God lives and works today, but the hours
come in every life when we are tempted
to doubt God's reality, when the difficulties or
suffering become too great and we don't know
how to go on.
Today's meditation by Basilia Schlink is a helpful
word for just these times.
Perhaps at a certain time we've made the
decision to live according to the Bible.
We've made a commitment to God.
Every time he gave us difficulties we would
bear them willingly.
By this move we were filled with peace
and confidence and view of the future.
But that was yesterday.
What about today?
Watch out.
Watch out for what?
Watch out for Satan.
He doesn't surrender his booty so easily.
So long as our discipleship of Jesus is
more or less a matter of the intellect,
Satan is quite happy to leave us under
the delusion that we're on the right track.
Yes, he even encourages us and strengthens us
in this belief, for he knows that here
we are so open to his influence.
Why?
A one-time commitment to bear difficulties in
our lives is not enough, as I've experienced
repeatedly.
We're soon at the end of our strength.
We don't gain anything by just persevering if
we don't cry to the Lord daily, asking
for his help.
Otherwise, Satan is the winner, for he's able
to whisper his lies into our ears.
And so the accusations and questions rise in
our hearts.
God has given me such troubles to bear
in my family.
I can't go on like this.
Or perhaps I can no longer work and
live with these difficult people at the office.
But do we realize that by doing this,
we're striking out at God?
Some years ago, I came to this realization
with a shock.
At the time, I had only moaned inwardly,
this burden is really too much.
And one day, I noticed that this was
nothing but great self-pity.
But I didn't remain sitting there with this
realization.
I began to take measures.
I wrote down all the things in my
life that were difficult for me to bear,
and where I was tempted to protest strongly
against God and His will.
Then, as a testimony before the visible and
invisible world, I wrote after each item the
words, I want to have precisely that.
Consciously and deliberately, I gave my yes to
that which the Lord had laid upon me
in the way of hardships.
Since that day, everything changed in my life.
From that time onwards, the difficult became easy.
Now, full of thanksgiving, I can testify, the
Lord makes the bitter sweet in our lives,
if we don't wish it away or rebel
against it, but rather accept it humbly with
a yes, Father.
Yes, thank the Father that He takes so
much trouble to educate us with the problems
and hardships in our lives.
He could really make it much easier for
Himself, but He is concerned that we attain
the goal of glory, which can only be
reached on the path of chastisements and suffering.
So when God the Father lays a burden
on you, give yourself to it ever anew,
trusting that His will is goodness, His heart
only love, and the ways by which He
leads us are good.
and loving-kindness, and good the ways He
leads us on.