Not Finished Yet - I Am a Work In Progress - Be Patient With Me

“Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us, when we are being tested” ~ Hebrews 2:18

In our lifetime we all go through testing times. When you’re in school the teacher will tell you in advance that in a week or so, you’ll be tested in math, language, science, history or whatever the major is. This gives you time to prepare in advance and be ready for the test. Unfortunately, in real life, we don’t know in advance when a testing period will come up and we don’t know the subject we’ll be tested on.

When testing times arrive, and it’s never if they come, it is when they come; we’ll be tested on everything we ever thought we “knew” before, but often the “mental knowledge” is just not enough to get us through. In these times it’s important to know and remember the above quoted Bible verse.

Because Jesus himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is ABLE to HELP. What really amazes me is the fact that, Jesus not only understands our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15), but Jesus actually is ABLE to HELP.

Often, when we are tested and tell others about our struggles, problems and circumstances we know that friends and those around might understand us, might sympathize with us, but often they just can’t help. I’m sure that you often heard and perhaps said: “Oh I wish I could somehow help you” and either you or they could do that.

We can only try to understand someone else’s situation - the pressure, the deadlines, the compromises, the choices, the grief, the anxiety, and the stress, but we can not take away the pressure, change choices, eliminate death, remove fear…we just can not, our friends, loved ones no matter how hard they would love to help, they just can not…only Jesus can. Jesus is ABLE not just to understand, but to HELP; he is the only one who can really help you and me in everything we are tested on.

In our lifespan, as part of being in God’s transforming hand, over and over again we will be tested. Our enemy will attack us in different circumstances and occasions and God will aloud us to go through those trial times. I know you might not like this fact, but you have to remember that two major authorities are fighting for your soul: Satan and God. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” ~ Ephesians 6:12(NLT). Satan wants to destroy us and God wants to transform you and me to be ready for eternity.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” ~ Romans 5:3-5

Now, I don’t know about you, but I honestly can NOT rejoice when I run into problems and trials. I can not just say:” Thank You Lord for this problem, for this death, for this unemployment, for….” In those moments all I can say is:” God, on my own I can’t make it, own my own I will never pass this test, on my own I just can’t, I NEED your HELP. Please HELP ME, help me now, help me not to fail, help me to stand when I don’t feel to stand, help me to do the things I know they’re right, but is hard to do them. LORD HELP ME” ….and when we sincerely pour out our heart to God he will help. He will come along our side and help us to endure and stand in our trials, he might not always remove us from our problems and trials, but he will help.

I went through far too many trials and testing, and no I can not rejoice when they arrive, but I learned to depend and lean on God. I can tell you that if I could choose a different path I would, but in those testing times, trial seasons of my life, God really developed my character and every time my faith become stronger, because in those really hard moments I get to know God on a more intimate level.

If there weren’t testing times, if I could do it on my own, I wouldn’t know that God is able, that God CAN help, that God CAN heal a broken heart, God CAN comfort in my grief, God CAN take away my fears, God CAN heal from cancer, God CAN give me peace when everything is overwhelming and shaking around me, but when I go through testing with God, with his help, next time when trails arise again…no I can’t rejoice, but I know that the same way that God Helped and sustained me before , he will do it all over again, because he is my dad, he loves me, and he cares about me, and he is for me. And if God is with us, who is against us?

So what trials are you facing today? What do you need to bring to God and ask for his help? Just give him a chance, trust him.