Should we thank God for Trials?

Should we thank God for Trials? Yes. (James1:2-3)
I know it sounds weird but we are to give thanks in all seasons and even during the trials we go through.

It might seem weird to say, "Thank you God Isaac has Autism and doesn't speak" but I am learning to do that.

This last weekend (March 2-4) was the women's retreat. I asked the LORD, "What do you want me to learn?" and I felt His still small voice say, "You need to thank me for trials." God already spoke to my heart about 1 year ago that Isaac would one day speak using words for language.

But waiting is hard...

God is telling me to wait....and wait and wait. That's the hard part. The trial itself is not always hard...but waiting definitely is always hard for me...

The other day I was waiting for my husband to come home from work. We were going on a date, just us (woo-hoo for date nights). I was not grumpy. I was thrilled. I was (literally) looking out the window waiting, excitedly in anticipation for our great night ahead.

God told me. Do you wait like that for Me? Do you wait with excitement, with butterflies in your stomach, with joy, KNOWING that I have something awesome in store for you?
Sadly, I don't. I get impatient with God. I forget Isaiah 55:8-9 (my paraphrase-His thoughts are not my thoughts, His ways are not my ways, His thoughts are higher and His ways better)

On occasion if my husband runs late, do I doubt his love? Do I worry he is out with someone else or not coming at all? No, of course not. I just wait, patiently but excitedly knowing he is on his way. Why? Because I know his character. My husband is on time and he follows through with his word.

HOW MUCH MORE IS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER ALWAYS ON TIME AND ALWAYS, YES HE ALWAYS KEEPS HIS WORD! (Isaiah 55:11; Psalm 33:4)

Another time I was so excited to go away with my sweet husband I wrote him a thank you note, thanking him in advance for such a great weekend. The weekend had not even started and I was saying thank you! A bizarre concept. But is it? I know Chuck. He loves to take me to dinner, to treat me special, to throw surprises my way that I enjoy. Do we know God's character? Can we thank Him in advance for what He is going to do?

Once I heard Jon Courson giving a message about Miriam's song of praise after the Red Sea was parted by God. Exodus 14:31 says the people of Israel feared the LORD after they saw the great work God had done (ie., the plagues, the Red Sea split in two and Pharoah and his army destroyed in the sea)

In thanks, Moses and the children of Israel sing a song of praise (Exodus 15). Then, Miriam takes up the tambourine (or timbrel) and sings, "Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea" Exodus 15:21.

Jon Courson said (to paraphrase) that Miriam's response is right and is awesome. But Pastor Jon challenged us to think about this, ---what if Miriam lifted the tambourine before the Red Sea parted, before the horse and rider were thrown into the sea, before the answer to the prayer had come... What if she sang the songs of praise in the midst of peril? That would be glorious! Pastor Jon said the shortcut to getting through trials is praise...Wow. That message has stuck with me for years....

This concept of giving thanks to God in the "waiting" season of trials made me think of Joseph. (See Genesis chapters 37 and 39) Joseph was sold by his own brothers, his own flesh and blood, to be a slave in Egypt (a foreign land), he was thrown into prison unjustly, he interpreted dreams but was forgotten by the chief butler and had to endure prison for two more years until he had an opportunity to interpret Pharaoh's dreams. Yet through it all, Joseph remained faithful to God. Or to put it more accurately GOD WAS FAITHFUL TO JOSEPH. (See Genesis chapters 39, 40 and 41)

Joseph knew God's character. What the enemy intended for evil, God used for good. (Genesis 50:19-20) So let's visualize we are in prison with Joseph. We are sitting there thinking about life and God and the events of life. Imagine if Joseph kneeled and said, "Thank you Yahweh for this trial. Thank you that I am in prison because although I don't understand it, although I am miserable here, although it's dark and I get scared, you are always with me and somehow you are going to get glory through this so I choose to give you thanks for this."

That would be powerful and show a heart of faith. Joseph was a wonderful man of God, a picture of Jesus and one of my favorites in Scripture...but....we don't hear Joseph's prayers written in scripture....What we do know is our own prayer life. We can take a step of faith and say, "God this hard. I can barely breathe. God I know you are greater than this trial and I know your character is good, always good. I know and am excited about how you are going to turn this around, so I choose to say thank you. Thank you for this trial because you are not only building my character and faith, you are trusting that I can give you glory even on cloudy days. Thank you God for this trial and I am waiting with joy because you never make void your promises to those who love you."

That's my prayer. May we learn to fall on our face before Jesus and thank Him in advance for the victory is won and He is working through all things to make them form the portrait of God's "good" in our lives...why? For His glorious Name and for rewards in heaven.

(See Gen 50:19-20, Rom 8:28, 1 Thess 5:16-18, James 1:2-4, James 1:12)

Rejoice in the LORD O you righteous!For praise from the upright is beautiful! Psalm 33:1