Sometimes our lives are full of burdens, and it can seem like God is nowhere to be found and He is letting men ride over our heads and laying burdens on our backs. Why does God allow difficult times to come into the lives of His children? The answer is that He will use situations we go through to refine the character of all who walk in a relationship with Him. Just as a metal sword made for combat was put through the fire, refined and hammered on the anvil, in the same way, God allows trials and difficulties to come into our lives so we may grow spiritually through them. Here’s what the Word of God says about the refining fire:
We don’t often see God’s molding and shaping plan until 20 years later, when we enjoy the fruits of the test or trial. We are usually unaware of God’s intents and purposes for our lives in the present. Our life experiences would make more sense if we could only look into the future and understand what God is shaping us to become.
There are many today who try to be disciples but ignore the teaching of Jesus and have no time to meditate or think deeply about God’s words or works. There is a genuine danger to the people of God when we do not listen or take heed of the words of Christ’s instruction. Let me illustrate what I mean:
After I married my wife, Sandy, here in the USA, we lived in the States for about a year before we left for England to church plant (I was born in England, and my wife was born in the USA). We felt like God wanted to train us and use us for His kingdom purposes. I returned to work as a commercial fisherman with my father. It was the wintertime, and I had to leave Sandy at home while we were working out of the port of Boston in Lincolnshire, about a four-hour drive from our home port of Harwich, Essex. We left our boats up there and would work and live on the boats for 12 days and then come home for two days. When it was time to bring our boats back to our home port, my dad was on first watch, and he steered for the first four hours or so. It was past midnight, and it was his turn to sleep. He instructed me that before I came up to the two sandbanks off Lowestoft running parallel with the coast, the Outer and Inner Scroby Sands, that I should go close to the shore to escape the current that would turn and be against us by that time.
We were following another fishing boat that was about two miles ahead of us. All I could see of the boat ahead was a single, white-colored light on the stern (rear). When I came to the Scroby Sands, the Outer and Inner banks, I reasoned to myself that I could follow the other boat that was going through the channel between the two sands instead of following my father’s instructions. There was a force nine gale at the time, so the boat was being buffeted badly, and the waves were breaking over the boat, diminishing my visibility. I was afraid that if I heeded the words of my father and stayed close to the shore, I would run into the Lowestoft pier, which I knew stuck out a few hundred yards. I reasoned that my dad would sleep for a few hours yet and wouldn’t even know that I had disobeyed his instructions. I decided to follow the light of the other boat through the channel in between the sands and ignore the voice of my father.
What I didn’t realize was that after the other boat had gone through the sands, he had turned his course and was now heading inshore to escape the worst of the current. Due to following others instead of listening to my father’s word, I was now headed on a course that would take me toward the Inner Scroby Sands. Our boat hit the sandbank at full speed.
My dad woke with a start as the keel went up on the sand and was stuck fast on the sand in a severe gale. Worst of all, the tide was going down, and every minute, our chance of survival grew slim. My dad told me to put the engine in reverse and give maximum thrust to the engine in the hope of getting off the sand before we keeled over. With only one keel, the boat would roll over as the tide went down. As I put the engine in reverse, the boat leaned over and nearly capsized. In fear, I took the engine out of gear, resulting in the 45-foot boat becoming stable again. Dad said, “Do it, son!”
Again, I put the gear stick in reverse and pulled back on the throttle, giving the engine maximum revs. Our boat leaned over again as things fell off the side of the wheelhouse while I tried to maintain my balance. I pulled the gear stick into neutral, afraid to die. My dad said, “Let me have the controls, son.” I gladly got out of the way and let my dad take over the steering wheel and throttle. I was just a young Christian at the time and knew enough to pray, knowing that we were close to death. We were three miles off the coast, in mid-winter, and it was past midnight in severe gale wind speeds and rough seas. If the boat went over, I knew we would die — we didn’t have any life vests or life raft. We would not be found in the dark, and the cold water would give us barely minutes before hypothermia would set in. I began praying like there was no tomorrow, and tomorrow seemed very distant suddenly as my father took the controls and went full throttle in reverse. The boat nearly went over again as I prayed for God to help us. There was a big bump and then two or three more as the back end of the keel dug into the sand and then slowly slipped off. A massive sigh of relief flooded my soul as I thanked God for His deliverance. As we got back on course and the danger subsided, God spoke to me very clearly, saying, “If you would only listen to your Father’s voice, you would be safe.” Sometimes, God speaks to us on two levels, and this was one of those times. I knew He was referring to my relationship with Him. My problem came about because I didn’t listen to my father’s voice. Can I challenge you to trust your Father’s voice? When the situation looks bleak, hear His voice saying, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me; let me steer your vessel.”
I am grateful that whatever situation we are in, we can hand over the controls to our Father and let Him step in and say to us, “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9) There are times in one’s life when we must trust our Father. Sometimes, it means ignoring everything but holding on to the Word of God in the midst of a storm and crying out to the Father for His help.