My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:1-6 (KJV)
Dear Friends, I apologize for the tardiness of this week’s lesson. This has been a difficult week for me. First, I had a toothache and as a result, I found myself sitting in a dentist chair. Then Thursday, September 22, was the anniversary of my first husband’s death.
It has been eight years since my husband’s death, but it was such a life-changing event that I will never forget the details of that horrible day. Although I will never forget my husband, I did learn how to adjust to the change, continue forward with my life, and wait patiently upon God. I am still waiting to discover all the wonderful plans that God has in store for my future.
God has a good plan for all of His children. He sees into our hearts—He sees our strengths and He sees our weaknesses. The astounding part is that God loves us in spite of all of our weaknesses!
Life-changing events can transform our weaknesses into strengths. When we are suddenly plunged into the angry waves of despair, from a sickness or death of a loved one or maybe even from our own sickness, we may flounder around for a bit, barely keeping our heads above water. However, while we are floundering in despair, we gently hear God calling, “Hang on My child. Hold tight to My hand and I will lead you out.”
After floundering for a bit, I hope that we wise up, reach out, and take hold of God’s outstretched hand. I know I had to.
There was no way that I could make it through the valley of death without God. I surrendered myself to God, I rehearsed His Word (Bible) in my mind, and I held tight to my faith in Him. God did not disappoint me.
God was my strength while I underwent a painful transformation process. Through my faith in Him, I survived my walk through the valley of death. It was in that valley of death that some of my weaknesses were transformed into my strengths. “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” (Psalms 23:4).
Unfortunately, many times we have to undergo painful trials before we willingly surrender ourselves to God’s transforming hand. It is in the midst of those trials that we finally begin to understand and appreciate God’s faithfulness.
All of us will go through life-changing events at some point in time. Some of those events will be good and some of those events will be bad. Nevertheless, by faith we can victoriously endure all life-changing events IF we depend on God. God is working on our behalf to transform us into pure, strong, holy vessels. “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives” (Psalms 37:23, NLT).
If you are personally going through a life-changing event, perhaps God is birthing a new ministry within you. God may be transforming some of your weaknesses into strengths so He can use you to help His children. Therefore, while you are going through the transformation process, do not become overwhelmed. Instead, look at the process as an exercise in your faith. By faith, you know that God is right there beside you, lovingly planning every detail of your transformation.
But while you are being transformed, make sure that you follow ALL of God’s commands. God’s Word promises that if you remember His laws and obey His commands, you will have length added to your days and peace added to your life (verses 1 and 2). But you can’t stop there!
Your outward behavior must reflect God’s mercy and God’s truth (verse 3 – “bind them about thy neck”). The only way that you can outwardly reflect mercy and truth, is to have these same principles written internally within your heart (“write them upon the table of thine heart”). Therefore, let mercy and truth rule your days, both in your heart and in your behavior. When you do this, you will find favor and understanding in the sight of God (verse 4).
Finding favor with God is my goal. More than anything, I want to hear God say, “Well done My good and faithful child.”
In this life, you will go through many spiritual battles. You may not see your attacker and you may not understand your attacker’s strategy. However, you can still be victorious when you learn to trust in God, lean on Him, and acknowledge Him as your sole source of strength. God will protect you through the battles and after they are complete, you will have been transformed.
…Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:32-34 (NLT)
Three Key Concepts:
1. Life-changing events can be the beginning of a spiritual transformation.
2. God will sustain you through all life-changing events.
3. God knows what you need and He will provide all that you need.
