God’s path for your life is never a straight line. It is a meandering road with a complex mixture of struggle and joy. Our mission in this life is to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. That instruction is delivered to us through experience. It’s impossible to know joy if you have never experienced struggle. God could easily create a perfect life for each and every one of His believers, but in his infinite wisdom He has deemed it far more valuable for us to learn these lessons first-hand. Every twist and turn in the meandering road that constitutes our life, is a well calculated move designed to bring us to full maturity in the Lord.
In chapter sixteen of the Book of Acts we are told an amazing story of how God works in the lives of believers. The apostle Paul and a church leader named Silas were captured and put in prison on trumped up charges.
“They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” Acts 16:20-21 (NIV)
At this point, you might expect God to step in and remove the threat from these two servants who are being unfairly maligned by the whole town, but He does not. Instead, Paul and Silas end up being severely flogged. Paul and Silas remained faithful to God as they waited for the next turn in their meandering road journey with Him. These two men knew without question that their torture and imprisonment were all for the glory of God and ultimately for their benefit. Like Paul and Silas we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Remember His teaching. Be anxious for nothing. God is with us always.
Click Here to read more
