Jehovah was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake: Jehovah was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake, a fire: Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a soft gentle voice. (1Kings 19:11-12)

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Pathway of Sorrow Leads to Stronger Faith {Words of Life Wednesdays ~ A Link-up}

{Join us below for Words of Life Wednesdays with a link-up of your post.
We'd love to hear how God's Word has been nourishing you.}


"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ." {1 Peter 1:6-7} 



The old empty flower pot sits in the corner. Mostly forgotten. From where it came, I am not sure. It has a story of it's own, with the lines etched in and the bark worn away, but I only know a small part of it's past. Some creative person saw beauty in all the broken pieces and fashioned together something useful. Crafted beauty from all the ugly parts.

***

I know what it is to sit empty and feel forgotten. I know the pain of broken pieces and ugly parts.

You, too?

***

Suffering.

Grief.

Various trials.

Trouble.

Laid aside.

In sorrow

or pain

or sickness

or grief.

It may seem like there is no end.

You may feel you have been made for more than this.

Rest.

We are all but a vapour.

These difficulties will last a little while.

Rejoice.

Give thanks that this heaviness might be used to grow your faith into something far more precious than gold.

See that the pathway of sorrow leads to a stronger faith.

Results are of eternal value.

Allow this suffering to purify and burn away the dross and see what beauty remains.

May your genuine faith be found to result in praise, glory and honour to the One who suffered beyond any suffering we could even imagine.



“The way to stronger faith usually lies along the rough pathway of sorrow . . . I am afraid that all the grace that I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours, might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable . . . Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house. It is the best book in a minister’s library. ” {Charles Spurgeon}




I know He will take the painful parts and purify them into beautiful praise.


***

May our suffering grow a stronger faith.

May our pain be found to bring praise.

May our hard times result in honour for all eternity

to the Lamb who was slain

as His scars remain.


***



{Email subscribers can click here to listen to "Pieces" by Meredith Andrews}
***
A Soft Gentle Voice

{Also linking with Coffee For Your Heart}


7 comments:

  1. Beautiful words. Yes I've felt like an empty vessel, but God is filling me up.

    visiting from IP

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melanie, thank you for stopping here for a while and linking up.

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  2. This really met me where I'm at this morning. Thank you! "Count it all joy when you face trials". James 1:5 Has been going through my mind a lot. Lord, purge me like gold. A hard place to be, but beauty comes from brokenness. Blessings to your day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kaylene,
      Thanks be to God that He can use us to build one another up. Yes, I need much purging and purifying.
      May you be comforted this day by the God of all comforts.

      Delete
  3. Beautiful Rebeka. I really loved this piece and feel I can connect with you in several ways. Grief, suffering, trials, they are all real and painful. They are also opportunities for growth and growing closer to our source, Him. It's something that resonates greatly with me. Also - I love Meredith Andrews song "You Are Not Alone". I'll check out the video here as well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorry, I misspelled your name!

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Give thanks that this heaviness might be used to grow your faith into something far more precious than gold." This really spoke to me tonight. While I feel some of the heaviness of missing my husband being lifted recently, I do know God has been using this time to grow my faith. I'm so grateful for how He doesn't waste anything we go through. Beautiful post, Rebekah. I've been thinking of you. Sorry I did not link-up. I've been struggling to keep up with my own and I know I need to first give that priority. Love seeing your link-up community grow. Much love to you.

    ReplyDelete

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