This morning as I drive to work, I mourn the fact that I left my breakfast on the counter at home. Luckily I have cereal at work for such situations, having learned long ago that my early morning performance is often left wanting.

Despite such things, I couldn’t help this morning but having a spirit of thanksgiving rise up in me.  It would be easy of me to look at the difficulties I am facing right now and feel burdened and frustrated, even fearful; but I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).

And so all the things I am thankful for flew through my mind faster than my feeble words could give thanks for. Not only the huge blessings, but even the trials.

I have seen how my suffering has produced in me incredible faith and perseverance in the faith.  “Faith” used to be a vague concept to me.  I would say things like “what can I do to increase my faith”, or “I need to muster up more faith to get through this”.

But after you have suffered through extreme pain and physical oppression, you get to discover what God means when He calls us to “live by faith”. I now have clarity that faith was a gift from God, a gift that I can either accept or reject every day, every hour.  In the times I looked at my failing health and gave into fear, I lived by fear, which led me to sorrow and even worse health.  In the times I looked at my failing health, yet, like Abraham, chose instead to believe what God has promised (that He will carry my burden with me and get me through it) I discovered all kinds of sweet grace showered over me, freeing me of fear, and often freeing me even from my suffering.  So while the enemy desires my destruction, the Lord uses even the dark things to bless me.  So I give thanks to the Lord Who loves me, and Who has proven that He bears the burdens with me and for me when I lean on Him for strength.

Rom 8:26 says that the Spirit of God “helps” us in our weakness. The word for ‘helps’ literally means “to take hold of opposite, together”, with the implication that when we do any action that proceeds from our faith in God, God’s Spirit will go over to the opposite side of whatever needs to be accomplished and lift up every ounce of weight that we ourselves can’t bear. If God leads you to lift a car off someone, He will “co-labor” with you by lifting every ounce of weight you can’t.  If God leads you to get off the couch even though you are depressed, the Spirit Himself will “work in you both to will and to do” what He calls you to (Phil 2:13).  We need only to choose to believe Him when He calls us to do something – as He promises to show up if we obey.

Let us give thanks for both the blessings and trials this morning, as we know we have a God Who works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28).

2 Cor 4:15  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.