FAITHFUL IN TRIALS – PART 2

2 – The Choices We Can Make:

As far as I can tell there are four basic choices we can make when we face trials. The first three are all wrong choices:

A -- Take our lives:
That is what Job's wife wanted him to do when disaster struck their family. His wife said to him: Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse YHVH, and die. -- Job 2:9. Thank YHVH Job did not do what his wife wanted; instead, he walked with YHVH through his trial and learned to deal with it YHVH's way instead of according to the flesh. But you will remember Judas, his solution to his trial was not to turn back to the YHVH he had been a traitor to, but to commit suicide. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. -- Matthew 27:5. This choice is perhaps; the worst one we can make.

B -- Try to ignore it:
This is what mental health people call denial. It is when your problem or trial is staring you right in the face but you act as if it is not real. This is a very unhealthy way to deal with your trials.

C -- Blame YHVH for it:
That is what Jeremiah did in the first 20 verses of Lamentations 3. That is what Moses did in Numbers 11 when under great stress. That is what Naomi did when her husband and sons died. That is what Job's wife did when disaster struck their home. That is what many people do today when they are faced with trials and they do not know what do to about it they shake their fist at YHVH and cry: Why did You do this to me? But YHVH has not done anything to us; if we choose this way of response to our trials, we are peddling backwards.

D. Trust YHVH in it:
Recognize that YHVH is going through the trial with you every step of the way. In 2 Chronicles 15:2, the Ruach of YHVH came upon Azariah and he said: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; Adonai is with you, while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you. This great YHVH, Elohiym of the universe is with us, He can be found and He will walk through the trials with us. He does not promise to take them away, but He promises to be with us through the experience. Let us spend some time on the following:

3 – The Comforts YHVH Offers:
If we go back to Jeremiah in Lamentations 3 we see after blaming YHVH he realized he was going about this the wrong way. He lists the ways that YHVH has comforted him in his trials.

A -- Hope in remembrance:
This I recall to my mind; therefore, have I hope. -- Lamentations 3:21. Jeremiah called to mind the YHVH that He worshiped. He could remember his past experiences that YHVH had seen him through. He could draw hope from the fact that the YHVH who had been there for him in the past would be there for him in the here and the now and in the days to come.

B -- Love that sustains us:
Becky met up with her boyfriend Dave and asked him: Do you love me with all your heart and soul? Dave answered, Uh-huh. Becky: Do you think I am the most beautiful girl in the world? Dave: Uh-huh. Becky: Do you think my lips are like rose petals? Dave: Uh-huh. Becky: Oh, you say the most wonderful things! Jeremiah remembered a real love, the love he had from Adonai: It is of Adonai’s mercies that we are not consumed… -- Lamentations 3:22a. Jeremiah's trial did not consume or overwhelm him, because he knew he had a YHVH who loved him as a friend. I believe we can face anything if we know we are loved.

C -- Compassion that never leaves us:
Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. -- Lamentations 3:22b-23. Knowing that YHVH really cares somehow makes our burden lighter.

D -- Patience in waiting:
Adonai is my portion, saith my soul; therefore, will I hope in Him. Adonai is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Adonai. -- Lamentations 3:24-26. Knowing that YHVH is there helps us to wait for Him in those times that we do not sense His presence. Jeremiah said: It is good to wait quietly for the salvation and deliverance of Adonai. What he is saying is: I know Adonai is on His way, He will deliver me!

E -- Ability to help others:
Blessed be YHVH, even the Father of our Adonai Yeshua Moshiach, the Father of mercies, and Elohiym of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of YHVH. -- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. You see part of the comfort we receive from YHVH is the satisfaction of knowing He will use us to help others when they face trials in their lives. YHVH does not just help us in our situation, He expects us to use our experience in ministry to the world. Allen Redpath wrote that you never lighten the load unless first you have felt the pressure in your own soul. You are never used of YHVH to bring blessing until YHVH has opened your eyes & made you see things as they really are. You know it is going to be a bad day when: 1 -- You wake up face down on the pavement. 2 -- You call suicide prevention and they put you on hold. 3 -- You see a 60 Minutes news team waiting in your office. 4 -- Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles. 5 -- You turn on the news and they are showing emergency routes out of the city. 6 -- Your twin sister forgets your birthday. 7 -- You wake up to discover that your waterbed broke and then realized you do not have a waterbed. 8 -- Your horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of notorious bikers on the freeway. All of us will face trials, but it is good to know that YHVH is faithful and He will always be our Father.