Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard: Hardship Part 2

Saturday 25 April 2020

Hardship Part 2

(6) "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, (7) that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (8) whom having not seen, you love."
1 Peter 1:6-8. NKJV

No one is immune to hardship. It can come on anyone of us, at anytime. We just have to be ready for anything that may come our way to disable or rob us of the joy of God. In other words, we need to be vigilant and alert (1 Peter 5:8). We need to be able to stand firm in the mighty armour of the Lord Almighty (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Disappointment and failure may be part of our days at the moment, together with obstacles in the way such as, sickness, lack and a feeling of hopelessness. This creates a great struggle.
It's difficult for us to accept, that God will allow us to come face to face with such things in order to test our faith. But we need to realise that when we seek Him and ask for His help, He is faithfully there. However, at times we may have to wait.
He hears our cries and He sees our struggles but at times, we firstly have to overcome certain barriers before He will intervene. If we can't face the flak, then when deeper hardship or struggles come upon us, we'll not cope.
It's all about a relationship - an intimate relationship with Jesus. If we're a Christian, we have a covenant with Him and He with us. What is ours is His and what is His is ours; we're in covenant relationship with Him. But if we continue to fight and struggle, instead of seeking Him for advice and help, He'll consider that we can manage alone - which we can't.
He wants us to place Him in charge, totally. So stop trying to figure it all out yourself. He knows the answer; He knows the way out of this mess and if you let Him, He will do it.
He's preparing us. This is why things are so difficult at times. But as we call on Him, He'll give us hope, encouragement and refreshing. But it all comes down to our relationship with Him. If we have a really close intimate friendship with Jesus, we'll know deep down that whatever comes against us - whatever! He has a plan and His plan can be relied on.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard