Hey friends, how are you today? It’s a beautiful, bright, sunny day in my neck of the woods.  Although, it’s November, lately the temperature feels like September or October.   The heavy winter wear, usual for November, has not been our story, for which I am very thankful.  We have been told our winter will be milder than the recent past winters.   Thank You, Lord (if that’s true).   If we do end with higher snowfall and colder temperatures, I am determined to give thanks also.   Perhaps spiritual, mental and certainly physical preparation is key.  How are you? Are you preparing for winter? What are some of your plans?

Life throws us curve balls, doesn’t it? Sometimes, even in spite of our preparations, life’s happenings can be unexpected.  Perhaps the veneer of friendships has been unmasked.  Perhaps circumstances appear to be more dire than anticipated.

There’s been a lot of happenings in our world recently, haven’t there? It is enough to grey the hairs of most sane people if we allow it.  It is hard to look up when so many earthly mishaps vie for our attention.  It is sometimes, hard to remember the unfailing, unwavering, unconditional love of God when we focus on the trials in this world.

When our eyes are not fixed on the Savior, we forget this world is not our home, we are just passing through on our way to eternity. God is still God; God is still good; God is still sovereign; God still sits on His throne.  That was the easy part, now comes the hard part: believing it!

Life is real.  The trials of life are real.  Believing our God is mighty and all powerful and loving and gracious is perhaps not doubtful.  Maybe, it is believing He is loving and kind and gracious to me is the difficulty.

We see His grace and mercy displayed in the lives of our friends and family, but when will it be my turn, Lord? Have you ever asked yourself that question? In Psalm 73, the psalmist says, “my feet had almost stumbled when he saw the prosperity of the wicked”.

Realizing that God allows trials into our lives for our good, (for my good), is hard sometimes.  I want to believe that perhaps in due time, this trial will profit someone else.  That maybe someone else will benefit from this difficulty.  But I have learned that whatever the Lord allows into my life is always for my good first.  Yes, someone else can be drawn closer to the Lord as a result of our testimony.  But this trial is for my good.  It’s for me, first.

How do grow closer to the Lord during this trial? The psalmist said, in verse 17 of that same chapter “until I went into the sanctuary of God…”.  My feet had almost slipped until I went into the presence of God.  When I went into the presence of God, something happened, something changed.

Here are 10 steps to believing in the goodness of God for my sake;

1. Pray – (I Thessalonians 5:17) commit the people, the circumstances to the Lord.  Tell Him of the frustrations, perhaps the bitterness and anger associated with the trial.  Allow Him to replace these emotions with peace and joy and contentment.
2. Read the Bible- (Psalm 119:105) Here are a few helpful passages that help relieve my mind and settle my thoughts: Psalm 27 (my all time favorite), Psalm 1, and 121 (Benny’s favorites).
3. Trust the Lord throughout this disappointment- (Proverbs 3:5,6) He holds the universe together and causes all of creation to work, He is more than capable of holding and keeping the fears at bay.
4. Be ready to forgive or perhaps ask for forgiveness- (Matthew 6:15) Asking for forgiveness is uncomfortable, but necessary in order to be at peace. Releasing someone of their offense is just as necessary.   I have found the greater the offense the harder it is to forgive, but I would advice us to remember two things; a) we need to forgive others in order to be forgiven by God and b) we’ve been commanded to forgive.  Remember we are not responsible for the other person’s actions. How they choose to respond is always up to them.
5. Remember whose child you are- (I Peter 2:9) We are children of the Alpha and the Omega (the Beginning and the End)
6. Talk to a friend- (I John 1:7) A mature, godly person may not always say what we want to hear, but they will ensure that the Word of God is the final authority on any given matter.
7. Listen to a friend – Philippians 2:2) Because the problem has consumed our every thought, we’ve magnified it in our heads, listening to others allows us to put it in perspective.  Also helps us to remember, there are others with bigger issues.
8. Begin a prayer journal- It is easy to forget the faithfulness of the Lord, after a time.  Keeping a journal helps in memory retention.
9. Be thankful– it is hard finding anything to be thankful for during this time, yet in order to be content and at peace, thankful we must be.
10. Take every stray thought captive– (Philippians 2:5) Remember living a stress-free life, depends on us.  Well, that’s because we lay our burdens at the feet, only to take it back up again.  Be aware of the thoughts while we live life.  When we find ourselves dwelling on the problem again, surrender it back to the Lord.  This we may have to do several times, but that’s okay.  Peace and contentment aren’t far behind.

God is still God; God is still good; God is still sovereign; God still sits on His throne.  Believe it with me today.  How do you prepare for trials? How do you deal with trials?