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This is the perfect season for my faith to be tested by God.

I was emailing a friend this morning updating him on my job search.  After I gave him an update, I wrote this line, “This is the perfect season for my faith to be tested by God.”  I stopped and pondered what I had just written and it shocked me a bit.  First, I asked myself, is it theologically correct?  Second, I was taken back that if I recognize that this is the perfect season, will I live up to the challenge?

My Hebrew professor, John Sailhamer, has a fairly recent book out called, “The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation”.  I have just started it but his 600+ pages are built on the foundation of understanding the big idea of the Pentateuch, which he says is “the importance of living by faith” (p. 22).  A common theme (if not the over-arching theme) found throughout both the Old and New Testaments.  I have also been listening to lots of Piper and the theme has been joyous/happy/content/satisfied in God.  As Piper always says, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him."
 
John 6:35 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger; and whoever believes in my shall never thirst.’” The all satisfying God calls me (us) to believe, to have faith that He will satisfy.  You will never hunger, you will never thirst!  Those are incredible promises to the one who comes to the Bread of Life and believes...especially during a time when everything points to a time of great hunger and thirst. 

How will I spend this season?  Moping, complaining, worrying?  Or will I rest in hands of the Most High God who loves me (Ps. 57:2), promises that things are working for my good (Rom. 8:28), promises to clothe me, feed me, provide shelter (Matt. 6:33), tells me not to be anxious about anything (Phil. 4:6-7).

It is an easy thing to be in God’s corner when life is going good, it is another matter entirely to be satisfied in God when you are without work, when you only have enough money to last a few more weeks and when you have no signs of relief.  Will I trust God’s Word or will I let the circumstances around me dictate my attitude toward God?  I desperately want to trust God through this season of my life.  I want to be like Job when after all is said and done (before God restores his fortune) he says “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” Job 42:5 At the very toughest time in my life (which I think is now), I want to be so satisfied in God that He gets all the glory and that I would be able to help others that are yet to go through what I am experiencing...or about to experience.

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