MariJoy Andersen | The Voice of Zion April 2022 --
Life is busy. It is full of distractions. Work can fill our minds, long after we’ve left the office. The kids’ constant desire to be entertained, the house in need of repairs, even our own dreams and plans – all of it can occupy the space of our hearts and minds. Have you ever noticed that when everything is going right, your heart and mind become occupied by these things, but the second things go awry your heart and mind begin to seek God?
I have found that seeking Him, praying to Him, loving Him and confessing faith to others brings me closer to God. And when I live in that place even trials become great blessings because they drew me closer to Him in ways nothing else ever could. I look back and think about how we may not in the moment see the goodness that comes with trials, but it is there.
A passage from Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians has in a way become my own over the years. During the constant ups and downs and the endless healing cycles of brain injury recovery, I have read them over and over until memorized. Maybe these words have also become close to you, as it seems to be a place God wants us all to be in, where we realize that in our weakness, He is made strong.
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:7–10 NKJV).
God has ways of getting our attention, of drawing us back to Him, of teaching us where our focus needs to be kept. May these trials strengthen our faith and become our greatest blessings!
Think about how many of our blessings every day of our lives come through rain – rain that causes plants to grow, so we can eat and live another day. Or another kind of rain that brings healing in many ways – the tears we cry of which His Word says He will wipe away each one. For a believer the trials of this life are God’s mercies in disguise. It is this simple understanding that so confounds the wise and yet is one of our greatest treasures.