Tag: tribulation

Growing through Trials

Growing through Trials

By Lilyan Andrews

Original post by Lilyan Andrews’ blog, Lilies and Thorns, 10 Oct 2020.

Sometimes I stop and look at my husband and say, “Wow, we have a great life, thank God.” But, that doesn’t mean we have an easy life. Find me someone who has an easy life, and chances are they’re not really living. We didn’t get here accidentally either. There is no denying that God has blessed us tremendously, but even among the blessings, there are many trials and tribulations.

I’ll never forget that year we spent serving in another state. We were far from family, friends, and our usual support system. Looking back on it, I can admit that I was not ready for what was coming, but I’m so thankful for the experience. I was an optimistic young wife who really wanted to serve God in any capacity, and never said no to anything. So when my husband and I were asked to go serve a church in another state we easily said yes (this is after we almost moved to Australia to serve, but that’s another long story). Needless to say, I had no idea what was coming.

Adjusting to a new environment was tough on its own. And on top of the normal struggles of supporting a husband who is serving full time, I had a new job that I did not feel qualified for, and with no friends or family nearby, my world got flipped upside-down. Not only did it take a toll on my mental health, but also on my physical health. I had trouble sleeping, I lost my appetite, and lost a lot of weight without even noticing. My internal struggles manifested in an unhealthy physical way.

I remember reading 2 Corinthians 11 & 12 and finding comfort in learning how St. Paul dealt with his struggles. Of course my struggles were nothing compared to his, but in my little world, they were huge.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

(2 Corinthians 12:7-10

By the grace of God I finally made it out on the other side. With the help of my father of confession, talking to mentors, and lots of prayers, I was able to move past the hardships I was facing. When I felt comfortable enough to share this experience with friends, I called it “growing pains.” Like the growing pains a baby goes through then they’re teething. They are miserable and in pain, but it’s a necessity, they need their new teeth to grow in. The same was happening with me, I needed to go through this pain in order to grow. I would not have been ready for the next step in my life (my husband’s ordination to priesthood) if I had not gone through this experience. God taught opened my eyes and softened my heart to many things.

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

Isaiah 48:10

God really does refine us by fire. Just look at the story of Job, Joseph, Moses, Jonah, or just about any other person in the Bible. Tertullian said, “The greater our trials, the greater our rewards.” It definitely doesn’t feel good as we’re going through it, but I can’t argue that it yields greatness. And no matter how hard the tribulation is we have to remember to be of good cheer, but He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

My friend, Youstina Asaad, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment. It not only came as a shock to her, but to all her friends and family. She was in denial that a 28 year old with no risk factors and no family history would have cancer. She felt fine, healthy, working hard as a surgery resident, and planning a wedding that was two months away. Her life was in full bloom.

She said, “I knew that God sometimes sent trials and sometimes allowed them in our lives, and I was okay with that, but there’s no way that it would happen now, would it? Once the doctors confirmed that it was definitely cancer, to be completely honest, I was very shaken. Every possible worst case scenario went through my head in that moment. I then realized that this was a gross lack of faith – what happened to “be anxious for nothing”? The mere fact that this was so unlikely and a “very random thing” as my doctors described it, is evidence that it could only have happened by God’s allowance, and I know that, “All things work together for those who love God.” Whatever it was, whatever would happen, would be for good. What more could I want?”

I asked her how she thought God was using this experience in her life, and she told me, “I have yet to see His grand plan for this season of life, and maybe I won’t get to see it in this lifetime, but I pray that He uses this as fire, and I hope to be as gold, purified and refined.”

What a beautiful prayer that is! How many of us can truly ask to be purified and refined by fire? It’s not as crazy as it sounds. St. Augustine said, “In my deepest wound I saw Your glory, and it dazzled me.”

It’s through the fire, the trial, the tribulation, the chastisement, that God really refines us to bring us closer to Him. To get closer to becoming His image and likeness. After all, He sacrificed His life for humanity. I wish there was an easy way to get there, but no where in the Bible is life promised to be easy. We’re told that we have to go through the narrow gate to get to the Kingdom, and that it will be filled with trials and tribulations. So are you willing to let God take you on that journey of growth?

(c) Lilyan Andrews (2020). Growing through Trials by Lilyan Andrews. Available at https://www.liliesandthorns.com/post/growing-through-trials

When Will It End?

When Will It End?

Adapted from a sermon by Andrew Bishara

Passage Matthew 24:3-35

The disciples were sitting on the Mount with Christ when they questioned Him… “Lord, tell us, how is the world going to end? I see now that You know all things, You know how the world works. I want You to tell me how the world is going to end. How is it going to end? What are the signals that will happen before the world ends?”

The disciples question Jesus, because like many of us, they do not want to live with uncertainty. Christ responds, “do not be troubled, have peace, but there will be tribulation, much bigger than you can imagine.”

In all of this, have peace. Despite hearing this, it would be very difficult for the disciples to hold their peace. Expect the worst is coming, but have peace. Whilst the gospel seems gloomy, it is quite applicable to many of us.

