Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy– James 5:11

Living in a fallen world, there is never a moment when we are not in need, nor without God’s care. Our needs never end and His eye never sleeps. Our Heavenly Father is constantly aware of the needs of His children. His mercies are new every morning and His grace is sufficient all the day long. A devotional from the Baptist Bible Hour put it like this:

The end,or purpose, of the Lord for his people is full of pity and tenderness.

When we feel deeply afflicted, it is hard for us to believe that God is tenderly involved in our lives. We feel as though perhaps God has forsaken us or—worse still—is punishing us for some mistake we have made.

Job, as he was enduring the pain and sorrow of his lengthy ordeal, felt as if he had been utterly forsaken by God. Yet by faith he trusted in God, saying, “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (23:10). He relied on God’s good purposes, in the midst of personal pain and loss and anguish.

This is a difficult exercise, because it means living entirely by faith, regardless of our present circumstances. It means trusting God and patiently waiting for him to fulfill his perfect and merciful purposes for us. It means tenaciously holding to a heavenly and eternal perspective, rather than seeking pleasure and fulfillment here and now.

But the example of Job should remind us that even when grief or turmoil hide the face of God from us, he is still working tenderly toward our sanctification and glory.

For this reason, James declares, we count them happy which endure. Those who steadfastly endure the trials God sends their way are, in the end, the most blessed people on earth. Their lives have brought glory to God, their testimony has pointed to eternity, and their faithfulness has reminded us of God’s goodness.

Oh, that we might sing morning and evening, and let song touch song all the way through.  –Streams In The Desert

—so shall we ever be with  the Lord.–1 Thess. 4:17
Far too many people never see their need of the Lord. But, even among those who do, not enough folks think about the believer’s benefits— benefits on earth and in eternity. Yet even a smaller number of people seem to understand that in Christ we have all. As long as we have Him we are never deprived, even in death. Going to heaven is gain not loss. To “ever be with the Lord” is what we long for, what we are promised and what we shall experience. Charles Spurgeon said it well:

“While we are here the LORD is with us, and when we are called away we are with Him. There is no dividing the saint from His Savior. They are one, and they always must be one: Jesus cannot be without His own people, for He would be a Head without a body. Whether caught up into the air, or resting in paradise, or sojourning here, we are with Jesus; and who shall separate us from Him? What a joy is this! Our supreme honor, rest, comfort, delight, is to be with the LORD. We cannot conceive of anything which can surpass or even equal this divine society. By holy fellowship we must be with Him in His humiliation, rejection, and travail, and then we shall be with Him in His glory. Before long we shall be with Him in His rest and in His royalty, in His expectation and in His manifestation. We shall fare as He fares and triumph as He triumphs. O my LORD, if I am to be forever with Thee, I have a destiny incomparable. I will not envy an archangel. To be forever with the LORD is my idea of heaven at its best. Not the harps of gold, nor the crowns unfading, nor the light unclouded is glory to me; but Jesus, Jesus Himself, and myself forever with Him in nearest and dearest fellowship.“

Turning Point, the daily devotional by David Jeremiah announced:”Scientists have finally discovered a guaranteed way to avoid disappointment in life. First, unplug the phone, the television, the Internet, and don’t answer the door. In short, have no interactions with other human beings. Second, get rid of all appliances (anything that might break). Third, expect the worst of everyone and you’ll never have reason for disappointment.

Okay, that’s a little extreme. The truth is that disappointment can’t be avoided for those who live a normal life. People will fail us, things will break, plans will change, and disasters will happen. Surely Jesus was disappointed with His disciples on occasion, especially Peter and Judas, so we will experience disappointment as well. But the very fact that we seek perfection in life is an indication of our longing for something beyond what this world provides. And that is the love of God that gives us hope that never disappoints.If you experience disappointment today or this week, focus your hope and expectations on the God who never disappoints.”

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more--Isa.2:4

Every time tragedy strikes people start asking “Why?”, yet most of them couldn’t understand were they given the answer. Only the Christian has the proper perspective as to why sinful people do stupid things. While all wish for better days to come, only true believers in Christ have assurance that they will indeed. Spurgeon wrote these following words well over a century ago, yet they are as true today as ever:

“Oh, that these happy times were come! At present the nations are heavily armed and are inventing weapons more and more terrible, as if the chief end of man could only be answered by destroying myriads of his fellows. Yet peace will prevail one day; yes, and so prevail that the instruments of destruction shall be beaten into other shapes and used for better purposes. How will this come about? By trade? By civilization? By arbitration? We do not believe it. Past experience forbids our trusting to means so feeble. Peace will be established only by the reign of the Prince of Peace. He must teach the people by His Spirit, renew their hearts by His grace, and reign over them by His supreme power, and then will they cease to wound and kill. Man is a monster when once his blood is up, and only the LORD Jesus can turn this lion into a lamb. By changing man’s heart, his bloodthirsty passions are removed. Let every reader of this book of promises offer special prayer today to the LORD and Giver of Peace that He would speedily put an end to war and establish concord over the whole world.”