trbccoffeebreak

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b NIV)

Imagine the year is 1962 and it is time to start making plans for summer. Now picture yourself (in your best June Cleaver summer dress) preparing a young child for a week away at camp. But this is no ordinary camp. This is Alcatraz, America’s premier maximum security prison. Preposterous, isn’t it?! No one would willingly allow their child to experience such hardship. Yet, isn’t this similar to what God did when He sent the children of Israel to inhabit a land filled with wicked idolaters? (Wasn’t there a vacant country somewhere that wasn’t brimming with criminals and reprobates?! )

Sometimes it is hard to understand what God is thinking. But, despite our natural inclination to insulate ourselves (and those we love) from harm and opposition, EASE and COMFORT are never God’s primary intention. FAITH IS! Although we would never willingly invite hardship and resistance into our lives, God knows these are the exact ingredients necessary to develop our faith. As this passage from John 13 reminds us, our focus must never be on the troubles that surface (though they may be plentiful). Instead, our focus must remain on God and the fact that He has already overcome every problem. So today if you are facing giants or unexpected hurdles, just hold tight to your faith as you remember that the point of this journey is not to escape, solve or even conquer life’s challenges. The point is to fully rely on Him through it all.

“Father: As we come before You today, we ask that You help us have the right perspective as we engage life and all of its challenges. Build our faith so that our focus remains on You – even in the midst of life’s bumpy moments.”

For His Glory

Claudia Dempsey
TRBC Coffee Break