STAY IN THE PROCESS

During a Sunday fellowship meeting recently, one of the sisters was testifying/exhorting about the battle with cancer that she had experienced years earlier, along with other challenges that the Lord allowed her to walk through in her life.  She emphasized the importance of persevering through our trials and not giving up or getting discouraged because things are rough, or when God isn’t answering as quickly as we would like.  A phrase that the sister used stuck with me and inspired me the more I thought about it.  The phrase was “Stay in the process”, referring to the importance of acknowledging that God is working something good through all of our difficulties.  We must not give up until He has worked in us what He wishes.  James was referring to this principle when he wrote, “…let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4).

 

There is plan and purpose in everything that God allows to enter our lives.  He can take every loose strand and weave it into the overall tapestry that is our life.  There is also a process which, in the end, will cause the character of Jesus Christ to be etched into our nature.  Rather than being conformed to the world’s norms, we can allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and be changed into the likeness of our Lord and Savior.  This process can sometimes seem very slow, but God knows what He is doing, never fear.  He is teaching us His ways, and we must be willing and obedient to learn at the Master’s feet.  We must also learn to be very patient.  Isaiah tells us that “…precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” (Isaiah 28:10).  It’s like passing through the grades when we were in school: what we learn in first grade lays a foundation for what we learn in second grade; what we learn in second grade prepares us for what we learn in third, etc.  The lessons of life are like that, but much more critical for us to learn.  Even when we don’t understand what is happening to us, we can trust that God has a plan and that we can rely on the process that He employs to teach us.  The writer of Proverbs reminds us that “…the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18). 

 

Paul laid out the process for us in simple terms when he wrote, “…but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:3-5).  Tribulation, patience, experience, hope: these are the four main elements of the process, and we must all go through these phases in order to achieve God’s purpose for us.  The important thing, however, is that we “stay in the process.”

 

TRIBULATION

 

Tribulation can come in many forms.  It can be sickness, affliction, trouble, distress, anguish, persecution, anxiety, temptation, oppression, or a host of other undesirable things that we experience as human beings.  Some folks have the mistaken notion that if they live clean lives, and do what’s right and good, then they will avoid all tribulation.  They think that if they are experiencing trouble of any kind then it must be because they have done something wrong.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  We don’t need to look any further than our Lord Jesus to see that this isn’t the case.  Scripture tells us that even though He was the Son of God and never committed a sin, yet He learned obedience through the things that He suffered (see Hebrews 5:8). 

 

The Israelites, after being delivered from the bondage of Egypt, were led into the wilderness to be humbled and proven.  God used their trials to bring to light what was in their hearts so that those things could be brought to the surface and be purged and refined (Deuteronomy 8).  In the same way, after we are born again, the LORD leads us into barren places where we can’t depend on what we see around us to sustain our spiritual health.  We must learn to trust in the unseen God and in His Word.  This is where the Lord forges our nature to shape us into the image of the Son.  As God spoke through His Prophet Isaiah, “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction [tribulation].” (Isaiah 48:10). 

 

Tribulation is inevitable.  It’s one of the ways that the Lord uses to produce growth and maturity in you and me.  After the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, scripture says that Jesus “constrained” His disciples to get into a ship and go across the Sea of Galillee without Him (Matthew 14:22).  It wasn’t a suggestion.  The Greek word translated “constrained” also means “to compel and to necessitate.”   We know from the story that once they were well away from land, a bad storm blew up, and they were struggling to navigate the ship.  Jesus knew all along that the storm would catch them – He is, after all, the Master of the sea – but He wanted them to experience this storm so that they would learn to trust in Him.  In the worst of the storm, Jesus came walking on the water to them!  When He got in the ship, we’re told that the winds ceased!  Jesus was in control all along!

 

We modern day disciples of the Lord must also go through tribulation.  Jesus tells us, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).  And in another place Paul said, “…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22).

 

The Apostle Peter had his share of tribulation.  In his first letter to the believers, he exhorts and comforts them concerning the trials he knew they were going through.  He wrote, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you…” (1 Peter 4:12).  He wanted them to know that experiencing tribulation was a normal part of growth for all Christian believers.  He also wrote, “…that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7). 

