Seeznak

Faith

Is it all about peace,
Stars magically aligned?
When it seems like a cancer,
Is it always benign?
Why do we struggle alone,
When the battle’s already won?
We’re promised suffering here,
Until this weary walk’s done.
Why do we lament the furnace,
When it draws us to God?
Kicking against refining,
Remaining soft as the sod.
When everything is easy,
Doesn’t pride become our balm?
Not thanking the one,
Who holds our soul in His palm.
But when the storm clouds are raging,
Where are we seeking repose?
In the God of the storm,
Who says by trial our faith grows.

Have you ever thought about a clay water pot going through the furnace? It is put through the fire so that it can be a worthy vessel and be put to use doing the thing it was designed for. Imagine what would happen if that lump of clay decided not to go through the fire, remaining instead a soft lump of clay. Try putting water in a soft clay pot and see what happens. The water leaks out as the clay becomes soggy. But going through the fire proves the character of the pot whether it be genuine and true.

Isn’t it in the good times that suddenly God is on the back burner. Oh, He’s still there, but things are going so good that we just do our own thing. But when things are going rough, suddenly we are on our faces again seeking His face, and then things go smoothly again and we forget Him again…Yet we long for there to never be trials…O, give us peace all the time! But when do we grow the most, during trials or peace? When is our faith put to the test? When do we see God’s hand taking us through things?

Not to say we don’t feel blessed when things are going well, but that I wonder- why we are so apt to blame God or complain when things aren’t going as we please? Why do we expect everything to just be peachy and not to struggle on this earth?

I am the first to cry about what I am going through or how I am feeling, but who am I to scream against the storm when it is trying me as gold is tried? “My prayer is to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”