The purging process is commonplace in the life of the believer—it’s normal. Each of us are taken through custom designed trials that God orchestrates to meet us exactly where we are and to the degree that we need. But also, these custom designed trials are meant to impact far more than just the one it was designed for. God seeks to use our personal trials in the lives of others as we seek to be used of God in other’s lives.
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”—2 Corinthians 1:3-4
God, in His amazing grace and mercy softened me, sobered me and through His megaphone of pain, He sifted me bringing me to the place of surrender. Yet in all of this I see how He sustained me by teaching me truths that as I keep coming back to them, have stabilized me. He has lifted me up, like David, “out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon [the] Rock [of truth…]. And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.” My desire is that “many shall see it, and shall trust in the Lord.” For “blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust” (Psalm 40:2-4a). He reminds me that through it all, He lovingly controls and orchestrates the very details of my life because He desires, not good and better, but the best for me!
Back in September of 2019, I had the privilege of sitting down with Pastor DJ Harry who produces the podcast, “Let’s Talk Church.” We spoke about ministering through personal suffering relying upon the Lord’s unfailing love and faithfulness. I pray that this podcast will be a blessing and encouragement to you.
I had the privilege to set down with Dr. Marshall Fant, the host of the RE:Church podcast, to discuss my health trial and “Embracing the Trial.” My prayer is that as you listen to my story you would be encouraged to “Embrace” your trial to the glory of God. You can listen to the podcast here.
Dear Reader, the following are a few articles that contain some of these truths that God has used to give me peace in this storm. They contain the lessons from this schoolhouse of suffering that God has lovingly, custom designed for me. My prayer is that as you read the these words, you would grow in your awe and love for God seeing Who He is, but especially as you see more clearly the personal implications of these truths—“Who God is to you.” May your heart be filled with the truth that God loves you enough to take you through the purging process to produce in you “much fruit”—the praiseworthy fruit (John 15:1-8). May you learn to Embrace the Trial to the praise of His glory.
Your friend and fellow recipient of the all-sufficient grace and unconditional love of God,
—John Lashuay
How Long, O LORD?—Psalm 13
“How long wilt Thou forget me, O LORD? forever?” Have you ever asked this question? Most of us have said these words in one form or another given the various challenges we may find ourselves in.
In this article we consider Psalm 13, tracking David’s mindset as he is daily confronted with his trial. He displays the normal process of the struggle, in his time of suffering, just as we find ourselves needing to keep “Embracing the Trial” for today.
Part 1: THE “POEM” CHALLENGE—“Embracing the Trial”
“Honey, I think we need to go to the hospital!” This was a statement I had heard four times before, as we anticipated the arrival of each of our wonderful children, God has blessed us with. This day, I found myself on the other side of this statement—I was actually saying these words!
At times, in life, we find ourselves looking squarely into the head-on collision of an unforeseen trial that may appear overwhelming in its uncertainties. What do you do? How do you respond? Is there purpose? How can we know? The list of questions seems daunting as we ponder the endless possibilities. (read more…)
“Embrace the Trial” Poem
You can read the poem here.
Part 2: UNDERSTANDING THE “WHY” QUESTION—“Embracing ‘why’ I Am Going Through This”
“God never wastes the sufferings of His saints.”—Warren Wiersbe
Is this statement true? Or could there be times when we go through unnecessary suffering? Is it possible that God could overdue my pain and suffering? Are there times when God steps back and just allows our times of suffering to go too far or for too long? How would you answer these questions? As read each question, do you feel a growing sense of uneasiness asking, “Could God actual fail at something or do something wrong?” Maybe these questions echo those you have already heard yourself asking. (read more…)
Part 3: UNDERSTANDING THE “WHO” QUESTION—“Embracing ‘Who’ God is”
In considering this why question—“why is this happening to me?”—my prayer is that we would learn to embrace God’s answer to this question as we seek to understand the Biblical purpose for our suffering. My prayer, also, is to help us see that this natural question proves to be unproductive once we understand God’s purpose and His character. In part 2 we looked at the Biblical purpose for suffering, while here in part 3, we will consider God’s character. My hope is to encourage us to understand our need to move beyond the “why” question and learn to start with the right first question—“Who are You, Lord?”
The first question you and I need to ask is, “Who are You, Lord?” This question invites us to get to KNOW Him through this difficult time. This is what … (read more…)
Part 4: UNDERSTANDING THE “WHO” QUESTION—“Embracing more of ‘Who’ God is”
“It is in our acceptance of what is given [whatever that may be], that God gives Himself.”
This quote comes from her book, “These Strange Ashes,” where Elisabeth Elliot writes, “Faith’s most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain. If God were God, if He were omnipotent, if He had cared, would this have happened? Is this that I face now … the reward of my obedience? One turns in disbelief again from the circumstances and looks into the abyss. But in the abyss there is only blackness, no glimmer of light, no answering echo ….” (read more…)
Part 5: UNDERSTANDING THE STRUGGLE—“Embracing the Tragedy or Triumph”
“I give up! This is too hard! What’s the use in trying anymore!”
I don’t recall having actually stated these words, but the truth is my attitude, at times, has spoken these words loud and clear. Although my prayer and desire is to “embrace this trial,” the reality is that it is a continual, and grueling struggle. Embracing the trial is not a one-time-event-kind-of-lesson-learned where you “get it” and never have to go back to it. This is a process—a continuous, repeated action, repeated commitment, repeated surrender. My desire is to be faithful in this process, but often my attitude and actions betray my intentions. (read more…)
Part 6: UNDERSTANDING CONTENTMENT—“Embracing God’s Sufficiency”
Recently, I was in the process of preparing a Sunday morning message when I found myself struggling with being content. In the midst of my current trial, as I battle with a number of health concerns, my three-year old accidentally poked me in the eye and scratched my cornea. I found this painful and discouraging, but I also found myself on the wrong end of discontentment. This incident coincided with a busy week with a tight schedule and no room for distractions, let alone poor eyesight and additional visits to doctors and waiting rooms.
Looking back on the timing of things I see the wisdom of God. In my eyes this was absolutely the worst timing possible, but in God’s infinite and perfect… (read more…)
Part 7: UNDERSTANDING THE “WHAT” QUESTION—“Embracing‘What’ God Desires”
The “Who” question leads us to the “What” question. Understanding more of Who God is brings us to the place of seeing our trial through the lens of Scripture from God’s perspective. From His vantage point we can begin to see what He desires—what He desires us to do.
Looking back on the days immediately following my Emergency Room visit, I lay in bed trying to come to grips with what exactly was taking place. During those first few days the Lord was challenging me to embrace the ministry … (read more…)
Part 8: UNDERSTANDING MORE THE “WHAT” QUESTION—“Embracing ‘What’ God Delights In”
I looked back through what I had journaled during those first days, back in July of 2017. In my devotions I was reminded of Psalm 37 which blossomed into a time of great encouragement and hopefulness, rich with meaningful purpose. It was like a road map was laid out before me, showing me the pathway through this temptation rich battlefield of the mind. This became clear as I read that “The steps of a good man … (read more…)
