Just When I Needed It Most...

I am constantly amazed by God's Grace and Mercy. The past couple of weeks I have been struggling spiritually as my resolve to follow Christ has been tested.

Today, in my Sunday School class, God gave me an answer to my recent prayers. I walked in our class late this morning after struggling whether to even go at all. The class was discussing Luke 21:12-17. As we discussed being persecuted for Christ, I realized that if I cannot be faithful to Him in the small trials that I am facing, how am I going to be faithful when the real persecution starts? Or am I going to buckle when being faced with losing a family member or even my own life?

There are people who are currently being persecuted and killed for declaring the word, who continue to stand strong and true to Christ. (See Voice of the Martyrs) And here am I, comfortable in my faith and the minute a negative breeze swings in my direction, I buckle. What good am I then for Christ? What a wake up call for me!

But how gracious and loving is Christ that He would remind me of this. He could have simply let me continue my downward path and let me quit. But no, he gently reminded me that I am His and that the trials that I am facing were promised to me the moment he claimed me as His own. And how much more wonderful that through my trials, a person has come to a better understanding of who God is! Who am I to minimize this victory by selfishly focusing on the trials instead of focusing on God and His Greatness?

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:26-39