Perfected, Established, Strengthened and Settled

'And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you into his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you'. I Peter 5:10

Do you believe that it happens after prayer?  Do you believe that the God you serve is able?  I mean really able.  Do you believe it to the point that you have submitted fully and completely to the Master?  Have you given up total control of your life to God so that when trials and tribulations come you continue on in prayer?  You stop the mumbling and grumbling and moaning and complaining.  You trust God to either sustain you where you are or move you where you need to be.  You show no resistance. You stand firm.  You fix your eyes on Jesus who is the author and finisher of your faith. 

I read something today that said, 'Christians are to live with the understanding that God's purposes realized in the future require some pain in the present'.  Isn't that what it is all about?  The trade-off for pain is perfection. Not a bad trade-off.   I often think of the old nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.  Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall.  Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  All the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put Humpty together again.  Our lives are full of ups and downs.  We reach the mountaintop only to be knocked down to the valley as a result of God's perfecting process. This is a process that occurs many times over the course of the believers life. Try as we may, using whatever methodology we know how, to put ourselves together again, we simply can't.  This can only be done with the help of the Lord.  Often times we find out lives broken in little pieces, scrambling to put the pieces back together again.  But no matter how hard we try, nothing works.  We must rely on the Lord.  Too often we try to figure out a way to get out of our current situation; by doing so we fail to allow God to work it out.  This was a difficult lesson for me.  But I soon discovered something about myself and every storm that I have had to go through.  God had prepared me for each and every trial.  All I had to do was allow Him to lead, guide and direct my every step.  Through every trial I was strengthened.  I developed a true thirst for the Word.  The more I got into the Word, the better my foundation.  I might have lost position, job, friends, finances but each and every time God restored me.  I finally understood that trouble doesn't last always. 

Trials are inevitable.  But then again so is victory for the child of God.  If you are tired of the dark cloud that seems to be hanging over your life, give it over to God.  Allow Him to prepare you, establish you, strengthen you and place you on a firm foundation.  He is the only one who can!

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Here I stand in the humblest way that I know how, first giving praise, honor and glory to Your Name.  Here I stand broken.  I have decided today to accept where I am to allow you to work in my life.  No more interference.  I realize that the future requires some pain right now.  But I truly believe in my heart that all things will work out for my good.  In Jesus' Name Amen.