2024- Did you make it through?

In years gone by, it used to be the custom to send your friends and family an annual letter at Christmas time summarizing the years’ happenings, the kids’ achievements, the holidays taken, the new job, the new car etc.

These letters were most likely typed up and often complete with photos to add extra pizzazz and maybe included a festive family photo to hang on the fridge.

I never bothered with this tradition because quite frankly, some years either I didn’t feel I achieved very much, or I thought that no one would really care if I had or hadn’t. Maybe I was just plain lazy and couldn’t be bothered adding another thing to my to-do list.

So, where am I going with all this?

It is simply this.

Most likely, you’ve already been seeing a lot of posts on social media of people sharing how much they achieved in 2024, and reels of the year gone by. But I want to encourage you, in case someone needs to hear this:

It’s okay if all you did this past year was just get through.

It’s okay if all you did was survive another year. It’s okay if you made it through, day after day, simply putting one foot in front of the other, working hard at your job, tending to the children, looking after your husband, feeding your family, serving in your local church in whatever capacity.

It’s okay.

You don’t have to have an amazing list of achievements beside your name.

If you were faithful in the little things, God saw it and he took notice of it and he is pleased.

I think sometimes that comparison can become such an enemy to our peace of mind. We see what others are doing on our social media feeds and we hang our heads in despair feeling worthless.

We beat ourselves up over our seeming lack of accomplishments.

Comparison is often a thief of joy.

Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians against comparing ourselves with others.

2 Corinthians 10:12 KJV - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Comparison can often be crippling. If we spend our days pouring over what others have accomplished and look on in despair at our own accomplishments, we will most likely spiral into a defeated mindset and pretty soon, we will begin to downplay all the little things we do that really hold significance, if only we saw them through God’s eyes.

There have been years in my past where all I did was get through. By the skin of my teeth. But by God’s grace, I made it to the end of the year and started up again with the dawn of the new one.  

There were years where I served tirelessly in a ministry in the church and saw no fruit for my labours.

There were years of sickness where it was all I could do to get food on the table and the dishes and clothes washed.

Praise God for this precious promise found in Lamentations.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV - It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

These verses hold great hope for me as I know that no matter what happens, how my day goes, or how my year went, God’s mercies are never-ending and he gives me a fresh start each morning.

Someone today reading this needs to hear this. Someone out there needs to know that it’s okay if all you did was make it through.

You’re doing a good job. You are making a difference. Whether you realise it or not.

If you haven’t already discovered, everyone works at their own pace. Some are super go-getters; others are plodders and neither one is better than the other.

As you look back on the year gone by, don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t worry that you didn’t achieve big things.

If you are still breathing, then God’s not done with you yet!

If you made it through the past year and you are still walking with the Lord, trusting him, claiming his promises, reading his Word, fellowshipping with other believers and obeying God as you take it one day at a time, then you have achieved great things!

What may seem small to you is significant in God’s eyes, and what you see as huge in others lives, may be a mere spec from God’s perspective.

So, weary mother, if you feel a failure because you haven’t been able to keep a consistent daily quiet time routine due to the demands of tending to little one’s day in and day out, don’t give up. Your acts of service to your family are noticed by God and the little moments when you are able to read a Psalm and meditate on it throughout the day will help you to keep going as you rely on God’s strength.

Young woman, working hard at your job where you feel unappreciated and the promotion never comes, the beach getaways are nowhere to be seen, stick at it. God sees and he cares.

We are all in different seasons of life and God knows this.

What I’m trying to emphasize is that it’s okay if all you did this past year was simply make it through.

Our goal as a believer should be to grow in our spiritual walk and develop a closer relationship with Christ through spending time in his Word and talking to him on a regular basis through prayer.

The earthly pursuits we chase after pale into insignificance in comparison to building God’s kingdom and chasing hard after him.

Don’t be concerned with achieving great things in the world’s eyes.

