SURVIVING OUR SEASONS OF SUFFERING - God is closer than we often realize. He sees things we don’t see, and He knows things we don’t know. He has a perspective from where He is that allows Him to see all things — the past, the present and the future — from the day we were conceived to the day we will breathe our last breath, and even beyond that into eternity. He declares He is our Rescuer. He is the One who will sustain us. And He is more than able to bring His plans to pass. All these things were true for the Israelites. And they’re true for us. Let’s cry out to Him in the midst of our suffering. Let’s earnestly seek Him and ask Him to help us look at our circumstances through the lens of certainty in Who He is even when we are uncertain about how things will work out. We are not forgotten. And our longsuffering won’t seem nearly as long or nearly as painful when we know God’s perspective is to use every single second of our suffering for good. - “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) - Longsuffering isn’t a word I want as part of my story. It means having or showing patience despite troubles. And I don’t particularly want troubles to begin with, let alone for any extended period of time. Thankfully, today’s passage of Scripture offers us encouragement for when we’re not sure we can endure our season of suffering for one more second.

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Surviving Our Seasons of Suffering

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God is closer than we often realize. He sees things we don’t see, and He knows things we don’t know. He has a perspective from where He is that allows Him to see all things — the past, the present and the future — from the day we were conceived to the day we will breathe our last breath, and even beyond that into eternity. He declares He is our Rescuer. He is the One who will sustain us. And He is more than able to bring His plans to pass.

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All these things were true for the Israelites. And they’re true for us. Let’s cry out to Him in the midst of our suffering. Let’s earnestly seek Him and ask Him to help us look at our circumstances through the lens of certainty in Who He is even when we are uncertain about how things will work out. We are not forgotten. And our longsuffering won’t seem nearly as long or nearly as painful when we know God’s perspective is to use every single second of our suffering for good.

Lysa TerKeurst

 

 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

 

Longsuffering isn’t a word I want as part of my story. It means having or showing patience despite troubles. And I don’t particularly want troubles to begin with, let alone for any extended period of time.

Thankfully, today’s passage of Scripture offers us encouragement for when we’re not sure we can endure our season of suffering for one more second.

In Jeremiah 29, the children of Israel got news from the prophet Jeremiah that they were going to be held in captivity by Babylon for 70 years.

Think about how long 70 years is. If we had to go to prison today for 70 years, for most of us that would mean we’d probably die in captivity.

Seventy years feels impossibly long, incredibly unfair and horribly hard. It would seem like a lifetime of hardship without a lifeline of hope.

But here’s what God told the people of Israel: “… When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10, ESV).

This is the scene and the setting where we then get these familiar and glorious promises I love to cling to:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” (Jeremiah 29:11-14, ESV).

God is assuring His people that His thoughts and intentions toward them are fixed and established. His plans are for their “welfare,” not for harm. His sure and steady promise is one of restoration.

But He also reminds them of what they must do as they await the fulfillment of His promise. They need to call on Him. They need to intentionally and wholeheartedly seek Him.

When we seek God, we see God. We don’t see His physical form, but we see Him at work and can start to see more of what He sees. Trust grows.

If our hearts are willing to trust Him, He will entrust to us more of His perspective.

If we want to see Him in our circumstances and see His perspective, we must seek Him, His ways and His Word. That’s where we find His good plans and promises for hope and a future.

If we find ourselves in an incredibly disappointing place — a place we don’t want to be — it’s easy to start feeling that some of God’s good plans don’t apply to us.

We can even lapse into the mentality that we somehow slipped through the cracks of God’s good plans.

But the truth is, God is closer than we often realize. He sees things we don’t see, and He knows things we don’t know.

He has a perspective from where He is that allows Him to see all things — the past, the present and the future — from the day we were conceived to the day we will breathe our last breath, and even beyond that into eternity.

He declares He is our Rescuer. He is the One who will sustain us. And He is more than able to bring His plans to pass. (Isaiah 46:3-11)

All these things were true for the Israelites. And they’re true for us.

For the Israelites, the news that they would be in captivity for 70 years was absolute reality.

But the truth that God had a good plan and a purpose, not to harm them but to give them a future and a hope — that promise was very much in process all while they were in captivity.

Don’t rush past that last sentence too quickly. God’s promises for you are in process as well. Right now. Even in circumstances where you can’t see any evidence of good yet.

Just remember, “not yet” doesn’t mean “not ever.”

Let’s cry out to Him in the midst of our suffering. Let’s earnestly seek Him and ask Him to help us look at our circumstances through the lens of certainty in who He is even when we are uncertain about how things will work out.

