Why Me Lord?

This'll help answer that question...

Struggling to Break Free

Monday, January 4, 2010

by Dr. Paul Chappell
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
1 Peter 5:10-11
Trials are necessary for growth.
A little boy was once playing in a forest near his home. He often visited this forest and usually spent hours on end observing nature, running from imaginary pursuers, or building forts. One day as he meandered between the trees, he noticed a small cocoon hanging from a low-lying branch of one of the trees. Curious, he approached the cocoon and studied it. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the cocoon was moving. Over the next few minutes he observed a tiny moth break open part of the cocoon then struggle to get out of the confined space. Feeling pity for the poor moth, the little boy grabbed a stick and helped the insect break free. Only as the moth fell to the ground did the little boy notice the moth's shriveled wings. What he didn't realize was the moth's wings are strengthened by the struggle to break free from the cocoon. While the boy thought he was helping the moth, he hampered its growth and hindered it from fully developing into what it needed to be.
Have you ever felt like you were in the "cocoon of life?" You felt as if you're struggling through a trial, wondering why God has placed you in such a situation. What we don't often realize is that God's trials are like that cocoon. They are meant to strengthen us so we can develop into the Christians we need to be.
God wants nothing more than to help you out of your trial so you can be free from it, but He realizes that helping you break free is often not the best thing for you. The struggle is necessary to strengthen your walk with Him and dependence upon Him. As parents, we may desire to withhold discipline from our children so they will not have to endure it, yet we know they must endure it if they are to develop into well-behaved young people. The trial is necessary for growth.
Think on God's words in 1 Peter, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." God's will is that you would submit to His working during trials and allow His grace to see you through. Every trial endured with faith honors and glorifies God.
Sometimes a trial might not be a difficult situation but a time of waiting. Second only to suffering in God's training in our life is waiting. While we desire to see the path before us and the future ahead, God desires that we would trust Him for guidance.
How many times have you seen a Christian give up in the midst of a trial? While these times are often unpleasant, they are God's way of developing us into spiritually mature Christians. I'm sure moths don't enjoy struggling to break free from the cocoon, yet if they do not endure the trial, their wings will be too weak to fly and they'll die. Even so, if we as Christians are not patient to endure the trials and wait on the Lord, we will not grow and strengthen our relationship with God.
What trial are you facing today? Is it the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the wayward path of a child, the tightening of finances, the waiting for an answer? Don't give up in the middle of your trial. God has a purpose for what you're going through, and He desires for you to draw closer to Him as a result. Spend extra time with God while in your trial. Seek Him out each day, several times a day, and commit to remaining faithful to Him even when times are tough. Your trial won't last forever, but the lessons you learn during the trial will.
To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org,paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.