Take some time to look back to a year ago and see if you have grown spiritually. Are you in a different place in your Christian walk than you were 12 months ago? Has it been a gradual climb?

Maybe you haven’t been able to do all the things you hoped to in the past year, but if you are growing as a Christian and serving God with all your heart, then you’ve done well.

Just keep on being faithful to him.

By all means, set goals, make plans, have a vision for the year ahead, but don’t beat yourself up when you don’t achieve all you hoped to.

God is looking for heart growth. He’s looking for things that hold eternal value.

Start out the new year with a prayer to God. Maybe it could go something like this:

Dear God,

I thank you for the year gone by and all you have accomplished in it that is unseen by me. I thank you for the blessings you’ve showered upon me, but I also thank you for the struggles you’ve allowed me to go through as I know that you work all things for my good and through the hard times, you help to purify me and make me more like you.

I pray Lord for strength and wisdom for the new year ahead. I pray that I will be more focused on spiritual growth and working to build your kingdom than I am with building my own little empire of wood, hay, stubble here on earth.

I pray for your hand of protection to be upon me and that you will give me endurance to run the race you’ve set before me. Help me not be distracted by what the world has to offer.

Help me to see that walking faithfully with you and obeying you each day is more important than anything else. I pray for your guidance in all my decisions and that your truth will be firmly planted in me and that I will be wholly focused on what is pure and right and that I will give you all the glory.  

Grant me your peace and help me to not just survive but THRIVE!

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why? Why? Why?

 

A few years back, I wrote an article entitled, “What do you do when you feel like God has let you down?”.

At the time, we were in the throes of financial difficulty due to the Covid pandemic. We had huge decisions to make but although we were trusting God and doing our best to obey him, we sometimes felt like God had let us down.

We were doing what we felt was right, we were faithful in our service to him, we were seeking his face daily and yet, despite our best efforts, we just didn’t seem to receive the answers we sought and the outcomes we longed for.

To add to that, our oldest daughter had recently battled through cancer and was living with the aftereffects and problems arising from the surgery and treatment.

We often felt as if God had forgotten all about us and had let us down.

Do you ever find yourself feeling like this? Do you ever have moments where not only does life just not make sense, but you feel as if God has let you down and turned a blind eye to your troubles?

We’ve all been there.

Can I just say, before I go on, that just because it feels like God has let you down, doesn’t mean he has. It only feels like it. And we should always remember that feelings are not the best thing to go by. They are not very reliable being so apt to change at a moments notice.

The question that repeatedly rolls off our tongues during these times, is “why”?

Why? Why? Why?

We want logical answers to our questions. We want life to make sense. We don’t like to live with the unknown.

But is why really the best question to be asking? Would it be wiser to be asking how?

How can I trust God more so I can ask why less?

Although we don’t often understand the ‘why’s’ of life, we do know the ‘Who’.

We know Who it is that holds us in his hand. We do know Who it is that has 20/20 vision and knows what is best for us in every walk of life.

I want to encourage you that although the way may seem dark and the path hard to follow and although it is full of obstacles that don’t seem to belong there, God is still working. He is still good, and he still keeps his promises.

Asking God to help you to trust him more is a question that he is happy to listen to and answer. Ask him to show you how you can trust him. Ask him to reveal his character to you so that you have no doubt in his ability to get you through.

A favourite quote of mine has always been this:

“When you can’t trace his hand, trust his heart.”

It so perfectly reveals the solution to our problems. We can trust God’s heart. We can trust who God is and his perfect, holy, righteous character, is always working for our good as we love and obey him. So, when we can’t see what he’s doing in our lives, and it feels as though he’s let us down, and life no longer makes sense, we can still trust his heart.

One author said something that really struck home with me, and we would do well to remember it.

“Trusting is often harder than obeying. With obeying, we have had the boundaries of obedience explained to us, but trusting God has no explained boundaries – we are always dealing with the unknown.”

