will only accept triangles with soft, rounded ends.”

Well then, Mister, what you have is no longer a triangle.

I know this example is silly, but that is what we do with God when we edit out distasteful aspects like his wrath (how primitive!), or his prohibitions against certain sexual behaviors (how antiquated!), or his command to leave off worrying (how unrealistic!).

If we chop off the unpleasant bits of God, He is no longer God.  For by definition, God is ALL the attributes mentioned in the Bible.  If we remove even one of his attributes, then it is no longer God we have.  Sure we can arbitrarily remove the crust from a pizza and still pretend and call it a pizza.  But it’s not a pizza despite our saying otherwise.  At this point, it’s just a glob of sauce.  You may call it pizza.  But then you are using language in an irrational manner.

So be honest, say that you are having a difficult time reconciling God’s justice with his love, or his promise of real joy with the presence of evil.  But don’t go changing the ontological nature of God.   We are called to love the Biblical God with all our mind, heart and strength.  We don’t get to invent the god of our own choosing.

PS:  just as a prayerful exercise, here is a start to some of the many attributes of God.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but represents an organized way I employ to praise Him.  I’m sure you can add to each letter.  What you cannot do is take any of these away and still have God.

I praise God that He is:

A -abundantly able   B – before all time  C – caring/ chooses me  D -dependable                           E– eternal  F – faithful  G – giver of all good gifts  H – holy   I – immutable  J – just     K – kind  L – loving and lovely  M – merciful  N – never late  O– omnipotent/omniscient  P – powerful Q-quiets me with His presence R-righteous  S – saves me/ supplies me/ succors me  T-Truth  U – understands me/ is underneath me   V-victorious  W – wise    X – (e)xceedingly glorious  Y– yearns for me  Z – zealous for my love