Through…Not Around!

My Belief

Today was a perfect day. It started out perfect anyway… I got a lot done. I fixed the toilet, I paid the bills, I cleaned the house and I even got myself all ready to start another trip tomorrow. It could not have been more routine and it could not have been more well organized!

When I entered my house from running my dogs around the neighborhood, I noticed my phone was ringing off the hook. The caller was crew scheduling. They were franticly looking for me. They said, “Captain where are you? You are suppose to fly in 10 minutes.”  There had been a miscommunication in my schedule. I had made a mistake with my flight schedule. I had been removed from work this week to do jury duty, but I had not realized the last little bit of my "removed” trip was still on my schedule. This was a stressful situation. I was still eligible to do this part of the trip even though I thought it was removed. Now I am going to have to deal with the hassle of explaining to my Chief Pilot and the possibility of being reprimanded for an honest mistake. To top it all off, my wife had a bad day. We are now fighting over the silly things that married couples fight over. My perfect day has quickly turned into a disaster. It is as though a myriad of trials have landed on me all at once and sucked all of the oxygen out of my house. There is only one thing left to do…PRAY.

God always takes us through trials NOT around. He took the 3 boys in the book of Daniel through the “Fiery Furnace”. He took Daniel through the “Lions Den”. He even took Jesus Himself though Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. He never takes us around trials, but He is always faithful to takes us through. The reason for this is 2 fold. One is that it brings Glory to Himself. God would have no reason to show His power if there was no furnace, if there was no lion, and if there is no temptation. The second reason He takes us through is to draw us close to Himself. We need Him to save us from the problems that enter our lives. We need Him to protect us from the flames, silence the roar of the lions, and to guide us away from Satan’s call. Just as God has protect His children so many times through out all of history, He continues to do the same today. When we call on Him in prayer He brings us through the trials in our lives. In the process His Glory is made known and we rely on him even more than before.

Scripture

John 16:33 - 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

2 Corinthians 1:44 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

James 1:12 -12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

My Belief

The closer I get to my Lord and Savior the more I need Him for everything. I find myself like a child incapable of doing things without His guiding hand. Often I wish the trials in my life would just disappear, but that would not do anyone any good at all. It would do nothing for the Lord, because I could not proclaim His greatness in triumph once again. It would also do nothing for me. I would not see His power in my life and realize I am helpless without Him. Trials will be set before us all of our days and our way out is always the same. By firmly holding onto the Lord’s hand and walking straight through it with Him together.