 

The Lord is never far from us when we go through trials of any sort.  Like a master refiner, He never takes His eyes off of us and never lets the heat get so high that it will damage us.  He comforts us in all our tribulation so that we will be able at some point to comfort others who are also going through troubles (2 Corinthians 1:4).

 

PATIENCE

 

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:2-4).

 

The desired effect of tribulation is that we learn patience.  This type of patience isn’t like the kind we may have when we refrain from sighing, tapping our foot, or making rude comments as we’re waiting in a long line at the bank and then feel proud of ourselves that we didn’t do all the things that we could have done.  No, this goes much deeper than that.  Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines it in this way: “In the New Testament, [it is] the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”  It is “constancy, endurance, steadfast waiting for [something desired], and perseverance.”

 

We know that there is an eternity of bliss awaiting us in a home that Christ has prepared for those who love Him.  God will wipe away all tears from our eyes; and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain.  The fashion of this world will pass away, and all things will be made new.  There is a desert that we have to walk through first, though, and that’s where we must learn to be patient.  This world is filled with pits and snares, but we have a Savior Who has navigated every one of them Himself in flesh and blood.  He can steer us through them because He knows the way.  There is no night too dark, or passage too treacherous, that He can’t pilot us through.  You can trust Him.  He cares for you.    

 

James says we can even “count it all joy” when we go through tribulations (James 1:2).  This would seem like a tall order except for the two little words that he uses next: “…knowing this...” What is it that we must know?  “…that the trying of your faith worketh patience (vs. 3).”  Joy comes from the knowledge and belief that God is working something good in our lives through the trials that we experience, and that there is a Promised Land that awaits us ahead. 

 

I recently talked to a longtime Christian friend who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor sometime before he and his family moved out of the state.  He went through a number of physical challenges as a result of it.  He also had diabetes which complicated his condition.  At one point, he had slipped into a comma from a severe infection in his legs and feet.  The doctors came to his wife and said that if they didn’t remove both of his legs above the knees, he wouldn’t survive.  She had the horrendous responsibility of making that decision for her husband without being able to talk to him about it or prepare him for it.  He woke up out of the comma some time later without his legs.  After his recovery, he was taken home.  They tried to make it work for quite a while, but it was too difficult for his wife to manage everything.  He was moved to a nursing facility where they could give him better care.  Our friend went through the gamut of emotions trying to deal with what had happened to him, and it was very difficult for the whole family.  He was in the nursing facility for a number of years, and then they decided to try to bring him home once again.  He was there for 6 months, but it was impossible for his family to provide him with the care that he had at the facility.  So, he went back. 

 

As the brother and I caught up, I was impressed by how upbeat his conversation and attitude was.  He spoke about how the Lord had given him a Bible study to help lead.  They have asked him to do certain tasks at the facility like running the equipment for movie night and helping guests find their way to their loved ones’ rooms.  In everything that he spoke about, he gave God glory and praise.  The comment that he made, however, that moved me to tears was when he said that he had struggled for a long time with the grief he felt about his circumstances, but he had settled it in his heart with the Lord.  He was able to let his grief go.  He said, “I’m happier now than I’ve ever been in my life!”      

 

This is what God means when He says, “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”  Our friend has allowed the Master Refiner to work His Life into his very nature, and it is beautiful to behold!  Nothing can forge the character of Jesus in us better than adversity.  It is the Refiner’s crucible, the Sculptor’s chisel and hammer, the Carpenter’s rasp, and the Blacksmith’s sledge.  Peter says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.  Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6, 7).  And later in the same chapter he writes, “But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10).

 

Read Paul’s words regarding the thorn in the flesh that he endured.  He called it “the messenger of Satan” that was sent to buffet him and to humble him.  Paul prayed three separate times that he might be delivered from this affliction.  After the third time, God spoke to Paul and said, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” What was Paul’s response to this?  He said, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10). 

 

To gain patience through tribulation is something that we all must learn at the feet of Jesus.