During my final year of school, I hated more than anything, the uncertainty that was coming. What mark am I going to get? What course am I going to get into? The answer is still the same, “do your best, endure and leave the rest to Me.”

What would have happened if Christ had told the disciples all that was to come? They would’ve done whatever they wanted and fixed their lives at the last moments. This sounds like a great plan for many. We wouldn’t need to worry our entire lives. I can set an alarm for an hour before, and I’ll be fine.

But imagine what would be lost along the way! If I live as if I have all the time in the world, I will surely live to regret the time I wasted.

If Christ gave the disciples that time and they wasted their entire lives up until the last hour, then would they have gained enough virtue, enough wisdom, enough understanding to then enter the kingdom of Heaven?

Many more would be lost if we all knew when the world is ending. Moreover, if I am constantly seeking anxiously when the end will come, I will be unable to sustain virtue along the way.

Christ is telling us to do our best and endure and leave the rest to Him. This applies to every aspect of our lives. It is not uncertainty. He does not present the signs so that we can go out looking for them. These are more or less, natural events that should not matter to us, for as long as we do our due diligence.

All that matters is that I endure, I need to stay close to Christ. I know that I will get the promise at the end of the gospel.

Do not be troubled, no matter where you are in life compared to where you think you should be, it is all part of the plan.

He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other

Matthew 24:31.

If I endure, if I do my best, the angels are coming with the sound of trumpet to deliver me from all my troubles.

We need to keep pushing until we hear the joyous sound of the trumpet.

Full sermon

Put Off Doubt, Put on Faith

Put Off Doubt, Put on Faith

By Louise Makarious

Having faith sounds simple. It’s something we’re taught to do early on and as Christians we pledge in every liturgy to have faith in the Christian paradigm – that is, Christ’s resurrection and our salvation, with eternal life. If I believe in Christ, then I gain eternity, simple.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” – John 1:12

Personally, I have spent a lot of time trying to make logical sense of Christianity. How can Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection actually save us or how does the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ during each liturgy, and so on? These were typical questions of doubt, from a faith not yet fully grown. “We walk by faith, not by sight” – St Paul teaches us this in 2 Corinthians 5:7. It is not unusual to presume that faith is blind based on this verse. On the contrary, faith is to walk with spiritual eyes, and not our earthly vision. Doubt is warranted, and should be explored. If God did not want His children to question, He wouldn’t have given us free will.

Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith is complete belief and trust without a seemingly logical explanation. Daniel was a great prophet that many could see God dwelling in his humble being. After presenting him with a series of visions that were interpreted by Gabriel, the messenger of the Lord, he was left with a final sentence – “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” – Daniel 12:9. Our doubts are not ignored by the Lord, He listens and He answers, but there will always be a limit to how much we can handle. Not even in the greatness of faith of Moses could He witness the glory of God. Ultimately, our God is incomprehensible, eternal and comparable to none and this is where our faith comes in.

God speaks to our hearts in our every day lives, pushing us along the path of salvation, but He is not the mighty wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but the still small voice (1 Kings 19:13). He will guide each of us along the path for as long as we are open to hearing His voice amid a world of tumult and tribulation. Through it all, we know that He is in control in ways we may not fully know, but we trust based on His providence to this date that He will leave us nor forsake us.

Slowly, I’ve learnt that having complete faith in God isn’t something of the head but of the heart. It does not require the struggle to try and comprehend Him, a power too divine for us to understand, but to trust in Him despite the unknown.

How can we practice faith in our everyday lives? Whenever we’re struggling with a dilemma, unsure of the future or going through a rough time, the most common advice we hear is to “have faith” or “God’s got a plan”. At the time, it usually seems like pretty useless advice, but what does it really mean to “have faith”? How can we trust in “God’s plan” for us, if we can’t see any plan that would relieve us from our problems or stressors? Again, doubt. Doubt often makes us feel alone in our problems and responsible to find our own solution, contributing anxiety and worry. Faith, on the other hand, means we are never alone and there is always a solution, even if we can’t see it.

One way for faith to practically change our lives everyday is by prayer. Psalm 138:3 says, “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul”. Making our worries and concerns known to God gives us inner strength that we will never experience turmoil alone. Like David, who had faith in God to help him defeat Goliath and deliver his people, we too can practice faith in situations that may seem unlikely or impossible to us. Faith allows us to act on what we have not yet experienced and trust in God’s plan when our situations seem hopeless.

With practice, faith becomes less of a vague, unreachable religious concept to a more practical, tangible and incredible experience everyday.

Where are You, Lord?

Where are You, Lord?

by Marcus Mikhail

Where are You, Lord, can’t You see I need You?

Where are You, Lord, I need You to be true.

True to your promises, true to your love,

True to Your blessings and grace from above.

 

Where is the strength that You promised to give,

Or the peace that surpasses all understanding to let me live?

Why can’t I stand up?

Why don’t I have strength to live?

 

Did I forget that with You all things are possible;

Did I forget that all things will work for good for those called to Your purpose?

I feel like my problems are not salvageable,

But really, they are only on the surface.

 

I live a life that is external,

When all the joy in the world resides internal.

