He's Preparing Me!

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
James 1:2-4 (NLT)

One of my favorite gospel singers is the Rev. Darryl Coley. One of my favorite gospel songs is his song: He's Preparing Me. It goes something like this:

He's preparing me, for something that I cannot handle right now.
He's making me ready, because He cares.
He's providing me with what I need to carry out the Master's plan for my life.
God is preparing me, because He cares for me.
He's preparing me for everything that comes in my life.

Whenever I am going through difficult times in my life both this song and the above passage from the book of James speak to my spirit and remind me not to look at hardships and trials negatively, but to rejoice in the fact that they are an opportunity for joy and growth.

As I watch Olympic competitors, I always marvel at their athletic ability. When I listen to them speak of their journey on the road to Olympic glory, I hear stories of how they suffered injuries and defeat, yet they always persevere. Because they know the end result will be a gold medal for their country, they endure the physical anguish and hardship to bring pride to their sport and country. They understand that as they practice and practice and practice, that with every hurdle and every failure, they are being made stronger. They get right back up and keep on going.

How much more should we, as children of God endure the race that has been set before us? The book of Romans tells us that the race is not given to the swift nor to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end. Yes, problems will come and there will be times you may cry out to God in anguish, but remember Romans 8:28: For all things work together for the good of them who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose.

In this day when trials come, for they will, take a moment and remember: God is making you! He is preparing you for greatness! If He didn't believe that you had the capacity to be great He wouldn't waste His time pouring Himself into you and allowing you to go through "growth spurts" which is just another name for trials. Look the trial you are experiencing in the face and say, God is making me and that weeping is just for the night but joy comes in the morning! And when morning comes, if you keep the perspective that God is making and molding you and that this situation is for your good, you will have grown in more ways than you can even imagine. I do not speak this out of mere conjecture, but out of personal experience!

God loves you so much that He wants to see you grow into a spiritually maturing adult. Its time out for being stagnant, let's run this race with fervor and vigor. And when that hurdle comes your way, leap over it and keep running because at the end is not a gold medal, but streets paved with gold that lead to the arms of your Heavenly Father. And He is just waiting to say, Well done!