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Written by Ann Thiede, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
As we strive to be committed to Christ 24/7 in 2024, there may be some very bumpy roads and deep valleys ahead. Trusting Him and submitting to His will when the road is smooth with few twists and turns is far easier. Let’s consider two people in the Bible and how they responded: Joseph and Jesus.
Beginning in Genesis 37 through chapter 50, Joseph stands out: the eleventh of twelve sons, favored by his father, Jacob. Sharing dreams of his preeminence over the brothers increased jealousy and anger in their hearts. As a result, they grabbed him, threw him in a cistern, and sold him (deep valley) to traders going to Egypt. Even though sold again as a slave to one of Pharaoh’s officials (twist), the ruler sees Joseph’s quality and puts him in charge of his household. Tempted by his wife to go to bed with her, Joseph responds, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Ge 39:9b NIV). Her lies of abuse cause Joseph to be thrown into prison (bump). Some years later, Pharaoh appoints Joseph second in command when God reveals to him the meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams: Seven years of great harvest and seven years of severe drought.
Several years into the drought, the sons of Jacob travel to Egypt to buy grain to feed their families. Joseph recognizes them though they do not recognize him. Through intrigue and a great humbling of the guilty brothers, Joseph reveals his identity. They deserved prison or worse, but instead, Joseph responds with these words:
And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…to preserve a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. (Ge 45:5,7)
These words spoken by Joseph, and his life portrayed in Genesis, clearly show a man devoted to trusting God and submitting to His will in spite of twists, turns, and deep valleys. The words above could also be a foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Before our amazing deliverance on the cross, Jesus agonized in prayer to God, asking Him three times: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Lk 22:42). Scripture says His prayers were so earnest that His sweat fell like drops of blood on the ground (v. 44)! Jesus knew what was coming: extreme physical agony and the spiritual agony of bearing our sins (deep valley).
Before this event, throughout the Gospels, Jesus lived a life fully trusting His Father, God…
- Even when tempted by Satan right before His ministry began and after fasting 40 days (Lk 4: 1-13).
- Even when “many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (Jn 6:66).
- Even when betrayed by one of His chosen twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot (Jn 13:21-30).
- Even when disowned three times by one of His closest friends, Simon Peter (Lk 22:54-61) .
- Even when mocked, beaten, flogged, crowned with thorns, and nails driven through His hands and feet when crucified.
When Jesus was arrested, Peter in defense cut off the servant of the High Priest's ear. Jesus responded, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?" (Jn 18:11)
It is no easy thing to drink some of the cups we’re given in this life like serious disease, a broken marriage, betrayal by a close friend, losing a spouse or child, mental illness challenges, or seeing a family member pulled into addiction or unbelief. Our son was born with cancer, diagnosed at six months. Stage three. I came to the moment that Jesus did when crying out many times that my/our will be done: LIFE! But -eventually- I surrendered to His perfect will, come what may. And oh! The peace He gave! I could handle whatever happened. *
Please listen to these comforting words of Jesus. Take them personally:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. (Jn 14:1)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (Jn 14:27)
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (Jn 16:33)
What is your cup and how will you let Jesus help you through it?
*Our son lived, now 37.
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Written by Amanda Vilela, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Sergipe, Brazil
”Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1 NIV). The 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews begins with two attributes of faith: confidence and assurance.
It is faith itself, not our feelings about faith, that produces confidence. Some commentators offer various complex definitions of faith. But I believe that the best definition of faith is based on the certainty of confidence in the Word of God, and not on our circumstantial feelings.
The book of Hebrews mentions the traits of some people who walked by faith. Abraham is the first person described in the Old Testament as a specific example of faith and obedience and is called the “father of faith.” Submissive to God’s will, he journeyed to a land to which he had never been, being moved solely by the conviction that God’s promises would be fulfilled. By observing the cultural context of the book of Genesis where events in the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah are narrated, we see that the world in which Abraham lived was not at all attractive! The first signs of human decadence, such as idolatry, were present.
But looking at Hebrews 11, we observe the characteristics of confidence and obedience found in those who are known as “heroes of the faith” in God’s promises.
- Their faith came from something rational and not merely circumstantial or sentimental.
- Their faith was firmly founded on the promises of a God whose knowledge is unfathomable (Heb 11:9-10).
- They walked with God. Their faith grew as they knew God more.
- They believed in God’s comfort and providence in their lives (Heb 11:7).
- They left the pleasures of the world behind and looked toward the heavenly goal (Heb 11:24-27).
- Their faith was an act of courage (Heb 11:30).
- Their faith led them to act justly and to not fear men (Heb 11:32-34).
Above all, I believe that obedience is only present in genuine faith that must be seen in the transformation of every believer in Christ. Since my conversion, I have tried to discover the call of God for my life without understanding that I should read the Scriptures to find the answers, nor understanding that God’s will for our lives is that we believe in Christ and follow His way. Until I understood these things, I walked some painful and thorny paths in large areas of my life. I doubted God’s providence, and, in many issues, I tried to “do it my way” or rush the Lord’s plans.
When we do not trust in Christ, we tend to put ourselves as the lord of our lives. Symbolically, I identify with the curious process of the pearl’s formation in the oyster. Pearls are products of pain, the results of the entrance of a strange or undesirable substance into the oyster’s interior; an oyster that wasn’t hurt does not produce pearls. Sometimes, life’s adversities push us to trust in Christ, as if it were our last escape. I wanted everything to happen in my life in my timing!
I wanted to grow spiritually overnight and have the dream of a Christian family. I wanted God to heal my soul’s scars, but the truth is that I put little into practice, forgetting His promise, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb 13:5). Those who seek to obey God must think like Abraham, Sarah, and Noah who considered their stay on this earth as brief, like foreigners awaiting return to their native land.
In the same way, we must think and live by faith, by hope, by the certainty of the fulfillment of God’s promises, not allowing ourselves to be shaped by the behavior of the world like people who have no hope but are attentive to our divine call to live in holiness. Listen to the call of Christ and pay attention to His voice as Samuel did when he said, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1Sa 3:10). Calm the worries of this world and remember the words of Jesus: “Consider how the wild flowers grow…” (Lk 12:27-32). Look at the birds that rest in your window and remind you to trust in God. Just as the Lord cares for the little animals and dresses the wildflowers in the field, He will care for His people and will make them rest in green pastures, even amid life’s adversities.
May the Lord Jesus increase our faith, be it in joy or sadness, in victory or defeat. Even when fear and anxiety surround us, may our confidence and obedience grow as we walk as pilgrims and foreigners in this world, headed to the celestial city.