tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246130540159128150.post2582573145217460565..comments2024-02-03T16:53:16.196-08:00Comments on Honest Talk with God: Talking about Tough Times is PopularRob_Tennanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13421615246634432546noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246130540159128150.post-68626489019062804922009-06-17T12:42:08.680-07:002009-06-17T12:42:08.680-07:00where does energy for faith come from? so much en...where does energy for faith come from? so much energy is expended in the defense of faith. Seems Job's friends "wasted" their energy on finding answers about faith while Job used his energy to find God.Glenn Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02267152464194607977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246130540159128150.post-66135402662298164342009-06-17T09:07:03.576-07:002009-06-17T09:07:03.576-07:00Good point, Rob. In my small group, in the last co...Good point, Rob. In my small group, in the last couple of months, two women have gone through very different pregnancy trials. One had a very difficult pregnancy, with two hospitalizations due to dehydration and kidney stones. The baby eventually came very early and both baby and mom were touch and go for about a week - baby was very small and not taking the bottle, mom had infection and couldn't get her fever down. She had become pregnant shortly after getting married, so this was also the newlywed season for her and her young husband - so many trials for them.<br /><br />The other woman has wanted a second child for a while, and discovered she was pregnant. Then, she had a miscarriage. It was the most painful thing she had gone through. <br /><br />Both women, though, have risen up in faith in remarkable ways. The woman who had the miscarriage has clung to the Bible and solid devotionals (Streams in the Desert, for one, which was written by a woman whose life was rife with tragedy), and her love, respect, and awe for God have grown in ways that can only be described as divine. The depth of discussion about God and prayer (the topic we're studying now) and God's goodness and sovereignty have taken our discussions to a whole new level, because these women have opted to submit to God rather than despise his "other" ways.<br /><br />But I also know people whose disappointment with God has steered them away from him. THAT is the biggest tragedy, I think, because times of disappointment with God can be the most fertile soil for growth and maturity - and JOY. Joy in the midst of incredible pain is like no other gift I know. Peace, too, and God offers those things in the midst of pain, but it requires us surrendering our god-complexes and looking UP to him - like Job. <br /><br />I think it's also important to note that Job was NOT a perfect man. He did NOT trust God perfectly. He struggled. He wrestled. He demonstrated hopelessness and despair. But he did not turn away from God. He hung in there with God through the storm, and that is the key. FIGHT for faith. PRESS IN to God. BELIEVE that he is doing something good in the midst of the storm/desert/battle.<br /><br />And Rob, you hit the nail on the head in your last paragraph of this comment: "there is a greater chance of faith growing through suffering if that person is constantly developing his relationship with God before suffering comes. If he is into Bible reading, prayer, worship, serving others, and fellowship with other Christians, there is a much greater chance his faith will survive a crisis." <br /><br />YES, and AMEN.Christy T.http://www.algumwood.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246130540159128150.post-13153233304511802372009-06-17T07:50:32.598-07:002009-06-17T07:50:32.598-07:00I don't see any guarantee about what someone w...I don't see any guarantee about what someone will do when they go through disappointment. The guy who wrote the hymn "It is Well with my Soul" lost his family in shipwreck. His children and wife died - but he kept his faith.<br /><br />The guy Philip Yancey writes about in "Disappointment with God" did not suffer tragedy of nearly such great proportions. But, he did go through some disappointments. And at the same time he struggled with a theological crisis. That combo (of disappointment and not being able to come to grips with his own thoughts about God) led him to abandon faith. <br /><br />So, one guy suffers and his faith grows. Another guy suffers and his faith dies. There is no guarantee for how it will go. <br /><br />But, there is a greater chance of faith growing through suffering if that person is constantly developing his relationship with God before suffering comes. If he is into Bible reading, prayer, worship, serving others, and fellowship with other Christians, there is a much greater chance his faith will survive a crisis.Rob_Tennanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421615246634432546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246130540159128150.post-45318061139171072662009-06-17T07:40:48.477-07:002009-06-17T07:40:48.477-07:00what do you mean by the last sentence?
It goes bo...what do you mean by the last sentence? <br />It goes both ways, and there is no guarantee. <br />What do you mean there is no guarantee?Rob and Candyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635406179272441873noreply@blogger.com