C. Hopson- Trustin God in Times of Trouble

As I was sitting there listening, I kept thinking, "What's
wrong with this woman? Can't she see that her husband is
trying his best and she is making it so much harder for him
by her bitterness and resentment? Doesn't she know she is
disobeying the Lord?" Good questions! But then I realized
that I have had times when I disagreed with God's plans for
me and couldn't see that He was doing what was best for me.
We often quote Romans 8:28 in situations like this: "And we
know that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called according to His
purpose." But we often stop there and don't read on…"For
whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed
to the image of His Son…" (Romans 8:29).
Do you see the "Aha!" moment? It's all about being "conformed
to His image" and not about getting our own way! I
had the joy of explaining this truth to this unhappy woman.
God wanted her to grow in His image, "make the most of
this opportunity" (Ephesians 5:15-17), and be an encouragement
and support to her husband and a shining example
to her children. God wanted to teach her to submit out
of love for Him, and she was battling it all the way. When
the Holy Spirit convicted her of her sin, she was saddened
at how far Satan had taken her down the road of bitterness
and ugliness. She confessed her self-centeredness to the
Lord, and together we prayed for a renewed strength and a
desire to go with God's plan for her life. Several weeks later,
I received a beautiful note from her husband, telling me of
the change in his wife and the difference it made in their
whole family.
It's easy to recognize these sinful, selfish attitudes in
others, but it's not always so easy to recognize in our-
selves…especially when we think we're right! I was sitting
in church after listening to some very loud worship music
and was trying to prepare my heart for the message. But all
I could think was, "Why can't they play quieter songs, ones
that I know, maybe even an old familiar hymn or two? This
loud music couldn't possibly honor the Lord because I don't
like it and it doesn't prepare me to worship." Do I hear any
"Amens!" out there? Well, God had quite the lesson for me
that morning. The pastor was speaking on Philippians 2:3-
4, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with
humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more
important than himself; do not merely look out for your own
personal interests, but also for the interests of others." He
went on to say that this meant we were to "prefer one
another." In other words, wouldn't it be wonderful if we
could be happy that the worship music would minister to
the young people of the church and not think of our needs
first? And if we were a young person, wouldn't it please the
Lord if we desired music that ministered to the more
mature people in the church? In such instances, we would
prefer that others' needs be met before our own.


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