We are not forgotten. And our longsuffering won’t seem nearly as long or nearly as painful when we know God’s perspective is to use every single second of our suffering for good.

Father God, thank You for reminding me I can trust You in the waiting. Thank You for being present even in these moments. I know You will carry me through, and I trust You in the process. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Isaiah 46:4, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES

Part of what makes healing so hard is the deep ache left behind after the trauma we’ve experienced. Overcome the lingering sting of past and present hurts with the help of Lysa TerKeurst’s FREE resource “Where Do I Go From Here? Six Ways to Start Healing Even When You’re Still Hurting.” Download your copy here today.

Find hope in the midst of the most painful chapters of your story as you read about how Lysa TerKeurst survived her own season of heartbreak in her new devotional book, Seeing Beautiful Again. Preorder here.

 

Lysa TerKeurst is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and national speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith. She has written 21 books, her latest titled, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget (Nelson Books, 2020).

She is the President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, where she and her team encourage over 500,000 women worldwide through their daily online devotional.

Her remarkable life story has captured audiences across America, including appearances on Focus on the Family, Fox News, CNN, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah and more. She has spoken at Women of Faith events and numerous churches across the country. 

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2021/03/25/surviving-our-seasons-of-suffering

THE INDWELLING SPIRIT - The indwelling Spirit is to reproduce the life of Jesus in the believer. He will manifest the fruit of the Spirit in the believer's life. The nine attributes of Jesus that develop in the life of someone who has been born again and who has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. The sons and daughters of God can expect the leading of the blessed Holy Spirit. The Spirit does not force Himself on us. Our wills and our egocentric natures have to decrease, whereas the Spirit of Jesus within us has to increase. This is a continuing process. Little by little, Christ is being made bigger, and we are being made smaller.

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The Indwelling Spirit

What Is the Indwelling Spirit?

Pat Robertson

When you come to Jesus Christ, you receive Christ into your heart.

Jesus does not physically enter into your chest cavity and live there, but the Spirit of God comes and joins with the spirit of the believer.

This is what is meant by the term "the indwelling Spirit."

His function is to reproduce the life of Jesus in the believer. He will manifest the fruit of the Spirit in the believer's life.

The nine attributes of Jesus that develop in the life of someone who has been born again and who has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

In Romans 8:14 the apostle Paul tells us that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God.

We could transpose those words and say that the sons and daughters of God can expect the leading of the blessed Holy Spirit.

You might ask then, where does the constant struggle in the life of some Christians come from?

Many Christians run into problems when they do not cooperate with the Spirit. We have a choice.

The Spirit does not force Himself on us. For example, in the first century the apostles and elders in Jerusalem were debating a matter of doctrine.

After they heard much discussion, they responded to the believers in Antioch, saying, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things" (Acts 15:28).

That was an awesome statement for those men to make. They were saying, in effect, that their opinion was equal to the opinion of the Holy Spirit.

They said, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us."

You might ask yourself, if it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, who cares what the apostles thought about it?

They were acknowledging a God-given partnership. They could choose whether or not to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

They can hold back and fail to acknowledge Him, or they can accept His leading to do what He wants them to do.

They have that freedom, but they eventually have to deal with the blessings or problems resulting from their free decisions.

John the Baptist can be our role model. He said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

Our wills and our egocentric natures have to decrease, whereas the Spirit of Jesus within us has to increase.

This is a continuing process. Little by little, Christ is being made bigger, and we are being made smaller.

If you fight that process and say, "I am going to assert myself and have my own way, but I will go to church on Sunday, acknowledge Christ, and take His benefits," you are going to be a defeated, immature Christian.

The struggle will go on as long as you give your flesh, the world, and the devil a place in your life.

Excerpt taken from Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions, Copyright 1984 by Pat Robertson. 

M. G. "Pat" Robertson has achieved national and international recognition as a religious broadcaster, philanthropist, educator, religious leader, businessman, and author. He is the founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Inc., and founder of International Family Entertainment Inc.,Regent University, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, American Center for Law and Justice, The Flying Hospital, Inc. and several other organizations and broadcast entities.

Founded in 1960, CBN was the first Christian television network established in the United States. Today CBN is one of the world's largest television ministries and produces programming seen in 200 nations and heard in 70 languages including Russian, Arabic, Spanish, French and Chinese. CBN's flagship program, The 700 Club, which Mr. Robertson hosts, can be seen in 97 percent of television markets across the United States and is one of the longest running religious television shows.

https://www1.cbn.com/questions/what-is-indwelling-spirit