KingJ
Loyal
With Russell Brand's reported 10.5-year prison sentence, I thought it worthwhile to consider what Scripture teaches us about God's purposes when He leads His children through difficult and uncomfortable circumstances.
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We need to be careful not to measure God's goodness or faithfulness by how comfortable our earthly circumstances are.
Scripture repeatedly demonstrates that God leads His children directly into circumstances that the world would consider disastrous.
Consider Joseph.
Genesis 50:20:
"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good..."
Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery and imprisoned for something he did not do. Yet God was working through those very circumstances to accomplish His purposes.
Consider Paul.
God called Paul to preach the Gospel, but that calling involved beatings, imprisonment, persecution and eventually death.
Acts 9:16:
"For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."
Notice that God did not promise Paul a comfortable ministry. He told him that suffering would be part of his calling.
Philippians 1:12-14 demonstrates that even Paul's imprisonment served to advance the Gospel. What appeared to be a setback became an opportunity for the Gospel to reach others.
Consider Peter.
Acts 12 records Peter being imprisoned and chained between two soldiers. Yet God had not abandoned him. His circumstances were still within God's sovereign authority.
And consider Acts 16:22-34. Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned. Rather than despairing, they prayed and sang praises to God. Their imprisonment ultimately became an opportunity for the Gospel and the salvation of the jailer and his household.
Scripture tells us that God directs our steps.
Proverbs 16:9: A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord rather than our own understanding, acknowledging Him in all our ways.
Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Now consider the bigger picture.
Our earthly lives are relatively short. Even if God gives us 70 or 80 years, that is a very small portion of eternity.
Psalm 90:10 speaks of seventy years, or eighty years with strength.
We must therefore stop viewing our earthly circumstances in isolation. God has an eternal perspective. We are often looking at what is happening to us today, whereas God sees the eternal purposes He is accomplishing through our lives.
Romans 8:18:
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 tells us that our present affliction is temporary and that it is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
And Revelation 22:5 tells us that His servants shall reign with Him for ever and ever.
Think about that!
We have a comparatively short earthly life in which God may test us, refine us, discipline us, use us and accomplish His purposes through us. In eternity we have everlasting peace with Him.
Our objective should not be to escape every uncomfortable circumstance. Our objective should be to remain faithful to God through whatever circumstances He permits or leads us into.
We should never automatically interpret imprisonment, persecution or suffering as evidence that God has abandoned someone. Sometimes those very circumstances become the platform through which God accomplishes His greatest work.
The question is not whether our earthly journey is comfortable. The question is whether we remain faithful to the Lord who has promised us an eternity that makes every temporary earthly suffering pale in comparison.
---------
We need to be careful not to measure God's goodness or faithfulness by how comfortable our earthly circumstances are.
Scripture repeatedly demonstrates that God leads His children directly into circumstances that the world would consider disastrous.
Consider Joseph.
Genesis 50:20:
"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good..."
Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery and imprisoned for something he did not do. Yet God was working through those very circumstances to accomplish His purposes.
Consider Paul.
God called Paul to preach the Gospel, but that calling involved beatings, imprisonment, persecution and eventually death.
Acts 9:16:
"For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."
Notice that God did not promise Paul a comfortable ministry. He told him that suffering would be part of his calling.
Philippians 1:12-14 demonstrates that even Paul's imprisonment served to advance the Gospel. What appeared to be a setback became an opportunity for the Gospel to reach others.
Consider Peter.
Acts 12 records Peter being imprisoned and chained between two soldiers. Yet God had not abandoned him. His circumstances were still within God's sovereign authority.
And consider Acts 16:22-34. Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned. Rather than despairing, they prayed and sang praises to God. Their imprisonment ultimately became an opportunity for the Gospel and the salvation of the jailer and his household.
Scripture tells us that God directs our steps.
Proverbs 16:9: A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord rather than our own understanding, acknowledging Him in all our ways.
Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Now consider the bigger picture.
Our earthly lives are relatively short. Even if God gives us 70 or 80 years, that is a very small portion of eternity.
Psalm 90:10 speaks of seventy years, or eighty years with strength.
We must therefore stop viewing our earthly circumstances in isolation. God has an eternal perspective. We are often looking at what is happening to us today, whereas God sees the eternal purposes He is accomplishing through our lives.
Romans 8:18:
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 tells us that our present affliction is temporary and that it is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
And Revelation 22:5 tells us that His servants shall reign with Him for ever and ever.
Think about that!
We have a comparatively short earthly life in which God may test us, refine us, discipline us, use us and accomplish His purposes through us. In eternity we have everlasting peace with Him.
Our objective should not be to escape every uncomfortable circumstance. Our objective should be to remain faithful to God through whatever circumstances He permits or leads us into.
We should never automatically interpret imprisonment, persecution or suffering as evidence that God has abandoned someone. Sometimes those very circumstances become the platform through which God accomplishes His greatest work.
The question is not whether our earthly journey is comfortable. The question is whether we remain faithful to the Lord who has promised us an eternity that makes every temporary earthly suffering pale in comparison.