"Friday Thoughts" A Day Late!

Yesterday was so full and busy with school, chores and then the outing last night. I thought that I would post this last night, but was just too tired to make it happen! So, for what they are worth, here are my weekly thoughts!

First, let me say that prayer Thursday night was so incredible. We had just a few of us there and one was a newcomer, but Jesus came and that is all that mattered! It is so powerful to know that you are in the presence of God - nothing else matters when you come into contact with Him.

I decided a few days ago to start rereading the letters to the church, beginning with Romans. If Paul felt like there were things important enough to say to believers back then, then I probably still need to hear them repeated to me today. People are pretty much the same as always - same problems, same flesh that we have to live in and deal with and same world. So, when I read Romans, it doesn't feel like Paul is speaking to people who lived thousands of years ago - it feels like he is speaking to me. That is what makes God's Word alive - it still speaks to men today!

Here are the verses that jumped out at me yesterday:

vs. 3 - "...but we glory in tribulations also" -------- whoa - pause - glory in tribulations??? That grabbed my attention! Especially since Wednesday night, Pastor preached about when Paul was locked up under the worst Caesar in the history of Caesors and ow he still labored for the Lord and witnessed of God's love. He truly knew the meaning of tribulation and how to glory in it. I have a lot to learn, still.

(cont.) "knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" - Now there is something I still lack. Hmmm, is that why I continue to go through similar tribulations? Am I just not getting it? Is God just waiting for me to become what He has designed for me to be?

vs. 4 - "And patience, experience and experience, hope:" - I read this as, if I go through tribulations and allow patience to have a work in me, I will get valuable experience that will help me to have hope that this world can not give, because it is hope in the midst of tribulation. Only God can give that. How do we get hope out of tribulation? By having the patience to stand back and allow God to work and letting Him be in control. Then, when He does, we build our faith in His provision and His answers, so we can hope, no matter the circumstance. I will be honest that a melancholy/choleric like me has a hard time remembering to "let go and let God!" I not only like to know what is happening and the reason why, but I like to take part in bringing about the answers to the problems. Boy, God sure has His work cut out in me. Thankfully, He is patient and forgiving when I forget.

As I read on, in chapter 8, verses 24-25, it says - "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." - saved by hope? And now I see why I need patience - because we are hoping in and for what we can not see.

So, my tribulations help me learn to be patient and my patience builds experience and in my experiences I learn to hope and then I am saved by hope???

I started to see what God had in mind. In this world, we will have tribulations. But, I can learn from those tribulations and allow God to build my hope - hope in Him, in His promises, in His timing, in His ability to take care of any and every situation in my life - hope that this world can not give - in money, possessions, beauty, people, places - nowhere and nothing can give what God gives when I put my life in His hands. And that hope saves me because without it, it would be easy to give up waiting on God, to feel despair and hopelessness that would cause me to take my eyes off of God and His plan for me. Now I know that I truly can rejoice in tribulations - because God has things for me to learn and He is building my hope reserves!

I guess we are all really just on this journey of life. This is maybe not something new to you, and in some ways not to me either, but sometimes it is good to look again at God's Word and realize that His ways truly are higher than my ways. I will trust Him. And I will rejoice ALWAYS.