no.340 140405 Thank you for my past experience to encourage others

Waiting for spring to come. Spring, 2010

We have a meeting almost every two months at the preschool department at my church. This morning, we met up to talk about upcoming Passion week and Easter, and other administrative things. We began by having some individual time of prayer, and also a devotional time in groups. I really enjoyed both. For the prayer time, we were to reflect on the last 24 hours and pray to God about what we are thankful for, how God has been working around us, and the sins that we had to repent. Although I've been pretty good with the first one through my daily blogging, I realized that I don't really pay attention to the other two. Most of my prayers were reflected based on the documentary I saw last night.

After the time of prayer, we took some time to read a section of Psalm 119.

Do good to your servant according to your word, Lord.

Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I trust your commands.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.

You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.

Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. 

It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Psalm 119:65-72 (Teth)

It made me think about the hard times in my life, when I just couldn't understand what was happening, and why it was happening to me. I questioned God many times. I was heartbroken, hurt, and doubting God all at the same time. After a while, God helped me to recover from the suffering and gave me peace in my heart again. Still, I couldn't understand why those things happened to me. Now that it's been a few years, I am thankful for what I went through. And I think I sort of understand why God did what He did a few years back. I never knew such a day would come, that I would actually praise God for that specific event in my life. Because of this one experience, whenever another affliction came along, I was able to trust God even though I didn't understand why those "bad things" were happening. In fact, they just seem "bad" in my human eyes. In God's perfect plan, these troubles we experience help us to be more like Jesus, growing in wisdom as we seek to depend on God.

I'm thankful because I was able to share my experiences with my co-teachers who serve at the preschool ministry. I'm thankful that my experiences and testimonies can be shared with other people, and that God uses them to encourage others. It makes me encouraged knowing that my experiences didn't happen for no reason. Just like the Psalmist, I can say that "it was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." The struggles we go through are God's blessings, because it may seem, in our eyes, that we are suffering at the moment, but when we seek to God first, and trust in Him alone, He will provide wisdom and strength to go through the hardships. God is moulding us to be more like Jesus through the afflictions.