A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home to watch it emerge. Later, a small opening appeared and for several hours the moth struggled; it seemed unable to force its body past a certain point.
Deciding something was wrong, the man took scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth emerged easily, its body large and swollen, the wings small and shriveled.
He expected that in a few hours the wings would spread out in their natural beauty, but they did not. Instead of developing into a creature free to fly, the moth spent its life dragging around a swollen body and shriveled wings.
The constrictive cocoon and the struggle necessary to pass through the tiny opening are God’s way of forcing fluid from the body into the wings. Moreover, the merciful snip was actually cruel.
Many people look at trials that we go through in the same way the man looked at the moth’s struggle. We think that God is not merciful in letting us go through trials, but the trial is part of His great mercy. It is the “testing of our faith that produces endurance.” – James 1:3.
One of the greatest comforts we have in going through trials is to know that the Lord has allowed it to happen, and because He has allowed it, we can trust Him to bring us through it.
We see this reality in Jesus’ interaction with His disciples. One day Jesus had a crowd with him, but there was no place nearby to purchase food for the people. Jesus said to Philip, who was one of his disciples: “‘Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?’ This He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.” – John 6:5-6. Jesus later multiplied a few fish and pieces of bread to feed all of the people. Jesus knew what was intending to do from the beginning.
When trials come, we must realize that Jesus put them into our lives for His glory and our good. He knows how it will end. Trials are part of His plan for our lives so that our faith might be strengthened, and most importantly, He will be glorified.
Evangelist, Dr. Vance Havner, told a story about an elderly lady who was greatly disturbed by her many troubles—both real and imaginary. Finally, someone in her family tactfully told her: “Grandma, we’ve done all we can for you. You’ll just have to trust God for the rest.” A look of absolute despair spread over her face as she replied: “Oh dear, has it come to that?” Havner commented, “It always comes to that, so we might as well begin with that!”
Jesus knows what you are going through, because He allowed it. Trust Him, He will bring you through it, and your faith will be strengthened because of it.
Would you like to know more? We would love to talk with you, pray for you, and help you discover God’s truth and hope for life. Contact us at 425-432-0634 or at www.taylorcreekchurch.org. Joins this Sunday, 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10:15 a.m. for worship. We are located at 21110 244th Ave S.E. Maple Valley.
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