Job 23:10, “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”

That is a familiar verse for most of us and sometimes, in the midst of struggles and storms of life it brings comfort and yet if you aren’t struggling right now it could possibly give you a sense of dread thinking, “I’ll pass on the ‘testing’ if you don’t mind.”  No matter who you are life brings us challenges and sometimes outright terrible seasons of life that can totally overwhelm you.  It all depends on what you decide to do with it all and who your focus is on.  

We have a choice every single day, whether it is a great day or the worst day of your life ~ What and Who are you going to focus on?  Are you going to get so caught up in your victory or success today that you forget where it came from, or will you take the time to give God glory and ask Him how you can use that to better serve Him?  If you are consumed with that hurricane of a life storm that has run you over and totally taken you by surprise stop for a minute and ask yourself are you only focussing on that storm or are you taking it to Him?  It can be so tempting to focus on what is in front or sometimes even behind us and we allow it to consume us, but that will get you nowhere, even if it is a good thing that you are allowing it to consume you.  If you allow God to, He can take the worst day of your life and turn it into the best day because of how it transforms your walk with Him and the growth that comes out of it!  As the old saying goes, “Disappointment either destroys you or drives you” and for Christians that is based on whether or not we choose to give it all to Him!

We need to give God everything!  If He is blessing you ~ ask Him how you can use that blessing to be a blessing or how you can best serve Him from it!  We know we need to give Him our struggles, but it doesn’t end there.  It’s the storms that grow us into who He created us to be if we allow them to.  God wants to bring you out better and He certainly doesn’t want that storm to be your focus for the rest of your life even after it is gone!  Too many people want to live in the past and mull over everything that happened, whether good or bad events, but you cannot move forward and serve Him if you are focused on what is behind you!  You cannot change the past, but God can use it as He sees fit if you will just focus on Him and what He is moving you into.  He has a plan and it is for your future ~ it’s not in the past…. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Seek Him!  Give Him everything, yes open those hands and give Him all that you hold dear, and trust Him to do what is best.  While that may not seem easy it is always best.  Trust comes in knowing that no matter what He loves you and those you love and He sees the whole picture and He knows what we don’t know and He will always do what is best.

He has you in the palm of His hand and He desperately loves you.  If you have felt that He is distant, He isn’t so don’t allow what you feel to dictate your faith.  He is the God who sees, the God who brings justice, the God who heals and provides.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He’s got you!  Trust Him!

Quote:  “Mountaintops inspire leaders and valleys mature them.” ~ J. Phillip Everson