Believing in God in Our Trials

    Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. They made it through huge challenges and trials. With their wives and their families.

    Moses and the Twelve Tribes went through generations of sore and hard trials, but they still worshipped God and eventually were blessed. Servitude and bondage are unimaginably hard trials, for a whole people! They had to wander and then battle for the lands of their inheritance.

    David and his son Solomon wrote most of the Proverbs and Psalms. Adages and songs praising God and looking to Him as a source of strength and wisdom, peace and hope.

    Others of the scriptures do the same, as of course the Greatest One, Jesus Christ.

    Then we should do so, too.

    We must continue to believe and act in faith and hope. Not be extreme, as some close family warns against. Being extreme makes others feel awkward or shamed, or perhaps that overall vibe is not conducive to how Jesus Himself would be. 

    What would Jesus do? How can we know? We have to do our best, and much of it is intuition and making our best choices. Of course we come up short, none of us are the best. 

    We try. We try staying steadfast (a word that the Pastor Geovanni used when preaching from James 1: 1-12 last Sunday at the Baptist Church in Leesburg) in our faith and commitment to our Lord.

    He rules and reigns, therefore we can and should put our faith in Him.

    We all have trials. Some of them are emotional, some are spiritual, some are financial and professional. We see cases where political and military, and of course weather events can greatly influence and be detrimental to peace and calm. On individual and collective levels we pass through trials.

    Sickness, death, money issues, work problems, neighbors or strangers that might hurt us, cause us harm. Do bosses, political leaders, those in power do us wrong sometimes? Co-workers and colleagues, family and friends can throw us off.

    All of the above people and things may offend us. We have to stay focused on faith and love, forbearance and strength. We have to forgive and receive forgiveness, be forgiven.

    Faith in the higher power, faith in the system of God and His creations. His plan.

    Plans for us. You and me.

    Our children and our children's children.

    We have come from a history of trials; we will go on engaging and overcoming.

    Is it through Christ? Is it by other means that we advance and conquer?

    We must decide and act accordingly. 

    Have faith in the greater power. Greater Power.

    The Lord of the Universe.

    Does He have a body? Does He have parts and passions?

    To most Jewish, Christians, and Muslims, whether He has one form or another is not the point, as it may be a sticking point for some, but that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, all-merciful.

    He has a plan or plans for His creations. Which is us.

    Plans for you and me.

    Do you believe? Can you believe? Will you act with faith to do what is right, and fulfill His will?

    What does he want? He wants us all to be joyful and prosper. Yet, there will be setbacks and injuries.

    I choose to believe. And act. May God permit me to accept and do His will.