There is no doubt in my mind that every believer in Christ has been put through the fiery furnace of life…some of us more than once. In fact, it seems to be a rite of passage to be put through trials. But God is clear when he says that the rain falls on everyone, not just the righteous, but also on the unjust.
However, when we look at the heroes of the bible; David, Joseph, John the Baptist, Abraham, Job, Moses, Elijah and others, it’s obvious that God has a way of breaking those he loves. He can take the strongest man or woman and break them to a point of no return. And often times we wreck our brains trying to find a logical explanation for our own trials. Our bible heroes were much the same. David asked, ‘how long oh Lord,’ When John was thrown in prison he asked if it’s the same Jesus, Job questioned God, just like we do.
But when we follow our heroes’ stories, we learn that they were broken for a reason and that reason is God. If he chooses you to work for him, rest assured a time of testing will come and it can last many months and years – Abraham waited 20 years, Joseph suffered 13 years before God’s dream for him was realised. God will break you for Him. Why, you ask?
1) So that you learn that you cannot rely on your own strength, but his. 2) So that he knows through the testing of your faith, that he can trust you with the work he set out for you. 3) So that you do everything for his glory. 4) So that you die to yourself and surrender to him completely. 5) So that he can cultivate obedience and faith in you.
Sometimes the enemy shows up and he tries to tempt and torment you too! LOL! And now you have a spiritual battle on your hands as well. This is why prayer is so important to the kingdom citizen. Without it, we’re doomed. Sometimes it’s hard to understand why God breaks us, and the only thing you can do is to surrender, praise and be obedient when you feel like your life is unravelling at the seams. That’s the only way out of the wilderness. And believe me, you WILL get out of the wilderness.