It's Your Choice

Pastor White made an interesting comment in Sunday School this week. His lesson was on God's protection and he was teaching about the life of the Apostle Paul. He said we could study about Job, but we only read of one trial in Job's life. Wouldn't it be nice if we knew that we would only face one trial in our lifetime?

I hadn't really thought about Job in that light before. As far as we know he only faced that one trial - but it was a biggie! He lost it all - health, home, career, friends, family - all in a matter of days. But when it was over, the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.

2 Corinthians chapter 11 Paul tells us some of what he faced:

24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

We aren't given the choice of the size of our trials. We don't know when or how often they will occur, but we still have a choice. We can do like Job and say, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." And we can be like Paul when he said, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

We can rest in assurance that God is not surprised by anything that comes our way. He hasn't been so busy hearing the prayers of those devastated by earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, that He misses what is happening in your town or mine.

"What happens around us is largely outside our control, but how we choose to react to it is inside our control. We can throw our hands up in defeat or we can choose to trust God for His solution."
- Mom's Bible

Psalm 121
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Isn't it great to know that we can place our trust in One who never falls asleep on the job?