 

EXPERIENCE

 

Experience is what we gain as a result of going through the tribulation/patience process.  Also, there is good experience, and there is bad experience.  Bad experience teaches us what not to do in the future, while good experience teaches us what works and what we should do in the future. 

 

Studying the life of Joseph in the Bible gives us great insight into how the process works.  Joseph was greatly blessed by God at a young age.  He was loved by his father and given a “coat of many colors” as a special gift that none of his older brothers were given.  Joseph was given the gift of dreams and the interpretation of dreams by God, and the LORD spoke to him in his dreams about future glory that would be his. 

 

Joseph, being immature, could have used more tact in the way that he shared his dreams with his family.  His brothers turned on him and sold him into slavery.  The years of persecution by his brothers prepared Joseph for the trials and temptations which he experienced in the house of his Egyptian master, and gave him what he needed to face the difficulties he experienced in prison.  All along, Joseph made himself useful and showed himself to be faithful in all that he did.

 

The picture that we have of Joseph in his later years after he had been elevated to great wealth and influence in Egypt, and after he had shown grace and mercy to his family, is a far different picture from the one when he was young.  God had worked His image in Joseph, and in him we see a foreshadowing of Christ Jesus.  He went through a variety of different adversities, temptations, and trials; but he gained experience from every one of them and grew spiritually into the man that God wanted him to be.

 

Experience not only helps us when we face new challenges in the Lord, but each one gives us valuable lessons with which we can comfort others who are going through tribulation.  In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul writes, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).  Every experience is valuable.  Even our failures can be used to minister to others if those failures have worked in us a greater victory in the end.  We must remember that God is working all things together for good to them who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.

 

HOPE

 

Hope is essential for us to have in our arsenal.  The Psalmist tells us, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” (Psalm 146:5).  It is God, and our trust in His continuing aid in our day-to-day circumstances, that gives us hope in every new struggle that we face.  He has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”  Therefore, we can boldly say, “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?” (See Hebrews 13:5, 6 NKJV).

 

“Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope.  This is my comfort in my affliction: for Thy word hath quickened me.” (Psalm 119:49).  God’s Word is like bread from heaven that nourishes and strengthens us for the battle and infuses us with divine life.  It is the source from which we draw spiritual vitality, and it gives us hope when we are tempted to feel that our situation is hopeless.  God’s Word will always reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to us in some new way, and confirm to us the all-sufficiency of His grace.  “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind [prepare your mind for action], be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13). 

 

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24, 25).  Hope is the absence of direct sight.  If we can clearly see the reward that is being placed before us, then we no longer need to hope that we will receive it.  It is already ours.  If it isn’t already in our hands, however, then we must learn to be patient in waiting for it.  The hope that is set before us is that we can be changed into His likeness in this life and afterwards inherit eternal life with God in Christ.  “…we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2, 3).  

 

In every trial, God is teaching us patience, and that process gives us experience which, in turn, fills us with hope in every new struggle that we encounter.  “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13). 

 

LOVE OF GOD

 

“…and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:5). 

 

The hope that we have in God through Christ Jesus our Lord is a hope that will never be disappointed or cause us shame.  We know that our hope is grounded on the truth that “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).  Ours is a lively hope in Christ because of His resurrection.  It is a Gospel of life from death, strength from weakness, and hope from tragedy.  Metamorphosis and victory will punctuate the end of our testimony if we yield ourselves to God’s will.  Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, we can emerge transformed from every adversity that we encounter in our lives.

 

Even in tribulation, the love of God floods our hearts with a calming assurance that He is still in control and that we can trust the work that He is accomplishing in us.  The Holy Ghost which God has given us reminds us of His great love and comforts us in all our tribulation.

 

Remember: there is a process; and we must stay in the process and not give up until God has worked His purpose in us.  John reminds us to be very careful that we don’t lose the things that God has worked in us so that we receive a full reward (2 John 1:8).  The carnal man is concerned with getting his own way and never enduring grief; but the spiritual man will endure any adversity so that Christ may be formed in him.  Let patience have her perfect work, and remember to “stay in the process!”

 

 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” (Philippians 1:20).