I am currently reading a book written by H.A. Ironside entitled “Full Assurance: How to Know You Are Saved”. In this book Mr. Ironside shares a story about a young Christian who went to a minister and asked – “Pray for me” the young man entreated, “that I may be given more patience”. Down on their knees they dropped and the minister pleaded with God, “O Lord, send this brother more trials and tribulations! “Hold on, exclaimed the young man, “I did not ask you to pray that I might have tribulations but patience.” The minister replied, “I understood you, but we are told in God’s Word that “tribulation worketh patience.”
Have you ever that way – that when we pray for patience, God answers our prayer with more trials? Do we ask that prayer? Do we recognize that the trials that God allows us to go through are sometimes an answer to that prayer? Do we recognize God’s hand, God’s purpose in our life as we go through those trials?
Pastor Paul has been for the past couple of weeks been sharing from the Old Testament book of I Samuel. The story about Hannah’s despair turned to joy, Eli’s joy turned into sadness and loss, and we see the simple faith and maturation of the young man Samuel. I’ve read the story many times, however, this past week, Pastor Paul shared a perspective on the story that I’m not sure that I’ve really thought about before. Pastor Paul talked about the story from Samuel’s perspective – not only from Samuel’s simple faith and obedience, but also Samuel’s sacrifice. How much did Samuel think about his own sacrifice – after all – he was there with Eli due to his mother Hannah’s commitment and promise. How much did Samuel think about all that he was being asked to give up? How hard was it to remain faithful to his mother’s promise to Eli, and lastly his mother’s promise to God? How hard was it to remain faithful in a house where there was so much unfaithfulness and disobedience on the part of Eli’s sons. How hard was it to remain faithful even as Eli allowed his son’s behavior to continue apparently unrestricted?
It is through meditating on Samuel’s sacrifice that we see Samuel’s growth and maturation in his relationship with Christ. It is by meditating on and recognizing all of the trials, the temptations all around Samuel, that we see how God is “working patience through tribulation” in Samuel.
The apostle Paul shares the following in Phillipians 1:6 – “For I am confident of this, that He who began work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ. The apostle Paul speaks of God continually working us toward perfection. In the story that I shared earlier about the young man, the minister was teaching the young Christian that God was working a perfection of patience in him through trials.
The lessons that always seem to be the hardest to learn – that growing, maturation, perfecting, is a step by step process. Those steps include trials, patience, experience, and hope. God is perfecting in us a confident hope, a full assurance in Him. H.A. Ironside refers to those lessons, God’s teaching as “God’s School of Grace”. In “God’s School of Grace”, God is ever working in us, pointing us toward a full assurance of hope that is described in Hebrews 6: 10-12. – “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we desire that everyone of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.”
As Pastor Bruce shares in Revelation – in Chapter 19 – Jesus is preparing His bride- the wedding clothes that His bride, the church will be wearing at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Those clothes are made from the righteous works of His bride. Those righteous works will result from that tribulation, patience, and experience. Those righteous works become second nature for us as we are filled with the full assurance of hope in Him.
Pastor Bruce has taken us into the future via his studies in Revelation, taken us into the future to help us see all that God has planned for us. Pastor Paul, during the past couple of weeks, has brought us back to the present. Pastor Paul, through his lessons from I Samuel, is showing us not just Samuel’s simple faith, but his patience, and perseverance through the trials that God presented him.
Trials worketh patience and experience;
Patience and experience worketh hope;
Assurance and hope worketh His righteousness in us;
That righteousness worketh a bride (church) fully prepared for her Groom.
Do I look at Samuel and see God working in Him? Do I look at Samuel and think – I couldn’t do that , I couldn’t deal with those things –would I simply throw up my hands and say – “I’m out of here”.
Can we look at the life of Samuel, can we look at our own lives and see God working “patience, experience, hope and assurance in us?
Thanks Pastor Paul – for putting those trials and tribulations in our lives in a much clearer perspective.