IAUA End Time Ministry
Preparing for the End of Time
The Lord is Coming! Are you ready?
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IAUA End Time Ministry |
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Preparing for the End of Time | |
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The Lord is Coming! Are you ready? | |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in
IAUA
(ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father,
I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of the Lord. A reader responds with words of encouragement. ----- I can't help as I read your newletter to wonder if you aren't burdened by unrealistic expectations. You said "I am ashamed that I am having such a struggle. I wish that I was a giant of faith and that none of this would bother me." Only the Lord knows what is really going on in your heart, whether your struggles are due to unbelief or not. Trying times do require stronger faith and more growth. I imagine a weight lifter trembling under a maximum load. He feels weak because of the increased pressure and cries for more strength. Sure it would be nice if he was twice as strong so that what he is struggling to lift now would feel as light as a feather. But in reality should have nothing to be ashamed of if he is giving it 100%. Everyone has a limit to physical, mental and spiritual strength. In every area if we are to grow we need to struggle beyond the limits of our current capacity. This is true in every area of life - physically, mentally, and spiritually. The challenges you are facing are the very tools God is using to make you a giant of faith - if you remain steadfast until the end and do not lose hope. Don't forget other giants who struggled as well. Even our Lord himself stuggled in the garden of Gethsemane. Read the chapter from the Desire of Ages. Our Lord never sinned, never doubted, but definitely struggled. Ellen White says the "cup trembled in his hands." And to add to the conversation we had last Sabbath, because we can see his struggles that we can have confidence and assurance. If the story of the cross and the experience of the garden were not recorded in the Bible we might believe that Jesus never struggled and therefore if we really had faith we would never struggle either. But this is not the picture the Bible presents. "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petions with LOUD CRIES and TEARS to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience for what he suffered." - Hebrews 5:7,8 And "because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:18 Job also struggled. Read his cryies of anguish wrestling with God trying to understand why this was happening to him. For a long time I thought that Job was wrong. That he shouldn't have expressed such despairing comments and should have had more confidence and trust in God. But the reality is that he never gave up his faith. He wrestled and struggled with the things he didn't understand and what he didn't know, but through it all his faith was secure know matter what kind of storm his emotions were experiencing. It is true that our sufferings do seem so small. And for that reason we might be ashamed because something so little can bother us. But comparing ourselves with others always gets us into trouble. (I might be ashamed because I struggle to bench 200lbs, while others can bench 400lbs effortlessly.) The real issue is whether or not we give up in discouragement or recognize that while we may not be there yet, God will finish the work he has begun in us. Anyway, "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, inspite of appearances and our present experience. ----- Thank you for the encouragement. I go through so many swings of emotion that I despair sometimes but I know He is with me. I know that this trial is for me to grow. Though the experience is difficult I will continue to trust in Him and He will see me through. Every morning, every night, and often at other times I am on my knees praying and pleading in desperation and often tears that the Father will give me strength and courage. I plead for the power of the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom, understanding, and discernment to know what I should do to see and follow His plan for me. I know that God has a plan for me. I know that He will provide what I need. I pray and believe that I will recognize His leading when the time comes. The despair comes from having no idea from day to day where I will be. We never know for sure what the future holds but we usually have some reasonable expectation. The future changes but the changes are usually in the future. In a sense I have made a plan for the future which would be subject to changes but my options are very limited. The biggest limitation is that these changes are not my choosing so I feel that I am under the direction of God. I feel very strongly that He has something specific planned. I don't want to make a step without His leading. The struggle is compounded by the fact that there have been numerous unusual delays and uncertainties. The closing on the house was supposed to be last week and it keeps getting postponed. Maybe it will happen Friday. I am sure there is a reason and I suspect it is also part of God's plan. I keep having struggles with the recurring uncertainties. I pray constantly that God will strengthen me and I know He will. May we all find peace and unity in the soon coming of IAUShUO (Ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God.
Frank T. Clark
Next: 2005-05-20 Trust |
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Revised 2005-05-20 |