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That God Might be Glorified Through Us
Jun 16, 07:42 AM
“Neither this man sinned nor his parents,” said Jesus, “but this happened that the works of God might be displayed in his life.” John 9:3
If you are in the midst of suffering or hardship, stop trying to figure out what God is doing and simply offer your life to Him that He might be glorified through it. Not everyone in this world thinks like we do, trying logically to determine cause and effect, why something happened, and fixing blame and responsibility. There are many who simply deal with what is and respond in faith. Being faithful to God does not grant Divine immunity against calamity and hardship.
Yes, it is true that we ought to know when God is at work in our lives. We ought to have some sense of what He might be doing at any particular point in time. But sometimes our circumstances exceed our understanding. Trying to discern the purposes of God by our own natural logic is an exercise in futility. Spiritual discernment happens at a different level. Regardless, even the most faithful among us are bewildered at times as to what is going on. Even Elijah, the great prophet of God, was scared and confused as he ran for his life under the intimidating weight of Jezebel’s threats. He was perplexed about God’s purposes and just plain wrong when he felt he was the only faithful one remaining. (1 Kings 19:10)
The truth is, our ideas of justice and fairness cloud our vision and limit our understanding of the nature of God. We impose our system of justice on the Almighty and demand that He adhere to it. The Biblical witness is that God’s ways are not our ways; God does not function in accordance with a human idea of what is fair. He sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. (Mathew 5:45) He brings down one and exalts another. (Psalm 75:7) Would it be enough for you to know that God will be somehow be glorified through the circumstances of your life? Do you have to know and understand what is going on before you can offer your life? Such a blind sacrifice makes no sense to those who do not live by faith. But to those who love God and are called according to His purposes, all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28) And what is that good? That the works of God might be manifested through us. Most people live their lives trying to do what makes them happy and gives them peace. However, the central motivation of the life of Jesus was to do what was pleasing to the Father, to do what He saw His Father doing, and to finish the work of the One who sent Him. Should that not be our foremost motivation as well? The joy of the life of faith comes from offering one’s life as a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)
The heart of faith sees the hand of God in all things. The one who trusts God rests in God’s sovereignty – not in harsh Calvinistic determinism, but in the gracious goodness of a God who can redeem all things and turn them for blessing. The one who rests in the shadow of the Almighty will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:2) Once again, this kind of faith seems pollyannaish, silly, and foolish to the unredeemed mind. But to those who are being saved, the faithfulness of God is our hope and security. The promises of God are our legal tender. There will be many times that our natural minds do not understand what is happening to us or why. Regardless of the SOURCE of the hardship, we believe God will be the REDEEMER of the hardship. If our difficulty is the result of our own sin, we have to own up to it and deal with the consequences. If it was thrust upon us against our will, we kneel before our Creator, giving thanks in His Name, and asking that in accordance with His gracious goodness and love, even this adversity become a means by which God can be glorified.