God Speaks I Listen

[This blog is dedication to Laurie Ornstein Avona.  I started writing this blog for her 2 weeks ago but she went home to be with Jesus before I could finish.]

When life gives you lemons, make lemon aid!
My definition of making lemon aid is “Making the best of life’s challenge with God’s help”.

A few weeks ago I was asked a question by a woman in a wheel chair with a severe disabling medical condition that really touched me.  She asked me “why did God let me suffer with a disease like this”? It truly broke my heart to hear her question because I knew she was a Christian but had suffering so much.  She must have been so frustrated with her extreme disability. I knew what to say to her because I myself have suffered with difficult medical conditions and I’ve had to explore that same question.
When God created the first man and woman…they were in perfect health. There wasn’t one single solitary thing wrong with them. They didn’t get any colds and they weren’t destine to get diabetes, cancer or any kind of disease. We all know Adam and Eve’s story very well. They ate the fruit and sin came into the world and into them. Their perfect DNA suddenly became jacked-up and death and decay entered their cells and the dying process began physically and spiritual.
Every human except Jesus Christ HAS jacked-up DNA. Jesus provided a blood sacrifice for our original spiritual sin but unfortunately our physical bodies are suffering the consequence of that original sin. This is why we are sick. Some people only suffer only a little physically in their life time and some people suffer from very debilitating and painful diseases and deformities.
The big question….How could God let this happen to me, my mom, my sister, my brother, my child, my wife, my husband, my family member, my neighbor, and my friends? Why God? Why? You have all this power! How can you let BABIES and CHILDREN die? You’re supposed to be this loving and caring God? How can I worship a god who would let people suffer so?
One could really sympathize with someone who has suffered to the point of needing to ask these questions. I have asked these questions in the past myself. I don’t ask them anymore because when you have studied God word and have gotten to know God, you come to terms with what has happened in your life and you learn to accept God’s grace. This is not an easy thing to come to terms with in your mind I can tell you that!
First of all we can’t understand the mind of God.
Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

These two scriptures makes it pretty clear that we can’t understand why God does what He does. He’s the creator and if this is what He allows then as Holy and superior as He is we have to trust Him.

 
This is how I now deal with the questions above. In my mind I have separated all the suffering from my love from God and His love for me. I LOVE GOD JUST BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS!!! I leave my worship in that special place in my heart no matter what is going on in the world and in my life. This keeps my relation with God on a very good level in my mind and heart. If I begin to let my trials interfere with my walk with God then I start to get mad at God for all the negativity that happened to me.  I know that God doesn’t just sit on the throne and let us squirm in our suffering because He’s too busy or because He doesn’t want to get involved in our problems. On the contrary He knows what we need and has a plan for us for our spiritual benefit. We can’t possibly understand His thought process. We can only try to understand that it will work out for us. If we aren’t satisfied with this limited knowledge of our being able to understanding things, then we will be confused for our lifetime about His reasons for allowing us to suffer. WE NEED TO COME TO TERMS WITH THIS!!!
God can handle knowing all the evil and sins that every human being will ever commit.  He’s God!  God even came down to earth Himself so that we can accept His gift of eternal life WHICH IS THE ANWER TO OUR SUFFERING. Jesus is the answer!!! When our physical bodies stop functioning and our spiritual body makes the transition to His presence, we will never ever suffer again! This IS the answer to our prayers!!! We will have a glorified body and a whole new perfect life with no more suffering! It may not be the answer you want to hear right now but it’s what you have to work with. My husband and I always say this about our difficult trials…”it is what it is”. The Lord will help us with the “it is”.
Now there is help for us while we are here on this earth when we are a Christian.

