Peace Amongst Trials and Tribulation

Genesis 47:1-10

"Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.' Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, 'How old are you?' And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The years of my pilgrimage area hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.'" (v. 5-10)

Much like the life of Jacob, we go through life with our ups and downs. There are times of trials and tribulations. We do not always understand why we go through them or how long it may last, and in the midst of these difficult times we often struggle to recognize what good may come from these trials. Fortunately, as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we can look to Him and find peace. If we truly put our faith in Him, then we are assured that He will provide the best solution possible. Unfortunately, the challenge we face is that we often times expect resolutions to be immediate. When our troubles seem to last longer than we hoped, then we begin to lose hope and our faith begins to diminish. However, these are the times when we must begin to grow in our faith with the Lord. We are to submit to Him every day and with every moment of our lives. It is not just in the mornings with our Quiet Times, or during our prayer time, or our Bible Study time, or even just Sunday Worship. Our walk with the Lord is not a button we press to allow Him to work in us and other times not.

Our walk with the Lord is constant. It is therefore our attitude as we walk with the Lord. If we truly believe that He loves us unconditionally, knows our needs and will provide for them, and that He is in control, then "in all things God works for the good for those who love him. (Romans 8:28)." Therefore, let us not just submit the trials we face, but our time as well. We cannot say to he Lord that He must resolve it by a certain timeframe. Our submission is both for a resolution in His way and in His time. By submitting all, we can truly have peace knowing that it has been resolved.