I love calm, quiet, rainy mornings with a cup of warm tea. I love dusky evenings, listening to music, watching the sunset, foggy afternoons watching the mist, snowy winters when I can watch the soft flakes cover the world in a canopy of white. So I don't think any of my friends could accuse me of not liking weather that isn't perfectly sunny. But thunderstorms are my mortal enemy so far as weather forecasts are concerned. Why? There's something about the darkness, about the rumbling thunder, that feels deeply threatening to me.
But then the lightning flashes and the darkness is broken. The shadows are splintered. The light comes pouring in.
This is what Christ, our Savior, does for us. Right now, you may feel that shadowy storm clouds are encroaching on your life. After all, as some wise person once said, either you're about to enter a trial, or you're just getting done with one, or you're in one already. Wherever you are in that continuum, the hope of our Lord and Savior can help you. Today, we'll be looking at the beginning and the end — before and after — a trial, and following up soon with the middle, during a trial.
1) Before a Trial
Sometimes life can seem... perfect. The moments have definitely been rarer as I left young childhood, but they still come every now and then. It's too easy for me to be lulled into a false peace by the sunshiny days and not prepare myself for the storms that are sure to come again. In the moments of peace and beauty, we have two duties: praise and preparation.
As Paul says in Philippians 4:4-5, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near." The world will be shocked to see us rejoicing in times of tribulation, but we can also impress Christ's image on hearts by showing our gratefulness in times of blessing.
But even gratefulness is not enough. We must remember to "watch and pray," as Jesus commanded His disciples. Trouble will eventually come. As 2 Timothy 2:4 says, "Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them." So while we enjoy and give thanks, we must remember that we are merely soldiers on leave.
2) After a Trial
Sometimes, however, the soldiers are exhausted. The wounds are fresh, the hearts are broken. To continue the weather analogy, the winds of the storm have blown over and wrecked many important things. Nothing seems to remain from the earlier sunshiny time. What do we do, when we feel that all our hopes have already failed? Cast our eyes on eternity.
Even the darkest of times is only a breath, only an instant. Even a lifelong trial is insignificant, a "light and momentary affliction," in light of the endless epochs of eternal bliss. God is designing a paradise for us, a paradise in which we will be safe with Him forever. Are you weary of mind? God will nourish you with Himself. Are you lonely? A Friend closer than a brother awaits you. Are you hurting? He will transform your body into the likeness of His image.
Take heart, my dear and weary friend. He will heal your scars.
Written by Mia Fuller
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