This year God has really been speaking to me about trials.  He has gone out of His way to bring me teaching after teaching on them and this new understanding is leading me to a higher place of peace in Him.  In order to change my view of trials, He is showing me His view of trials.  I want to share with you a few of the puzzle pieces I have gotten and my hope is that you see just how “for you” He is and possibly complete more of your picture of His love for you.

This summer I was listening to a very special teacher, Graham Cooke, teach on trials in his series, “The Art of Thinking Brilliantly”.  He began to share that as believers, we need to begin to think about the trials we go through differently.  Trials usually leave us feeling like someone or God is trying to take something from us.  But what would happen if we stopped thinking about them that way and began to think about them brilliantly, in the light of Jesus?  What if we began to think of them in the light of God trying to give us something we couldn’t get any other way…  Giving us something for our good so that we would be lacking nothing…

This past week I attended a friend’s women’s ministry and the revelation I received has given me a great action plan for my future and furthered my year of understanding.  A lovely lady spoke of her personal life encounter with Jesus through the trials of her life.  I love the light in which she painted her view of God’s love to her through hardship.  She spoke of the trials she went through as a personal invitation to ask Him for something.  Seeing her needs in this world as an opportunity to draw close to Him and lean on Him.  I love the word choice, “invitation” that she used!  It totally shuts down the previous, “rejection”  most are accustomed to when going through a trial.  Instead, seeing that He is inviting me to something special.  He is inviting me to Himself.  He is inviting me to COME!!  He is inviting me to COME TO HIM!

James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing“, has taken on new meaning to me.  Because of this year and His teaching, I now understand that when the above scripture speaks of joy and trial in the same sentence, He wants me to be able to smile with anticipation and not cry, raise a cynical eyebrow, or pout with dread!  Why?  Because He is preparing to give me the key to a door of blessing reserved for me in Christ, in which I had NO previous knowledge or understanding of before the specific trial.  I can smile because I know that He is loading me up with all kinds of GOOD stuff.  He promises that He is my supply and I will lack nothing!  I can smile because I know that hard times are not punishment and good times are not reward.  I can smile because I know He is up to something good and is making his plan known to me!  You see friends, He sees trials from His view, not our limited humanly view.  You are in His most capable hands, He is perfectly secure, perfectly confident and in complete knowledge of your future.  He sees your beginning from your end and His will is that you can rest and trust in His abiding love, leading and plan for your life.

If you are facing a trial today, no matter how big or how small, know that you are not alone.  He does not make light of your trial, He died so that your trials could release a meaningful outcome.  He promises that ALL things work together for good (Rom. 8:28).  Instead of the original curse, they now release blessing through Christ.  Open your eyes today and see that truth.  God has made a way for the redemption of everything through Jesus.   Embrace this opportunity to ask your Father for exactly what you want and need.  Lonely?  Cry out to Him for true fellowship and His strategy for good, Godly friends.  Exhausted?  Ask Him for His rest and a strategy to reduce your load.  Sick?  Call out to the Great Physician, deliverer and healer.  Broke?  Cry out to the Great Provider, Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who Provides.  Whatever the need, cry out to Him and then wait and listen for Him.  He is for you.

There is an amazing Well within you my friend.  He is living water!  Partake with me today!

Love Mel