Perspectives, Words of Endurance

The Lord will stay with you
as long as you stay with Him!
Whenever you seek Him,
you will find Him.
2 CHRONICLES 15:2 (NLT)

The book of Psalms sings of Joseph’s abduction, slavery and captivity. “They bruised his feet with shackles,” we are told, and “his neck was put in irons” (PSALM 105:18) An old translation renders the last phrase of that verse, “the iron entered into his soul.” Somehow, the iron of Joseph’s shackles entered into his soul. He became strong and wise, just and merciful; he would be called “the prince among his brothers.” And through it all, he cultivated a strong sense of God’s presence.

How did he do it? How can we? How can we avoid bitterness when our dreams have been torn away? How can we maintain our walk with God when he allows our youth to be pillaged and our life to plunge into deep shadow and prolonged pain? We can learn much from Joseph.

Though attacked and wrongfully accused, though he endured suffering and cruelty, Joseph became fruitful beyond his dreams. Over and over again, Scripture tells us that “the Lord was with Joseph.” Why was He with him? Joseph set his heart on walking with God, and he did not allow any hardship, any adversity, any tragedy to come between him and his God. That relationship took priority over everything all of his life.

Joseph understood the hard realities of life. But he also clung to the conviction that a sovereign God rules over people’s affair. Wherever Joseph found himself, he served with all his heart, placing full trust in the Lord to care for him and vindicate him.

Joseph teaches us that when we seek God’s kingdom first, we may live content no matter our circumstances. With such a mindset – with such a Lord – circumstances cannot defeat us.

ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
JAN & DAVE DRAVECKY

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

As you endure this divine discipline,
remember that God is treating you as his own children.
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years,
doing the best they knew how.
But God’s discipline is always good for us,
so that we might share in his holiness.
HEBREWS 12:7,10 (NLT)

Hardships do not come into our lives to make us spiritually feeble, weak, lame and disabled. Such a thing is possible only if we allow it to happen. If we will choose instead to consider hardships as God’s discipline and then allow the difficulties of life to build into us the heavenly trio of holiness, righteousness and peace, we will watch ourselves grow from adolescence into spiritual maturity.

In my own growth it was important for me to understand that hardship was to be a part of my life, because so many had told me that God did not intend for me to suffer. It was important for me to look at God as my Father, training me and disciplining me because He loved me, just as my earthly parents had.

My parents had begun the job of disciplining me, but because they, too, were imperfect, the job of preparing me for maturity was incomplete. God will continue to train me where my earthly parents left off, and He has chosen to use hardship as one of His primary tools.

ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
DAVE DRAVECKY

Perspectives, Words of Endurance

Perspective and Promises

Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said,
and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised.
GENESIS 21:1 (NIV)

The problem with pain is that it forces us to live in the moment, to deal with its unrelenting presence. That narrow, unpleasant perspective, like blinders on a horse, prevents us from clearly seeing the past (where God displayed his faithfulness to us) and the future (where the fulfillment of his promise awaits us).

Bound by this thin sliver of time, we forget that God is not bound by time. He exists outside of its minutes and millennia. Promises that seem impossible from our limited perspective are totally possible from his. He will keep every promise he has made to his children, no matter how unattainable they seem at the time.

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
PSALM 119:50 (NIV)

ON THE JOURNEY WITH YOU,
Jan & Dave Dravecky