In the secret place, You reward me openly

In the secret place, I fall in love with You totally;

So much that I can’t remember the force of the external.

 

Help me, dear Lord, to get up and not forfeit.

This life is tough but I know You will not leave me orphan.

I love you, Lord, I want to trust You with all my being

I need to trust You, but sometimes I can’t believe what I am seeing.

 

I’ll climb every mountain cross every ocean

Until I find You and cease the commotion.

Lord, help my unbelief help me to stay true

Help me to stop questioning, “where are You?”

 

You are always there regardless of the distractions.

You are my Lord, You are my comfort.

Your ways are higher than any worldly attraction,

Help me to trust Your promises so that my life reveals You triumphant.

 

Let me never let you go and always pray,

That you will be my hope and help me through the grey.

You are my shield, my counsellor and guide

You’ve helped me so much, how could I deny?

 

Let me live according to Your will

And help me to remember to be still.

Be still and know that you are God

Be still and know You are my rod

As I feel a sense of relief You have helped me overcome my unbelief.

Joy

Joy

by Shery Abdelmalak

A heart full of love and servitude for God’s children can only emulate joy. Think of events that have made you feel joyful. Do you think of adventure, travel, fun? Is it things that make you happy; the temporal kind? For Saint Mary, it was the news, that at the age of twelve, she would conceive a child. Not just any child but the Son of God. She responded saying, “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)

Her faith was being put to the ultimate test. God had big plans and Saint Mary was about to play a major role in the salvation of all mankind. But what twelve year old girl would think of mankind when her whole life was about to flipped upside down? To say that this should be a time of confusion and discomfort would just be scrapping the surface.

Fr Dawood Lamey outlines joy very simply; Joy comes when you prioritise:

  • Jesus
  • Others
  • Yourself

Saint Mary accepted God’s will, with no thought given to how His plans will impact her life personally. When the angel, Gabriel tells her that Elizabeth is also pregnant, her immediate thought is to help her cousin in her time of need. At no point did Saint Mary stop to think of herself. Her joy in this situation is beyond admirable. Had she stopped to think of herself, the course of history may have taken a very different turn.

When we take Saint Mary as an exemplar of joy and attempt to mould this into our own lives, we may see a very different pattern. We can often misrepresent joy for happiness. Happiness generally comes from a pursuit of one’s own will, pleasures and desires, whereas, joy is the complete opposite. One’s own desires are put on hold for the service of others. This is not to say that happiness is a negative. All in moderation. A major risk of happiness arises when it is used as an indication of spiritual health. Joy is the true indication of spiritual health. To be content and at peace throughout tribulation comes from having joy, that exceeds far beyond happiness.

The main difference between happiness and joy are their sources. Happiness originates from external influences of the world whereas joy is internal. Saint Jerome describes this difference saying, “By joy people mean an elation of mind over things that are worthy of exultation, whereas gaiety is an undisciplined elation of mind which knows no moderation.” When going through hardship, you may choose to ignore the situation. You may think that you are okay because you’re happy. If you can’t come to God at the end of day, on your knees and have an honest conservation with Him in prayer, of what spiritual benefit will that tribulation bring you?

You may be happy externally yet still filled with grief and sorrow, the fruits that oppose joy. St James says that, “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6). The appeal of happiness is in its momentary pleasure but you put yourself in a cycle of an endless pursuit of satisfaction from an inconsistent world that will ultimately lead to much greater pain. There is nothing like the joy of having a clear conscience that has claimed victory over worldly lusts. There is also no difficulty quite like pursuing joy when you feel you have been given every reason to abandon God and His promises. Joy is not the result of “fun,” joy comes in times of chaos when all you know for sure is that God is holding you in the palm of His Hand.

So how can we find joy in tribulation?

To be thankful for all, even the seemingly insignificant. From the moment you wake up, you are already given more than enough reason to be thankful. Find thankfulness behind every complaint. The very reason we can complain so much is because God has already blessed us to the extent that we have created expectations of Him. How great His love is and for that alone, we are thankful.

To repent honestly without any ill-feelings toward others. To end every day in self-reflection of your own actions and how you can become more Christ-like brings joy, both in times of blessing and in times of tribulation. As Saint Ambrose says, “That man sins is no cause for surprise. What is blameworthy is his failure to acknowledge his error and humble himself before God.” When we humble ourselves before God, we allow Him to take away our human nature and replace it with the heavenly. Repentance is a tool that allows us to recognise our position before God so that self-awareness comes as a reflection of what God can make you and me.

To beg for His mercy so that He becomes our source of joy and spiritual nourishment in every storm. The joy of the heart cannot be taken away by the cares of this world, or the opinions of others, or the sin of despair. Stay in good company in sanctification from the world and He will provide for you.

When you feel God has blessed you, when life is going well, pursue joy most so that His blessings are not forgotten during tribulation. When blessings cause happiness and an elevation of the ego instead of a heart that gives God the glory, happiness quickly fades. Feeling joyful during times of blessing is good but how much more admirable is a person who is joyful during tribulation? A heart filled with joy is content during all external circumstances, the good and the bad, and is thankful through it all.