KEEP ON KEEPING ON         All this week, I have been thinking a lot about trials and tribulations and all that people suffer through while they wait for God's deliverance. I have been thinking about people I know and what they go through. An important point I forgot in recent GWD Issues is that sometimes we suffer through stuff for no reason. Not because of being under the curse of the law, not because we blew it somewhere, not because of anything we did or did not do. Look at the guy born blind. (John 9:2, 3)The disciples asked who sinned, him or his parents that he should be born blind. Jesus answered that neither of them sinned but that the works of God would be made manifest in him. This got me to thinking about an inspirational lady I know. Week after week, month after month and from what I understand, even year after year, she faithfully attends practice and leads praise and worship songs at a local church. You may not think this is an amazing feat. But what you may not know, is she sings and praises God and functions in her gifts, through it all: through all the excruciating pain she endures, through good times and bad times, through thick and thin. She keeps singing and praising God for His mercy and love and goodness. She is faithful through it all and keeps on keeping on. She is a strong woman and inspirational to me and many others. This reminds me of Job. Job was an awesome believer. Although he had issues with fear (Job 3:25), what happened to him was in no way proportionate to his mistake. He was reported to be a righteous man who hated evil. Job did not deserve all his pain and suffering and loss. No body deserves to suffer such hardship. Job lost his family, his servants, his herds, his homes, everything, within a very short period of time. But through it all, Job held fast to his integrity and never once blamed God. (Job 1:22, Job 2:3, 10) He endured. He did not throw temper tantrums and fits over his plight and change in circumstance. He did not assign blame to anyone. He did not cuss at his wife, scream at the neighbors or take it out on his friends. He endured his trial of faith with patience. He continued to look to God for answers and deliverance. Eventually, God restored to Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10, 12 ) Job tried to figure it all out but he could not. Only God knows all the whys, hows and wherefors. Job's captivity was turned after he prayed for his miserable comforter friends who hurt him quite deeply. Thinking about what Job and Jesus Christ and other believers endure with such patience really smacked me in the heart. I do not always endure things patiently. Sometimes I hit the table with my fist in frustration and yell at the kids.Sometimes I fail my trial of faith because I give up before the harvest comes in. Sometimes I dig up the harvest with negative words that contradict God's Promises. I have been believing and waiting for years for some things and still don't have an answer.   Romans 5:3-5 but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.   It does not FEEL like glory when we endure through difficult situations such as a lost job, ill health , physical afflictions or other temptations. I do not recall ever thinking that it was a glorious, or wonderful thing to suffer. I glory only after I receive an answer to prayer. Maybe next time a tribulation hits me I will think, "Oh GLORY! I get to go through some thing challenging!" But I doubt that I will have that kind of attitude. I am not there yet. But I can expect God to carry me through because He is faithful to His Word and He loves me.   James 5:10, 11 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count happy (count blessed, pronounce fortunate) them which endure. Ye have heard of the patience (cheerful, hopeful, patient endurance, constancy) of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, (extremely compassionate) and of tender mercy. 13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.   16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent ( active, efficient) prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (has much power, force)   We have heard of faithful, strong believers such as Job and the inspirational praise and worship leader at our church. We can expect that as God delivered Job and restored to him double, He can do and is willing to do the same for us as well. However, if we do not see the deliverance in our lifetime, just as many prophets of old did not see what they were believing for, we know that our reward in heaven will be well worth whatever light affliction we endure today.   2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Amen.      -Carol Kenreigh

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