“When you go through deep waters, 

I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty, 

you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression, 

you will not be burned up;

the flames will not consume you.”

(Isaiah 43:2, NLT)

 

Remembering the former pain God had delivered me from, helped to give me a proper perspective on pain and suffering when my children was going through it. In the initial stages of a trial, the pain, the confusion, and the anger are so big that you sometimes forget that there is a God that loves you. That happened to me as I watched my children suffer a trial beyond explanation. It shook me to my core, even though God had told my daughter in a word New Year’s Eve 2016 for 2017, “…So when I AM shaking things up in your life, it’s not to scare you, but I have to shake some things up to make room for and bring in the explosive blessings. Don’t fret and do not worry, just start thanking and praising Me for what I AM doing.”

 

As a mother it is harder for me to watch my children suffer, than to suffer myself. I can’t quite explain why, but that’s how I felt. Then it hit me, when I was going through my own trial season some years ago, my daughter had to sit and watch me suffer. It was that reality that made me really take a good look at the trial season.

 

Sitting in my room one afternoon in 2017 as their trial was developing, I felt this heaviness come all over me. As I was trying to shake it off, God asked, “Doesn’t this feel familiar?”

 

Immediately, I remembered a time in my life when I felt that same weight upon my shoulders—a weight that seemed to weigh me down and bind me up at the same time. Then, I remembered that familiar heaviness was present during my own trial season of 1993-1996 when I was completely bed-ridden and gasping for breath, as my muscles spasmed all over my body, my vision left me, and my hearing was altered. I had lost everything, including my job and my home.

 

After God asked me to think back, I realized that what my children was experiencing was a trial season—with the key word being season! It was such a relief to understand that the pain, loss, shame, emptiness, and confusion are only for a season! And furthermore, God is fully in control of it, even though He seems so far away.

 

When that reality settled in my heart, I became thankful through the pain, realizing that they were not battling alone. And even though I was limited to help them through the trial, God was not! I often reminded my daughter and grandchildren of the goodness of God during my trial season. A season that produced some amazing miracles that saved my life, restored my body, and repositioned me to do exactly what I am doing now—encouraging others, just like God said I would. It also produced a relationship with God that drew me into Him, and Him into me like never before! Before the trial, I thought I had a meaningful relationship with God, but after the trial, I realized I really didn’t. God knew that, when He allowed me to suffer for His glory and my salvation.

 

As much as we hate the trial season, I came to understand it better. Seven years ago, when all the suffering started for my children, I was asked to give a brief sermon for Hallelujah Night (New Year’s Eve 2016) at my church. My message for that New Year’s Eve service was from Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT), “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

 

When I asked God what He wanted me to say that would bring hope for 2017? He told me to explain storms. I am a weather novice, but the way God illustrated the storm (trial season) left me very hopeful to explain it to you. I encourage you to read the entirety of Isaiah 43 to see how God speaks of His goodness towards Israel, which also transfers to us today.

 

He explained that storms are usually formed as a result of warm air clashing with cold air. The discrepancy in the temperatures within the two air masses collide and create storms. In the spirit realm a storm is a collision of righteousness and wickedness vying for your soul. Just as a warm front will push out a cold front to create a different and better weather experience—so too, will the trial season between God and Satan push out the old, to make room for the new and better. Every new season is preceded by a storm! In nature and in the spirit realm!

 

Romans 8:18 (KJV) states, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

 

The trial season changes everything because it changes us! When we allow God to do the much-needed work in us, then we are transformed to a newness of life. And as funny as the statement is, I have heard countless people who have endured through their trial season proclaim, “I never want to have to go through anything like that again, but I’m grateful that I went through it because God changed my life through it.”

 

All I can say at this point is, Amen!!!

 

To be continued.