"Inhospitable Environment"
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It seems like more and more people are heading up to space — from a host of billionaire CEOs to Captain Kirk himself. But it's incredible how much planning it takes to send humans into such a harsh environment. Threats are never far — between extreme temperature swings, dangerous radiation, and debris traveling up to 17,500 mph. So engineers and astronauts obsess over every detail, making sure to harden their equipment to withstand the deadly conditions beyond the atmosphere. But it's not just astronauts who need to plan for potential dangers.
We're Cross Training to develop our endurance, one of twelve marks of the Master we're working on this year. Endurance comes when we look to faithful witnesses in God's word, grow stronger in suffering, remain consistent, and bear each other's burdens. So as Christ's disciples on earth, how can we strengthen our hearts to hold up in an often inhospitable environment?
What You Need to Know
We find resilience in hardship when we trust the Lord. "Nothing is too hard" for God who "made the heavens and the earth" by his incredible strength (Jer. 32:17). And God's power (Isa. 40:25-28) becomes an unending source of strength for those who wait on him.
"He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint … but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" (Isa. 40:29-31).
A Christian's power comes from a surprising place: recognizing our weakness and fully accepting that Christ's grace is enough to see us through. Listen to these words Jesus said to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). And Paul responded, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor. 12:10). He places his "weaknesses" right alongside the rough stuff of life he faces like "insults" and "calamities," while finding contentment in "hardships" because "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:11).
Remember that God's Son suffered in the flesh, showing how frailty is no cause for shame, shrinking, doubt, or fear. And just like Jesus "was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God ... we also are weak in him, but ... will live with him by the power of God" (2 Cor. 13:4).
What You Need to Do
Trust in God, not your "stuff." Those who trust in their resources will fail, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright" (Ps. 20:7-8). As we trust him, we "wait for him," finding encouragement in his mercy even when our soul feels doubled over in grief (Lam. 3:20-26).
Hard as it sounds, embrace your trials as training in righteousness. Look for the fruit God creates from it all, even finding joy in it, "knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Rom. 5:3-4). To consider trials "all joy" (James 1:2) doesn't mean they're fun. But we can find a fullness heart and a lightness of spirit in the midst of the worst of it when we see the Lord at work (cf. Heb. 12:5-11, Rom. 8:28-39). Most of us don't wake up excited to be tested. But "the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" — and as we remain steady, we move closer each day to becoming "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:3-4).
So wait on God, confident in the future resolution that He'll bring someday. Then, with hope, compare your struggles with the blessings of Heaven. As Paul said, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom. 8:18). When you feel overwhelmed in despair, hang onto his promises tighter than ever. "He will wipe away every tear from (your) eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore ..." (Rev. 21:4).
Through the Week
- Read (Mon) — John 15:18-16:3; 2 Cor. 12:1-10; James 1:2-12; Lam. 3:19-27; Isa. 40:25-31
- Reflect (Tue) — What good has come from the hardships in my life?
- Request (Wed) — "Oh Lord, deliver me from all my many trials" (cf. Ps. 34:19).
- Respond (Thu) — Offer God thanks and praise for something (or someone) difficult in your life right now.
- Reach Out (Fri) — What trials have you gone through that changed you?
