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"The Transformative Power of
Difficulties" |
Intimacy with God Follows Difficult
Times
In life, there are intimate moments when we can
almost tangibly feel God's arms around us. These are incredible times where we
know everything is going to be all right, because the King is so near. We
cannot help but sense His presence flooding into every pore of our bodies. As
British worship leader Martin Smith sings, God feels "closer than our
skin."
But often these "silken" moments come after difficult seasons in our
lives when we feel overlooked, experience the loss of a friend, or are
disheartened by family disruptions. God seems "further than the
moon," as Smith sings in the same verse.
During these painful times, it seems like God is absent as our heart breaks.
With our hopes and aspirations strewn across the floor, it seems as if everyone
else has everything going for them: their cars work, their lawns are green,
their futures look bright, and they always know just what to do! Meanwhile, we
feel like we're buried beneath a compost pile of hardship.
Transform from a Worm-like State into a
"Spiritually Silken" Creature
In a way, we are actually at the bottom of that dung heap; we feel like worms,
suffering through a helpless, difficult time. And yet even a worm has a divine
purpose!
Physically, silk - an expensive and desirable fabric - is the glorious
by-product of a prolonged time spent being a worm. In the spiritual sense, it
is in the aftermath of our worst seasons that we produce the soft, shimmering
substance of faith. This spiritual thread is woven into the tapestry of our
lives, and, in due course, adorns others we touch.
Amazingly, it is this cloistered, wormlike state that transforms us.
No one can enter Heaven's gates without spending time feeling wormish. The
deeper we tread into the hallowed halls of spirituality, the more amount of
silk we spin. In the inner chambers of true life, the silk of humility is
draped everywhere. Thus, we discover that those who have a silken nature are
welcomed into the Lord's presence, as His promise to "stay close to those
with a broken heart and a contrite spirit" echoes through the chambers of time.
The Bible calls this wormlike existence the "furnace of affliction,"
or more literally interpreted, the "furnace of humiliation." God
allows these times so that we might have a silken impact on all we touch. The
wise learn to find the hidden treasures during this season, while the foolish
become embittered by the experience. Years later, the memory of this season can
spawn humility, while the scar gives its bearer favor. Nothing births favor
faster than life as a worm.
This month, it is my prayer that those of you who are in the furnace of
affliction would see your difficult experiences as spiritual lessons designed
to refine your character. God is working to produce silk in your life. Open
your heart to His touch, and learn His lesson and His divine nature. God
promises that in the coming darkness, something rare and splendid will occur in
your life - you will be transformed into a spiritually silken creature!
by John Paul Jackson
Web: www.streamsministries.com