Day 12 – God Speaks Through Hardships
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few moments gathering your thoughts, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
Journal for 5 minutes on yesterday’s reflection and practice. What did you think about and learn? What challenged you? Did God say anything to you throughout the day?
Then, begin today’s devotional.
Read: Ephesians 1:15-23
This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.
On April 26, 2019, my wife Brenda and I had just finished the last day of the spring semester. We were asked to speak for the Northwest University Foundation Board, and we were ready to celebrate our 18th successful year at Northwest. It was Friday afternoon, and we had a rare unscheduled weekend. The year had been wonderful on many levels, but both of us were feeling the physiological impact of a full schedule. We were so excited about the weekend that we high-fived each other as we got into the car to drive to our destination. We felt like we were coming up for air after holding our breath too long underwater.
With a weekend “getaway” planned, we were an hour outside of Kirkland when Brenda’s phone rang. It was our daughter Kaitlyn calling, so Brenda quickly answered with an energetic hello. The voice on the other end did not return the same response. Kaitlyn began to scream loud enough for me to hear without the speaker phone turned on. While Brenda was doing her best to understand the situation, I could only hear bits and pieces of what Kaitlyn was saying. “Jared has cancer,” “They found a mass in his chest,” “They are taking him into surgery immediately,” “They think it’s growing fast,” “It might have already reached his spine,” and then she said, “I’m only 26 years old; I don’t want to be a widow”.
As Brenda hung up the phone, we had a moment of panic as we tried to figure out what to do next. But in the middle of the confusion, driving along the freeway, we cried out to God. At that moment, we needed not only a miracle for Jared, but we needed so much more. More for our daughter, for us, and peace about the future. In the middle of the hardship, we didn’t go looking for faith. Faith was already in our hearts; we just needed to put it into action through our prayers.
In the Ephesians passage above, Paul uses optimistic language. Words like “faith,” “love,” “hope,” and “giving thanks”. Reading this, you might think Paul is in a place of safety and comfort, with little to no concerns. However, his situation was the exact opposite. Paul was in a Roman prison dungeon. There was so much moisture that he is slipping around in mud (and likely some other stuff) up to his knees. Rodents and total darkness were all around him. His Roman guards are crude, mean, trained killers that would rather kill him than guard him. At that moment, the faith that was already in him compelled him to pray. Paul was not upset or afraid about what would happen because his faith reassured him that God was walking with him through the hardship of his situation. He even knew that the position he was in could be a blessing to others.
Paul, in the middle of another hardship, asked God several times to take it away. He prayed and prayed and prayed. God answered the prayer, but not in the way that Paul wanted. God did not take the hardship away. In essence God said, “No.” But God did still speak in the middle of the hardship. God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
What is the purpose of hardship? It is hard to know completely, but part of the answer is found in the realization that God wants to be a part of your hardship. He wants to show up to you in and through hardship. What if you saw your hardship as a space that God was using to speak to you?
Prayer:
Lord, help us to build our faith every day; to follow You more closely, understand You more clearly, and trust You more fully. May our hardships be the first step into an engaging prayer life that not only draws us close to You but kindles our desire for others to know You as well.
Journal:
Take a few moments to journal through the following question(s).
What are the things outside of my control that I need to accept, embrace, or release?
What are the hardships in my life that God may be using to form me?
What pain may I need to move towards rather than away from?
If you haven’t started a prayer list, start one today. On your list, don’t just list out the things that you are asking God for; include the things He has already done.
Today's Practice:
Hardships often feel like traffic lights and stop signs in life. They seem to slow everything down. Whenever you see a traffic light or stop sign today, take a moment to listen to God. Let Him speak to you about your hardships.
By Dr. Phil Rasmussen, Vice President of Church Relations and Campus Ministry