Whispers of Wisdom
Well I made it to Honduras. One day late, but I didn't miss much. We bought some groceries and then settled into our apartment for the month. My last visit here I was surprised to find that Baxter provided internet services for those staying here, as well as the clinic I was working in. So this was my fist international trip where I expected to have some form of communication with those back home. Well when I arrived I found out neither of those internet services were working, and even now as I type (1-15-15) it is in hopes that eventually I will be able to post this online sometime later. Communication has always been the hardest part for me on these trips. I want to know that I can reach people if I need to, and honestly I just like to keep in touch with people back home if possible. Maybe this is a product of my generation? Or maybe it's sin . . . Trying to have and maintain some form of control?
Before I left the states, my pastor preached a sermon on James 1. "Consider it all joy my brethren when you fall into various trials" "now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind." As my pastor says, everyone is in 1 of 3 groups. You are either in a trail right now, you just came out of a trial or you are headed for a trial. Well I figured I was probably headed for one, and though the internet being out is not really a great trial, I am trying to apply the same principles to even the small stuff.
You see, God has promised us that all things work together for our good. He refines and purifies us as a silversmith refines silver. And He uses trials to do just that. Unfortunately, there is no better medium than fire to cleanse impurities, and that applies to our hearts too! So what James is reminding us here in chapter 1 is that there is wisdom to be gained when going through trials, and it is a joy to gain it. Of course we lack the wisdom in the first place, that is why God allows trials. So when we lack wisdom and God is allowing a trial, we should focus on looking to God for that wisdom, or the purification He wants to bring from it. But we must ask Him believing that He will grant it, and that there is a purpose for the hard time we are enduring. It's not about getting through the rough times as fast as possible, its about growing through it. God will end our suffering when and if He chooses. Our concern should be what is God trying to show me or trying to perfect in me. We should focus on not missing the blessing in the midst of the storm.
So why, you may ask, is having no internet a trial for me? This is my 8th international trip. With each trip I was prepared to have zero or limited communication with people in the States. For this trip however, I was not prepared. All I could think when I arrived was how mom was worrying because I couldn't let her know I had made it safely. It goes back to one of my biggest fears. I never want to cause anyone else pain or in this case worry (I do realize that with the career path God has chosen for me I will have to cause some pain, but it is for the greater good. . .kind of like how God deals with us . . .). So yes, the thought of mom anxiously waiting to hear from me for 2 days got to me. As I prayed about it that Still Small Voice whispered "Am I not more reliable than the internet"? Ouch! yes, Lord! What I really want for my family is peace, and who am I to think that I can bring it by using the internet more so than God can bring them peace without it! My God is a God of peace, and He brings comfort, better than anything else!
So, as we see, God always speaks in the storm, no matter how big or small it may seem. The key is to listen, expecting Him in the Still Small Voice.
Before I left the states, my pastor preached a sermon on James 1. "Consider it all joy my brethren when you fall into various trials" "now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind." As my pastor says, everyone is in 1 of 3 groups. You are either in a trail right now, you just came out of a trial or you are headed for a trial. Well I figured I was probably headed for one, and though the internet being out is not really a great trial, I am trying to apply the same principles to even the small stuff.
You see, God has promised us that all things work together for our good. He refines and purifies us as a silversmith refines silver. And He uses trials to do just that. Unfortunately, there is no better medium than fire to cleanse impurities, and that applies to our hearts too! So what James is reminding us here in chapter 1 is that there is wisdom to be gained when going through trials, and it is a joy to gain it. Of course we lack the wisdom in the first place, that is why God allows trials. So when we lack wisdom and God is allowing a trial, we should focus on looking to God for that wisdom, or the purification He wants to bring from it. But we must ask Him believing that He will grant it, and that there is a purpose for the hard time we are enduring. It's not about getting through the rough times as fast as possible, its about growing through it. God will end our suffering when and if He chooses. Our concern should be what is God trying to show me or trying to perfect in me. We should focus on not missing the blessing in the midst of the storm.
So why, you may ask, is having no internet a trial for me? This is my 8th international trip. With each trip I was prepared to have zero or limited communication with people in the States. For this trip however, I was not prepared. All I could think when I arrived was how mom was worrying because I couldn't let her know I had made it safely. It goes back to one of my biggest fears. I never want to cause anyone else pain or in this case worry (I do realize that with the career path God has chosen for me I will have to cause some pain, but it is for the greater good. . .kind of like how God deals with us . . .). So yes, the thought of mom anxiously waiting to hear from me for 2 days got to me. As I prayed about it that Still Small Voice whispered "Am I not more reliable than the internet"? Ouch! yes, Lord! What I really want for my family is peace, and who am I to think that I can bring it by using the internet more so than God can bring them peace without it! My God is a God of peace, and He brings comfort, better than anything else!
So, as we see, God always speaks in the storm, no matter how big or small it may seem. The key is to listen, expecting Him in the Still Small Voice.
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