After I blogged earlier this month about trials and suffering and how God used it, I found another blogger who shinned a new light on things. He starts by noting Psalms 66 again, particularly verses 8 - 12:

"David begins it by giving thanks and blessings to God. Why? Because God had afflicted Him, had tested Him, had put Him through FIRE and water. Wait a minute! God is the one who puts affliction on us? I thought God loved us. Well, He does. Part of His loving us is shaping us and molding us to be and to do what He has created us to do. He makes us go through trials and tribulations because He knows it is good for us."

That's good stuff! He continues later with this:

"There have been certain afflictions I have asked God to take away, and for some reason or other, He hasn’t. I’ll find out later I suppose. But look at Jesus. He suffered immense pain on the cross for us. Remember what He said in the garden of Gethsemene? He wanted this "cup to pass before [Him.]" He knew that He was going to suffer. If God had spared Jesus from all that pain, we would be lost.
God has a plan and purpose and all this. You may be going through trials (I do EVERYDAY) but God wants to bless you in those things. Take time to thank Him. Look at a Job for a moment. After all those things he went through, don’t you think that perhaps his walk with the Lord was stronger than it already was?"

Awesome! Thanks Man-Fish! (See http://themanfish.blogspot.com/ for the full post.) God has also taught me an even greater piece of this lesson of trials and sufferings and that is MERCY & GRACE and HOPE & JOY!

I learned this in December from Pastor Mundo from The Life Church in Memphis, TN. He talked about God's grace and mercy. He spoke on the fact that God loves us so much that He can not possibly leave us the way that we are. His great love compells Him to change us and mold us. Think about that for just a second! Really let that soak. God loves us TOO much to allow us to be infused with doubt, fear, selfishness, greed, lust, insecurities, etc. Yet, we get even angry that God would allow these test to come or that He would start to reveal these characteristics within us, because "we aren't ready for this."

Have you ever said that? "I'm not ready to deal with this?" Or my recent favorite, "I'm not strong enough to do this!" Ha, ha! I have! Truth is, I'M NOT, BUT HE IS! So, we've covered the mercy and grace part!

Let's talk about the hope and joy part. Let's first take a look at a few scriptures. Open your Bibles to Psalms 34. This is my favorite Psalm. It seems to encompass a little bit of everything. It seems like it always applies to my life, no matter what situation that I am facing or going through. Take a look at the first couple of verses. If you really, really, really understand these first couple of verses, I believe without doubt that they will change your life.

• "I will extol the LORD at all times;
• His praise will always be on my lips.
• My soul will boast in the LORD;
• let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
• Glorify the LORD with me;
• let us exalt His name together."

When should we praise God? AT ALL TIMES! When should His praise be on our lips?ALWAYS! Not in good times only, not only when everything is "smooth sailing" in our lives - AT ALL TIMES and ALWAYS! I remember a certain incredible song that goes a little something like this:

• Blessed be Your name
• When the sun's shining down on me
• When the world's 'all as it should be'
• Blessed be Your name
• Blessed be Your name
• On the road marked with suffering
• Though there's pain in the offering
• Blessed be Your name
• Every blessing You pour out
• I'll turn back to praise
• When the darkness closes in, Lord
• Still I will say
• Blessed be the name of the Lord

Whatever circumstance we face - God doesn't change! He isn't more or less faithful based on the good or bad things happening in our lives. He isn't more or less of a loving God towards us based on how great our days are or are not. Knowing all this, why do we treat Him differently based on these things? I know that my praise and worship changes based on the happiness of my heart or how much I like that particular song at that time instead of it being based on the things of God that never change! And I don't think that I would be alone in saying that comment.

1Thes. 5:16 - 17 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

(Can anyone else hear Kevin Gerald here with a vibrating tongue, followed by a loud, "HELLO!"?)

I can tell you right now that this scripture is a convicting one. Thank you HOLY SPIRIT! Not only does it reaffirm what Psalms 34 says, but it goes even farther and tells us that to live this joyful and grateful life facing any circumstance is GOD'S WILL FOR OUR LIVES! WOW! In the words of a friend of mine, "Dang!"

In my previous blog, I was in the place where I was rejoicing in the end result of how God mold us in our trials, not in the now, not in the trial. I thought that hope part was looking to the future and how God was going to use the trials to lead me to greater things in Him or to be more like Him. Now, God is clearly speaking more of the lesson, "Not after the trial, but through the trial!" It is not the end result of the trial that we are shaped but through it! We don't have to hope in the end result, but gain a greater hope through what God leads us through. Thank you Jesus!

Lord, you are speaking! I am listening! You are leading and I am following. My eyes are open to your works and my ears are attentive to your direction. Work in me, Father! Work through me and never, never, never let my tongue be silent to speak your praises. In Jesus' sweet name, Amen.