Have you ever noticed what Paul prays for in the Bible? He never asks for God to take away his heartache or to remove those “mountains” in front of him.
Instead, he prays that God would give him the perseverance and forbearance to move THROUGH those obstacles with newfound insight, a deeper knowledge to understand WHY something is happening and asks that it would bring him closer to the Lord.
While it’s beyond amazing to have these gifts divinely revealed, giving us the strength to ultimately overcome whatever challenge we are experiencing, these are just byproducts of what the REAL lesson is here.
Paul prays that just as he himself would have the power given from the Holy Spirit, that the church (Jesus’s body) would do all of these things, which includes enduring the pains of this spiritual growth, WITH JOY AND THANKSGIVING.
If you read Colossians 1:9-13 (well ALL of Colossians, really! ) you will see Paul is asking that we be delivered out of darkness and into the Light!! He doesn’t ask that the hurt be taken away or for the difficulty and suffering to be gone.
No, he prays for us to receive revelation from our trials, and that we would learn from these seasons with a joyful, peaceful , and thankful heart.
Easier said than done, I realize but....seriously..... Try it, you WILL like it!!
God is Love! Be the Light!
Xoxo
Wendy
Dear Wendy, I totally believe God led me to you for several reasons! To make my life long story very short, I was a cradle Catholic who was sexually abused for over a year by a priest. I ended up leaving the Catholic Church for 30 years and spent that time, thankfully in an awesome biblically based evangelical church. After much healing, spiritual and emotional I decided I HAD to leave the catholic church in order to heal, but I wanted to go back home. It has been a rough journey, but I've been back now for about 8 years. I was drawn, but a little frightened of your obvious spirituality and relationship with the Lord. You see, I s…