It is so true. We don’t know what trials lie ahead or how long they will last or even how frequent they will be, but we still have to trust. Blindly, willingly, faithfully. We are always dealing with the unknown, because we are not God, and we don’t know what the future holds. And because of the fear of the unknown, trusting is often harder.

There have been many times over the years that I’ve felt like God had let me down. But praise God, he has given us his infallible Word that is a continual comfort to our souls, and during my darkest days it was his Word that held me up.

When the government stepped in, and our business was taken away….

Psalm 118:6 - The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

When I became worried about losing material possessions…

Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

When my anxiety and fear threatened to overwhelm me…

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

When my thoughts began to control me…

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When my patience was wearing thin, and waiting was hard…

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

We often struggle to make sense of the pain we are walking through, and we feel deserted and let down. Abandoned and alone. But God is still at work.

So, what do we do when fear grips our heart and the walls close in?

When I wrote my previous article, I had just listened to a sermon that really helped me gain perspective and also laid out some practical tips for me to follow.

Let me share them with you and I pray that they will be a help to you too.

What do you do when you feel God has let you down?

1.        HOLD UP – Stop. Take a deep breath. Don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t start doubting God and don’t try to work out the end of the story, when you don’t hold the pen. Remind yourself that it doesn’t end here. God is still working. Hold up!

 

2.        SPEAK UP – Take a moment to speak up. Speak to the Lord. Be honest with him about how you feel. Pour your heart out to him and let him hear from your lips, just what it is you are dealing with and how you feel let down. Let the tears flow. He holds them all and your tears won’t scare him away. He understands. Open your mouth, speak up and pray to him. Speak up!

 

3.        KEEP IT UP – Keep going. Keep trusting. Keep obeying. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You may feel let down, but don’t let it cause you to give up on God. Hold onto his promises and remember that he loves you and cares for you more than you will ever know. No matter how hard it is to go on, just keep putting one foot in front of the other, trusting God to show you the way. And when you’re not sure, step out in faith, expecting there to be something solid there underneath. Keep it up!

 

4.        LOOK UP – Look up to God. Don’t doubt. Keep looking up. God is up to something good. God promises good to his children. But remember that his definition of good is different to yours. Keep your eyes on God. When everything is crumbling around you, keep your focus on him and he will keep you safe. He will provide. He will protect. Look up!

HOLD UP. SPEAK UP. KEEP IT UP. LOOK UP.

I was so encouraged by these thoughts but also convicted that I needed to work harder at trusting, even when it felt like God had let me down.

God does choose to ‘let us down’ at times, but it is for our own good. He puts us through certain trials to test our faith and work growth in our lives. God knows exactly what we need to go through in order to mold us and make us more like him.

We are in a continual process of sanctification as believers, and we have to resist the urge to fight against it and let God do his work.

As I write this article, in this very moment, my daughter is once again going through another battle with cancer and I can tell you right now, that it doesn’t make sense.

I find myself asking ‘why’ often.

I don’t understand it. It feels like God has let her down. It doesn’t seem to be fair that she has to go through this again.

Why can’t I take her pain? Why does she have to suffer?

But I am trusting that God will hold her up and give her the strength and courage to weather the storm. I know he walks beside her.

Psalm 23:4 - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

I know that the single set of footprints in the sand are the moments he is carrying her. They are not evidence of being abandoned.

What God has taught me about his goodness in the light, in the good times, in the seasons of blessing, still hold true in the darkness.

I don’t need to doubt in the dark, what I KNOW in the light!

When things are going well and I know without a shadow of a doubt, that God is good and he loves me, I can remind myself of this when the lights go out and I find myself fumbling in the dark.

God is still God, and he hasn’t changed. What you know about him in the light, is still true about him in the dark.

If you’re feeling let down by God, Stop!

Hold up. Speak up. Keep it up. Look up.

Take a few deep breaths, pour your heart out to him, keep trusting and keep your eyes focused on him. He will bring you through.

