Broken And Crushed

Scripture

Grain is crushed, though one certainly does not thresh it forever.

~Isaiah 28:28, NET

Quote

God has made us bread and if it be needful for us to be crushed by the teeth of lions, blessed be the name of the LORD.

~Ignatius

The sweetest things in this world have come through tears, sweat, sorrow and pain. God has appointed opposition and it is for our benefit. David became a great king from the things he suffered. He was shunned by his father and brothers and hated and hunted by Saul. He spent at least a decade living on the run as a fugitive and much of that time he lived in caves and holes in the ground…certainly not the life of a king. Paul was a Phd. and one of the brightest stars in the Pharisee heavens. He was educated and successful by the world’s standards but when he gave his life to Christ, he lost everything but his soul. He lost his career, his standing among the elites of Judaism and although he may not have been as rich as most Pharisees, he was will on his way to being wealthy. Paul kissed his bright future good bye and his hope for wealth and power when he committed his life to Jesus. All the things he had worked for had to be discarded like rubbish. God crushed Paul with affliction after affliction but the entire world has benefited from Paul’s bruising.

Someone once said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I don’t fully understand how they do it, but sailors can sail into a head wind or a wind that is blowing against them. They do so by positioning the sails at a particular angle. The sails catch just enough of the head wind to move the vessel and the keel enables the ship to go into the wind. The sails are above the ship and respond to the wind, the keel is below the ship and responds to the water creating just enough balance for the ship to move forward into the wind. To understand the analogy, the winds are the adversity we face. It could be hardship, suffering, disappointment, heartbreak, grief or failure. The keel is our relationship to Christ. The deeper the keel, the greater the balance. You may be praying the wrong prayer. Don’t ask the Father to remove the suffering; ask Him to deepen your faith is Christ. It is God who allows the wind and it is not to impede you; it is to enrich you. Adversity is not a reason to quit, it is a reason to go forward in your faith.

Praise God from whom all blessing flow, amen! I need a little rain on my corn and I think it is on the way. Mrs. Edith Bennich did get moved to UAB late last night but she may not be there long. They have a couple of test they are going to run before making the decision but right now they are considering sending her back home to get stronger for the procedure. The problem is: she needs bed rest. She does not need to go to work…so pray for Carol and Dewayne. Keeping Mrs. Edith at home is not easy.

Pray for your pastor and for the service in the morning. Pray for God to anoint him and to use him. That may mean some crushing which we preachers tend to shun.

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