The Father Did This To You

If you have been alive for any amount of time, you have had problems. Life isn’t easy for anyone, no matter where you come from. But for some, life has felt harder when compared to others. As a matter of fact, life for some has felt downright unfair. Many have been abused by life and even our own families. The scars that remain from the pain can last for years or decades if not attended to. If we are not careful, we will bring those scars with us into our walk with Christ, secretly harboring bitterness, resentment, and even the need for revenge. It is easy to justify these feelings in our mind even though they are contrary to the teachings of Jesus and will bring us under judgement. Even though they have been enlightened to the truth through the Living Word, so many still ask, “Why me God? Why does nothing ever work out for me? Why is it so unfair?” But what if I told you that for the chosen children of God, fair has nothing to do with it. In fact, according to the Bible, trials and tribulations are a guarantee and necessary. The Scripture makes this abundantly clear:

Matthew 5:11-12 New King James Version

11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus said WHEN they persecute you, not if. He went on later in Chapter 10 to say that they would be thrown in prison, scourged, betrayed by family, and hated by all who hate Him. But why would the Father lay our lives out before us in such a way? If you notice, not once have I brought up Satan. That is simply because often we contribute our trials to Satan when really, they are the hand of the Father. I do want to make it abundantly clear that despite the Father allowing trials in our lives, He in no way is the creator of evil. The evil done to us is the result of sin from the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. The psalmist writes, “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You” (Psalm 5:4). He also writes, “There is no unrighteousness in Him” (Psalm 92:15). Paul writes, “What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God is there? May it never be!” (Romans 9:14). So, you see that our Father is not a creator of evil or chaos. But, there are men whose heart He chooses to harden, such as Pharoah’s for the purpose of His kingdom, and for the purpose of refining you in the Fire.

The Bible alludes to this refining fire as one where impurities are removed from metal. Malachi wrote, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify….and refine them like gold and silver” (Malachi 3:3). Metals, like us, are full of impurities. The metals are put through a rigorous process of heat and pressure to ensure that when the metal hits the market it is worth its highest value. The metal is exposed to high temperatures in a furnace to bring out the dross in it, which is the impurities found within. As the dross comes to the surface, the refiner removes it. But certain temperatures only bring out certain impurities. The refiner must put the metal into the furnace again at a higher temperature for more impurities to come to the surface. Only the refiner knows the exact temperatures needed to remove all the impurities and how many times it must be placed back into the furnace. The psalmist writes, “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6). As the impurities leave the metal, the refiner can more visibly see His reflection in the metal. It is not until he sees a clear image of Himself that He sees the metal as being purified. This is what Paul meant when he wrote that we are predestined to conform to the Image of Christ.

  If we look at the lives of the men in the Old and New Testament, we will see the pattern of a life tried by fire. Joseph was one of those men. He was a man despised by his brothers who betrayed him and sold him into slavery. A man whose dream from God cost him years of trials. He was awarded a dream but then thrown in a pit left for dead, only for him to be sold into slavery. He was exalted in Egypt only to be put back into prison when falsely accused. But he would eventually become the ambassador of Egypt during a time of famine. During this time, the same brothers that betrayed him came to him for aid. Ask yourself this question: How would you respond? The answer is simply determined by how you see your trials. If you see them as an unfair burden, you will be likely to respond with vengeance and pride. Often the person who sees life as unfair or unjust will secretly rejoice when others “get theirs.” We say we forgive but deep down we still hold out for the justice we feel we is due. We fail to heed the warning God gave to Cain about harboring his bitterness. Joseph had a different heart. He didn’t see himself as a victim, but as a servant in God’s hands. The scripture tells us so in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 45:4-5  New King James Version

4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

                Joseph is saying to his brothers “You didn’t do this to me, but the Father.” He did not blame Satan, his brothers, Egypt, or any other circumstance. Joseph simply understood that the Father’s plan for his life was beyond himself. And the Father’s plan for your life is beyond YOUR understanding as well. He has a plan for you that only HE truly knows of. You are like a type of Moses. Like Moses, Satan tried to kill you from the womb. Like Moses, you grew up believing you were one person, only to find out you were someone different. Like Moses, you ran from yourself and your own life thinking you could hide. Like Moses, the Father came to you at a burning bush, telling you that you were chosen for a purpose. Like Moses, you were raised right underneath the nose of the very same enemy who tried to kill you. And like Moses, the Lord is wanting to send you back to the very people who are just like you: in bondage, stuck under the enemy. And He is asking you to lead them out of Exodus by the words and the life of your testimony.

                Paul said in Romans 5 that there was a purpose for all the tribulation. He said the tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope. This is why Jesus warned us. He knew that no one could suffer in the face of persecution without first being trained and tested by the refining fire. Paul himself knew this more than any man of his time. He is not known to be one of the greatest Apostles because he had it easy. But when he asked to be alleviated from the abuse, the Father simply said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” You, like Joseph and Moses, have a choice. Will you let the trials of this life discourage you? Or will you answer the call to be a witness for Christ, who Himself was ridiculed and mocked by His own family? But Jesus knew for us to gain life, He had to willingly lay His down for us. Will you lay down your life and your “rights”? My prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit would allow you to see your life through the eyes of not a victim, but a victor. You are chosen by God for His special purpose. He never promised you fair here. But understand this, Satan cannot touch you. There will be a day you will be called up into the air to a place of eternal rest. There will be no more tears and no sorrow. The tribulations and persecutions of your life will bring you an everlasting reward that no man can take away. It is a lie of the enemy that the Father has abandoned you and does not care for you like He first did. A Father does not give up on His children and we should not give up on Him.

If you feel today that maybe the Father has left you, or forgotten about you, or that you are not loved by Him like others; let me leave you with the truth of His word:

 Numbers 23:19  New King James Version

19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Jeremiah 29:11 New King James Version

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

As much as our God is our Lord, He is also our Father. A Father should be treated the same as any Lord, with reverence, respect, and quick acts of obedience. But a Father also wants to Love and be loved. A Lord simply uses people for his purpose and has no need for intimacy with his servants, nor does He always concern Himself with their everyday affairs. But your Father in heaven not only cares for and loves you, but He created you for His own special purpose. You are his child and only He knows what is best for you. Only the Father knows His great plan for your life. Let Him have all your heart and trust that you are adopted into a new family and a new kingdom. The trials of this life are for a moment, but eternity with our beloved Fathers is eternal.

-Shalom