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Prayer - Grace in Trials

This is a Puritan prayer from the book Valley of Vision. This was the prayer for November 23, 2009 at Banner of Truth at the Daily Devotion link. You can find others at the Scripture Zealot blog.

Grace in Trials

Life-Giving God,

Quicken me to call upon thy name,

for my mind is ignorant,

my thoughts vagrant,

my affections earthly,

my heart unbelieving,

and only thy Spirit can help my infirmities.

I approach thee as Father and Friend,

my portion for ever,

my exceeding joy,

my strength of heart.

I believe in thee as the God of nature,

the ordainer of providence,

the sender of Jesus my Saviour.

My guilty fears discourage an approach to thee,

but I praise thee for the blessed news

that Jesus reconciles thee to me.

May the truth that is in him

illuminate in me all that is dark,

establish in me all that is wavering,

comfort in me all that is wretched,

accomplish in me all that is of thy goodness,

and glorify in me the name of Jesus.

I pass through a vale of tears

but bless thee for the opening gate of glory

at its end.

Enable me to realize as mine the better,

heavenly country.

Prepare me for every part of my pilgrimage.

Uphold my steps by thy Word.

Let no iniquity dominate me.

Teach me that Christ cannot be the way

if I am the end,

that he cannot be Redeemer

if I am my own saviour,

that there can be no true union with him

while the creature has my heart,

that faith accepts him as Redeemer and Lord

or not at all.

A Young Man’s Testimony to Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

You can find this article at The Works of God blog.

Christianity Today Interviews Steven Curtis Chapman

Rising from the Valley of Death
Steven Curtis Chapman opens up about losing his daughter, their family's arduous journey, and a new album of songs chronicling the path of pain and hope.

For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway to a world where dreams and adventures forever expand. No matter how bad the present, an eternity with Christ in Heaven will be incomparably better. So if God thinks the whole thing is worth it—and we know it will be worth it to us once we reach Heaven—then why not affirm by faith, even in the midst of suffering, that it’s worth it now?

--Randy Alcorn via Facebook

The key to this for me is "by faith". In the middle of the worst of it, I just want out. Hope for heaven isn't really any comfort. But I just have to believe that it really will have been worth it even though I can't fathom it right now.

Romans 8:18

The Suffering God

The fact that the second member of the triune God suffered unimaginable torture on the cross should explode any notion that God lacks feelings. In the suffering of Jesus, God himself suffered. No one who grasps this truth can say, “God doesn’t unders...tand my suffering.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in a Nazi prison camp, “Only the suffering God can help.”

--Randy Alcorn via Facebook

Randy Alcorn Quote on Suffering and Eternity

Shouldn’t we suppose that many of our most painful ordeals will look quite different a million years from now, as we recall them on the New Earth? What if one day we discover that God has wasted nothing in our life on Earth? What if we see that every agony was part of giving birth to an eternal joy?

--Randy Alcorn via Facebook

Romans 8:18

Book Review: Deserted by God?

Book Review: Deserted by God? by Sinclair Ferguson

Whether you struggle with guilt over sins in your past, feelings of abandonment and betrayal, physical illness or affliction, bereavement, unfulfilled dreams, or any other similar problem, you will probably find a chapter that speaks directly to you.

Anti-Depressants Can Be Gift From God

With all the talk of how much anti-depressants are over-prescribed, I would imagine that a lot of Christians who are taking them may feel some guilt. Read what John Piper has to say:
What's Your Take on Christians Using Antidepressants?

God's Purposes In Our Troubles

J.I. Packer on God’s Purposes in Our Troubles

Bibliography of books on suffering and evil

I mentioned the book If God is Good in a previous post.

Here is a Partial Annotated Bibliography from the book. The comments on each book are very helpful.

How an illness can be a blessing

Why I’m Blessed with Gout

Long List of Scripture For Dealing With Stress

Bible Verses for Faith in Times of Stress

Trust in the Sovereignty of God

Affirming Divine Sovereignty by R.C. Sproul

Randy Alcorn on Suffering and Evil

Interview with Randy Alcorn on Suffering and Evil

Does God Love You If You Stray Because Of Suffering?

Does God Still Love the Wayward Christian?

New Book: Counsel from the Cross

Counsel from the Cross

How others benefit from your suffering

Your Suffering Does Not Just Belong to You - Challies.com

Discount Personal Feelings

Tim Challies offers us a quote from Jim Andrew’s Polishing God’s Monuments.

New Book

Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? by Ligon Duncan

Suffering and What's Important

Suffering has a way of reminding us which things in life really matter, forcing us to depend radically on God, and thus purifying our obedience to God's will.

--Craig Keener, The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation

Blog for chronic pain sufferers

Shauna's Life In Pain And Other Fun Things

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trials

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trials

God is good

Arguing about why bad things happen to good people.

Secrets of Contentment

Secrets of Contentment by John MacArthur

William Cowper Bio

Here is a short video of a bio of William Cowper:
William Cowper Bio

Sermon Audio

Restless, Moaning, Pained and Horrified by Russ Sukhia

How Should We Pray When We Suffer?

How Should We Pray When We Suffer? at Resurgence

Suffering, Grace and Joy

A post on my other blog. (Don't tell anyone it's me.)

I haven't written anything personal for quite a while. I hope it blesses somebody out there.

Book: A Shelter in the Time of Storm

A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble

See the video and sample pages.

Passion in the pulpit, prayer and conversation

Let the River Run Deep

Habakkuk's God

Faith-based Religion: The Example of Habakkuk

The last part of this post is most related to this blog but please read the whole thing if you have time.

How to Pray for Joni Eareckson Tada

How to Pray for Joni Eareckson Tada

Suffering for the Sake of the Body

Suffering for the Sake of the Body, Part 1

Worshipping a God who “lets you drop,” who lets you get hurt

Interview with Tim Stoner 2: Longing for the Untamable God

Trevin Wax: You write about worshipping a God who “lets you drop,” who lets you get hurt. How does this view of God counter the popular belief that “God is always there for me”?

Timothy Stoner: God is not safe; nor can He be manipulated. He is perfect in His wisdom and love and knows much better than we what we really need. And He is not averse to allowing/causing pain, struggle and disappointments that He knows are essential for our maturation, growth, refinement and strengthening.

He tells us that He is like a gardener who will not let sympathy for his plants dissuade Him from trimming or cutting off (sometimes ruthlessly) branches that are unproductive or that are preventing maximum fruit bearing.

Because of our inveterate selfishness and idolatry it is not unusual for God to orchestrate deep suffering that we might learn to draw our comfort from Him alone and to shape us into vessels filled with comfort for others.

God is always there for me only in the sense that He is working all things: pain, sorrow, loss, sickness, defeat, sins and successes, together for my maximum good and His ultimate glory.