Standing Steadfastly - Part 1

The last few weeks I have been pondering what it means to remain steadfast under trial.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, it says "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to stand up under it."  What a comfort it is to read this verse and to be reminded that God is faithful!  And because He always has been and always will be faithful, I can trust that He will be faithful to me. Right now.  In this trial.  

In His faithfulness, He has promised that He has not and never will give me more than He will also give me His abundant grace to handle.  I readily confess that I have way more than I can handle in my own strength right now.  But, can also attest to the fact that to this point, God has been faithful to never allow me to be tempted beyond what he has also given me the grace to be able to do.

What I find most beautiful about this verse, though, is God's promise that with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that I may be able to stand up under it.  Trials weigh us down.  Having a child with special needs is a weight that I carry each day.  It is easy to lose heart, to fear the future, to be filled with guilt when I feel like I am not doing enough.  This weight affects not just my own heart.  It also affects my relationships with others - my husband, my children, and my friends.

But in this verse I am reminded that God never sends a trial without also sending a way of escape.  This does not mean that God has provided me with an earthly escape.  God has given us no promise of physical healing for Wesley.  God does not promise that things will get easier with time.  What He does promise is that He will give me Himself.  When I call out to the Lord in the midst of my trials, He will hear my cry and will answer me.  He will help me and will give me rest.  He will lift me up and cause me to stand even in the midst of the trials that He has called me to walk through.

God Himself is my way of escape, and when I call out to Him and take advantage of the means of escape that He has provided for me, then He lifts me up and causes me to stand up under the trial rather than being weighed down by it.  When I take His yoke, I find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

Click here to read Part 2.