Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:2-5)
Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)
On my walk
this morning, I found myself thinking about two of my felt needs. I need to
understand, and I need to be in control. I need to lean on my own
understanding, and to do that, I have to reduce creation and God to my level of
understanding. I know I’m not alone in those needs and I also know that when
the going gets tough, we tend to need them more. The challenge here is that our
needs to understand and control aren’t needs that God can meet without His
ceasing to be God, so the outcome must be our not needing them. As we willing
to give them up? Not entirely, but ultimately? God has given us the ability to
understand some, and to control some, but will our lack in either area come
between us and God?
Today’s passage says that when the going gets
tough, rejoice. Rejoice because the testing of your faith produces perseverance,
and that leads to you not lacking what you need. Understanding and control are
often not ultimately needed. Those are associated with denial. Negotiation,
depression, and anger. Acceptance welcomes understanding and control but
doesn’t need them.
As you read through Scripture, you’ll notice that
trust and faith are vitally necessary. If you are in control or fully
understand, you need not trust. But lacking complete understanding or control,
you must trust. So in lacking what you think you need, you have the opportunity to gain what you really need.
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