“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.” – Job 23:8-11
In 1856, Charles Spurgeon was one of the best-known and popular preachers in England with his church filled to overflowing week after week. When the church needed to build a larger building, they temporarily moved to the Surrey Gardens Music Hall during construction. On the first Sunday at Surrey Gardens, the crowd that gathered was estimated at 14,000 which far exceeded the building’s capacity. Early in the service, someone shouted “Fire!” and the panicked crowd rushed for the exits. Eight people were trampled to death in the chaos. Spurgeon, who was just twenty-five years old, carried that grief with him for the rest of his life. He later confided to friends that he sometimes burst into tears for no apparent reason. On the wall of Spurgeon’s bedroom was a plaque with Isaiah 48:10 on it: “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”
Things do not always go the way we want them to. There is pain, suffering, sickness, betrayal, tears, and heartache in every life. Many times these trials are outside of our control, and sometimes, they are even caused by other people. But faith looks at those events through the lens of trust in God’s overall plan for our lives. Such trials can be part of the purifying process by which God makes us more like His Son. But if we become bitter or lose our faith in Him, the benefit of the trial will be lost. Every affliction and trial God allows in our lives is meant for our good and His glory.- Daily in the Word
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