Isaiah 43:2 - When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

All the way my Savior leads me;
  What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
  Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
  Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
  Jesus doeth all things well,
For I know, whate’er befall me,
  Jesus doeth all things well.

 

All the way my Savior leads me,
  Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
  Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
  And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
  Lo! a spring of joy I see,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
  Lo! a spring of joy I see.

 

All the way my Saviour leads me;
  Oh, the fullness of His grace!
Perfect rest to me is promised
  In my Father’s blest embrace.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
  Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
  Jesus led me all the way,
This my song through endless ages:
  Jesus led me all the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can he see his image in it?

 

I am of the opinion that everyone needs a hobby. Something that they enjoy and can use to relax in those spare moments of time.

Over the years, I have had many hobbies and although I don’t spend as much time on them as I used to, and have developed new hobbies as I’ve gotten older, I still enjoy the times I am able to devote my attention and time to one particular thing, learning how to do it better and hopefully benefiting others in the process.

One of my husband’s favourite hobbies is melting down different metals. He has a small crucible and also a couple of gas burners and an overflowing and expanding shed yard full to the brim of every type of metal in the form of scrap steel, old motors, air conditioners, copper wiring and the list goes on. He especially like to melt down lead and copper and brass.

I’ve watched him a few times as he laboriously melts the pieces of a particular metal and carefully skims off the impurities and melts them again and again until he is left with a purer form of the metal that he then pours into little molds of different shapes and sizes.

This time-consuming practice reminds me of a passage of Scripture found in the last book of the Old Testament and written by the prophet Malachi.

We don’t know a whole lot about Malachi, but we read that he pronounced judgment, urged repentance and proclaimed future hope through the coming of the Messiah.

In Chapter 3 we read an interesting phrase.

Malachi 3:1-3 KJV - Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

A refiner’s fire. A refiner and purifier of silver.

At this time of year, you may hear this phrase used in Handel’s famous oratorio Messiah. He quotes from this passage, and you will hear over and over again this phrase being sung, “he is like a refiner’s fire”.

In this passage in Malachi, God’s chosen prophet, calls upon the nation of Israel to repent and he warns them that the Lord is returning and that when he does, he will cleanse the nation with a judgment none will be spared from.

This reference to a refining fire is alluding to the process of purifying metal using a fire to heat the metal to a molten state and skimming off the dross that floats to the top.

Let me tell you a story that is told of a man who watched a silversmith as he went about his work.

There was a man who wanted to better understand the meaning of this passage in Malachi, and so he decided to visit a silversmith to gain some knowledge and insight into the process in hopes of understanding the phrase ‘refiner’s fire’.

He visited a silversmith and watched him at work. He watched the silversmith hold a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. The silversmith explained that in refining silver, you must hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest to burn away all the impurities. The man then thought about God holding us where the flames are the hottest to burn away our impurities. Then he thought again about the verse. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” He asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire and watch the process at all times.

The silversmith answered that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was tested in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. “You must leave it long enough to serve the purpose, but not too long as it would destroy it”. The man was silent for a moment. Then he asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled and answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.” (Author Unknown).

Reading this short story was fascinating to me as I began to relate it to the passage, just as I’m sure the man visiting the silversmith did as well.

There are other references to the refiner’s fire and the process of refining in the Bible as it is something that God wants us to get a hold of because there is a purpose to God’s refining.

Zechariah 13:9 KJV - And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Isaiah 48:10 KJV - Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Proverbs 17:3 KJV - The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

Psalm 66:10 KJV - For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you will have experienced firsthand God’s refining process. The life of the Christian is not a life of ease, and we will experience trials and there will be times where God needs to put us through the fire in order to purify us.

Sometimes, God has to turn up the temperature in our lives through difficult circumstances that challenge our faith and teach us perseverance. Just as the silversmith skims off the impurities as they rise to the surface, so too does God separate the character flaws in our lives from the person he wants us to become as we strive to be image bearers worthy of his name.