These are the three benefits that can help us in our earth sufferings:
1. Knowledge of the bible.
2. Prayer
3. The Holy Spirit
God didn’t leave us here without any help. He has put in place powerful tools for us to take advantage of. Even so it still depends on His will for our lives. He knows how much we can take. He knows what to do to get us through our earthly life and He prepares us to perfection for our eternal spiritual life. Only Jesus can prepare us to be presented to God. Jude 1:24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–

Jesus can get us ready like no other and this is why we go through much of our suffering. God uses trials to purify us. This is something to be happy about. The perfecting process can be painful though. Perfecting entails some form of…”suffering”. We naturally don’t like this process or type of pain. When Jesus Himself was suffering on the cross this happened…. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

Suffering was painful and torturous too for Jesus. He ask His own Father if it was possible to find another way to accomplish His purpose/will. As we all know God allowed His only Son to go through horrible suffering and humiliation. Jesus was also starved for a really long time. He was still human so this was very difficult for Him. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. Luke 4:1-2
At one point Jesus experienced a great deal of stress about His upcoming crucifixion to the point that He needed help from above to be able deal with it…. An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. Luke 22:43 Being human Jesus had to make lemon aid (Making the best of life’s challenge with God’s help.) because it was what it was.
If Jesus, Gods Son had to go through suffering what makes us “Gods children” think that we won’t have to suffer? This is Gods way. Suffering just “is what it is”.
There is a way to get through it though. Are you ready for the big answer? Here it is…..
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Here Paul asked the Lord to take away his painful situation and God said for Him just to accept His grace because it’s all that he needed to cope with His suffering.

“When Life gives ya’ lemons get them lemons and  mix up a batch for aid with some grace and have that with some bread of life and you’re good to go. Now I don’t want to make it sound easy cause’ it ain’t!!!” Dealing with life’s stress and pain is NEVER easy! But you can make it easier on yourself my making use of all the tools that God has given us to get by. Suffering is bearable when you KNOW you have backup!! If you’re a Christian….YOU HAVE BACKUP!!!!
Since you have backup you don’t need to be mad at God for letting you go through things. This is so important for me to let you know the way I have figured out to get through trials. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 1 Peter 1:6
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:7 Experiencing many trials do have a great purpose. Trust God to know what He’s doing in your life!

Take note of these bonus points:

1. When you know who God is and why He created you, this information will help you to get through your trials. This helps to put God’s motives and plans for you into perspective and into your mind which is powerful knowledge for you to ponder on.

2. JESUS HAS ALREADY WON YOUR BATTLE AGAINST THE devil!!! You must get this in your head so that you can feel confident that it’s all good with you in your daily life and through your trials. Have NO fear!

3. Know that the devil is so jealous of you and wants to destroy you and keep you from your blessings. You need to make sure that all your armor is on so you can withstand the battle that is against you. Let me remind you that the enemy of your soul HAS been DEFEATED!

4. God is not bringing some great disaster down on you for His amusement or for mean punishment! He can’t because He’s Holy. His motives are ONLY pure and loving toward you!

5. Many of our trials are because God is purifying us for a higher purpose.

6. Remember how much the disciples and John the Baptist suffered? You know how much Jesus loved those faithful men. Your suffering is normal for God’s Children.

7. God has provided every tool you will need to get through every trial that you might ever have!!!

As sour as lemons are they have tremendous health benefits. As sour as life can be trials have tremendous benefits. Whatever life throws at you…make the best of it! You may not think you will but I tell you…you will be able to get through it!!! Read the 23rd Psalms until you get strengthen by the word of God. Also read your bible, study God’s word and get it deep down into your spirit. Talk to God all day long. Don’t wait until trouble arises. Get a GREAT relationship with the one who can help you make lemon aid!! You can’t “do life” without His help!!!
Life gives every single one of us lemons at some point. We can either sit and hold on to all those lemons and let them rot in our lap soil us or we can get up and squeeze out the juice, add some sugar and make lemon aid. In other words… Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. God will help you make that aid. Do the best you can with God’s help and guidance because…Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:2 Now that’s some good tasting lemon aid!!! God bless all those who are going through hard trials. Hang in there! You can do this!!! In Jesus name! Amen.