How Could You?
"How could You, Lord?" How many times do we, as the Lord's children, find ourselves questioning unpleasant circumstances with those desperate words?
Sometimes, it is when we've been hurt by careless words or actions of a loved one. Or, it may be when our burdens seem extra heavy, while those of even non-Christians around us look light as a feather. Or, it might be when the enemy has been zealously attacking our health, home, or finances.
The hardest part to understand is that it usually happens when we are trying our hardest to live for the Lord.
It helps me to realize that, while the Lord promises me eternal peace, comfort of the Holy Spirit, and never more that I can bear, He also has warned us that, in order to become "mature" Christians, we may need a little refining: "Like a refiner of silver he will sit and closely watch as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, the ministers of God, refining them like gold or silver, so that they will do their work for God with pure hearts" (Mal. 3:3, TLB).
When I recognize that the answer to "how could You?" is simply that He cares enough for me to allow me to be perfected for His sake, my frustrations become like rewards.
God loves you and wants to answer your prayer. Say this prayer with me:
Lord, I thank You tonight that I can heave all of today's cares and frustrations onto Your almighty shoulders. Help me to drift asleep happily, in spite of today's trials, knowing it is all part of Your beautiful process of refining, molding, and polishing. I now bathe in the sweetness of knowing You consider me a gem worth preparing for the glory of Your kingdom. In Jesus' Name, Amen.