Trials Have A Purpose...

Real Spiritual Maturity...

"Real spiritual maturity is when you stop asking God to change your situation and start asking Him to change you."

Most of our prayers are really just complaints with "Amen" at the end. We tell God how bad the job is and how annoying the people are and we beg Him to fix it. We treat God like a personal assistant whose job is to clear the obstacles out of our path so we can be comfortable.

But comfort is not the goal of the Christian life. Conformity to Christ is the goal. And usually, we become like Christ not when things are easy, but when things are hard.

Real maturity happens when you stop trying to control the wind and you start adjusting your sails. You realize that the storm isn't actually the problem; your fear is the problem. The difficult person isn't the problem; your impatience is the problem. The waiting isn't the problem; your lack of trust is the problem.

When you switch your prayer from "God change it" to "God change me," the panic disappears. Because the situation might stay exactly the same, but you become different. You become stable. You become peaceful. You become unshakeable. And that is a greater miracle than the storm stopping.

...we also glory in our sufferings,

because we know that suffering produces perseverance...

Romans 5:3 Provided by "Divine Insight"

But, God, I Don’t Want To Plant a Garden Here

"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel,
says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

Jeremiah 29:4-5

During difficult times of life or when facing hard transitions, I have found myself struggling to understand God’s plans.

In seasons I certainly don’t want to embrace or settle into, many times my desires don’t line up with God’s plans. I cry out for rescue, hoping He will swoop in and remove me from my uncomfortable situation — but sometimes His response is, Stay where you are. Build houses, plant gardens, and live your life.

Jeremiah 29:4 portrays this surprising command given to God’s people in exile. Taken from their homeland to Babylon, the people of Judah longed for a quick return to Jerusalem. They wanted to be rescued, for God to undo their captivity and restore them to their former lives. But instead of immediate deliverance, God’s message through the prophet Jeremiah was to settle down in the very place they wanted to escape.

“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce’” (Jeremiah 29:4-5).

It’s not difficult to imagine their frustration and hopelessness. But, God, we don’t want to plant gardens and build houses here. We don’t belong here. This is not our home. Fix this, Lord!

Yet God’s command was clear — He had a purpose for the Israelites in Babylon. They wanted to hear His plans for immediate relief, but instead they heard that their stay would not be short. Thus He encouraged them to embrace the present instead of wasting their days longing for the past or dreaming of a faraway future.

This passage challenges our perspective on difficult seasons of life. We often plead with God to change our circumstances, to remove our pain, struggle or discomfort. But sometimes God’s answer is not to change our situation but to change us within it. He invites us to build and plant, creating and loving life in the very place we don’t want to be.

Perhaps you currently feel out of place, longing for God to change your situation. It’s natural to want to escape hardship and discomfort. But what if God is telling you to stay and “plant a garden” right where you are? What if He is cultivating something within you that requires time, patience and perseverance so true growth can take place?

Resist the urge to merely endure. Instead, ask God how you can invest in the season He has you in, and trust He has a plan even in the waiting.

He’s got you, and you’ve got this. Now, go plant that garden.

Lord, life has changed, and it feels so difficult. Please give me peace, the ability to embrace where You have me, and the courage to live fully, trusting in Your plans for me and Your sovereignty over all things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- Tracie Miles
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"