God’s desire is for us to reflect his character. And in order to do this, he has to put us through the fire often numerous times.

Psalm 12:6 KJV - The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Going back to our silversmith story, the silversmith knew just how long to keep the silver over the fire. What’s so wonderful about having a perfect, holy and righteous silversmith that works in our lives is that he doesn’t keep us over the fire one minute too long or one minute too short.

God is keeping his eye on you every step of the way. He knows exactly when we are at our limit and his timing is always perfect.

When you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you, and He will “sit as a refiner and purifier” keeping watch until He sees His image in you. The refiner stops when he sees his image in the metal, like a mirror.

God wants to spiritually purify us so that our hearts and actions reflect his character.

I think that this is why we so often have to go through a similar trial over and over. It is because God can’t see his image in us yet. He has to keep turning up the heat, putting us over the fire, letting the impurities rise to the surface, skimming them off and repeating the process, over and over.

God is intimately aware of your unique needs. He will remove you from the fire when he deems the time right.

Job understood this process of refining and testing all too well and yet he was able to say:

Job 23:10 KJV - But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

He came to understand that God had a purpose for his pain.

God wants us to be his image bearers. We should desire to be like Peter and John in the book of Acts. It was evident to others that they had been with Jesus. They reflected God’s character.

Acts 4:13 KJV - Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

But did you know that there are some forms of silver that can’t be purified by repeated times over the fire? When this happens, the refiner has to reject the metal.

Just so, we can choose to reject God’s refining process by turning away from his teachings, ignoring his still, small voice as he speaks to our hearts and choosing to live in rebellion.

When we do this, God can’t use us in the building of his kingdom. We have to be rejected for the work as we are impure, unteachable and not able to be molded into Christ likeness. What we’re doing is condemning ourselves to an inferior life and we are not able to enjoy the blessings that God had planned for us.

The process of refining is an unpleasant one. It’s not comfortable. It’s hard to understand. It often doesn’t make any sense. But ultimately, it is for our good.

Just as the well-known verse Romans 8:28 states, all things do work together for good if we love God and obey him. But it is God’s version of good, not ours.

We cannot see into the future, and we don’t know what we will face ahead, but we have a God who knows all things and he knows just what difficulties we need to face in the here and now so that we can be a blessing and a comfort to someone in the days ahead.

Let the Almighty silversmith do his work in your life. Don’t reject his purifying process. Don’t try and stay his hand. Don’t fight against the flames. Yield yourself to his plans and trust that he will “sit as a refiner and purifier”, watching you and staying beside you through every moment, every tear, every heartache, every pain, bringing comfort and peace to your soul.

Don’t try and understand it. Just let God work and ask him to give you the strength to bear it.

 

“IF GOD BRINGS YOU TO IT,

HE WILL BRING YOU THROUGH IT!”

 

“Some flowers, as the rose, must be crushed before their full fragrance is released. Some fruit, as the sycamore, must be bruised before it will attain ripeness and sweetness. Some metals, as gold, must be flung into the furnace before they reach full value and purity. The old oak log must be laid on the fire, and the flames encircle it, before its imprisoned music is set free.

So it is with the saints. It is true with many of us that we must be laid low before we will look high. We must know God's smiting before we can appreciate His smiling. The Potter must break the vessel before He can make out of the same material a new and beautiful vase. Our hearts must be broken before their richest contents can leak out and flow forth to bless others.

But whenever God sends a trial with one hand, He gives grace with the other. Thus, trials become triumphs. Burdens become wings. Affliction, instead of being a bed of thorns and a pathway of nettles, becomes a quilt of roses. The very things which seem to break us are the things which really “make” us. Lo, God is in the hurricane, and instead of driving us to destruction, it beats the scared mariner into that safest of all harbours, the encircling arms of God's love!”  J. Sidlow Baxter