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You may have an illness. You pray and pray and nothing happens. You fast and nothing happens. You do everything possible to try and please God, but your illness remains. Then all of a sudden, after years of anguish, you are healed. Not long after another illness comes on you, even worse than the first. Years go by before you are healed. Not long after you are healed, another, even worse illness may come on you. You cry out to God, but there is no answer. You carefully examine yourself for some sin you may have done. You cry out to God to show you, but you hear nothing. You repent of everything that comes to your mind, but the sickness which torments you keeps getting worse. You examine your attitude, but no healing takes place. You fast, have others fast and pray, but there is only silence from God. The illness becomes even worse. You cry, you plead to God for help, but there is only silence. You wonder, “Where is God? Why won’t He answer me? What have I done? What can I do to get Him to help me?” You hurt really bad. You cry out to God, "Why are these things happening to me? Why God, won’t You answer in some way?" You think, "Where is God when I really need Him?"
You may go through what Job went through. He didn’t understand it was all a test. It is easy to praise God when all is going well. But will you praise Him when all is going bad? Would you sing to God, if you were in jail and had just been beaten with 39 stripes, such as Paul?
There may be things that you go through that, no matter how much you have studied God’s Word, you will not understand God. Yet, no matter what you have to endure, never stop loving God and following Him.
Consider Job 13:13, 15-16-Job said: LET ME ALONE, THAT I MAY SPEAK, AND LET COME ON ME WHAT WILL. THOUGH HE SLAY ME, YET WILL I TRUST IN HIM: BUT I WILL MAINTAIN MINE OWN WAYS BEFORE HIM. HE ALSO SHALL BE MY SALVATION.
His situation seemed hopeless. He had served God faithfully. He loved God in deed and in truth, but now he was in a hopeless situation and did not understand why. Even his wife told him to curse God and die.
As we go through various tests, FEAR and HOPELESSNESS are tools that Satan uses. You become fearful, because there seems to be no hope. You become fearful, because you may lose your job, house, or car. Everything seems to be going wrong. Your health fails. Your wife or your husband dies. Your only child gets hit by a car. Under such situations, Satan can fill your thoughts with promises and hope that may persuade you to do most anything, if you think you can somehow get out from under the nightmare you find yourself in.
Tests can come because of sin to prove your faith genuine, and, in some cases, you may never know why certain tests come. Don’t look at the "now." Look at everything in light of eternity. It is all a test.
When you say, "Jesus, I will follow You," few ever realize what this really means. It could lead you to being beaten, tortured, and then beheaded.
What should be our attitude? If I prosper—I will still serve my Lord and my God.
If I go hungry—yet will I serve Him.
If I break a hand—I will still serve Him.
If I am persecuted—I will remain faithful and serve Him.
No matter what comes—Yet will I serve HIM.
Life is a test. Whom will you follow?
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