From Problems To Perfection

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:23-27)


We all have problems. Even Jesus had problems when He was on earth. Problems are inherent to being alive. From the moment of our birth until the moment of our death we are faced with troubles more numerous than the hairs on our head. At times our problems loom largely. Other times our troubles recede to the back of our mind. Jesus is not afraid of our problems because His faith is excellent. If you stray from the Lord, trouble will surround you and you will be lost in your problems. If you stay close to the Lord, you will find relief from your distress. The Lord is merciful and loving to those who seek preservation in His truth. If you rely only on yourself, your own heart and mind will fail you.

Problems test our relationships but problems can draw us closer when we work together to find a common solution. If our purpose is love, we can only find love by forgiving those who transgress against us. If you strike out in retaliation, you will only separate yourself in a desolate place from others. Marriage is acceptable in the Lord but being married does not insulate us from problems. Married couples are bound to have trouble in matters of the flesh and spouses must work together to overcome marital difficulties.

True freedom from problems can only be found in surrendering completely to God’s will. The Lord does as He pleases in heaven and on earth with or without your permission. You can fight His will causing turmoil for yourself and others or you can accept His will and know peace. Most of us have ideas about what we would like to do with our life on earth. Yet God has a plan for each one of us. As you grow older you will sink into depression if the life you are living is very different from the life you think you should be living. The only escape from darkness is to accept God’s plan for your life. If you accept the Lord’s plan, He will lead you to life eternal where you can relax and be satisfied and safe from all evil.

David had great faith in God so he did not perceive a problem when he decided to fight the giant. With God’s help David was able to slay the giant with just the throw of a stone. David believed that with Divine help he could overcome problems and run against a troop or jump leap over a wall.

Job also had great faith in God that did not falter even when he was assaulted time and again by trouble as God allowed Satan to inflict Job with sorrow so Job’s faith could be tried. Job stayed close to God through his trial and tribulation when his servants were killed, when fire destroyed his sheep, when his camels were stolen, and even when a great wind killed all of Job’s children. Job worshiped God in spite of his troubles and he did not blame God for his problems.

If we thank God during the bad times as well as during times that are good, He will make His home with us and restore us with joy and gladness. The Lord will put us first if we persevere with Him as a captive and praise Him for His goodness. Return to God if you are a prisoner of hope and He will turn your problems into blessings.

The Lord does not turn a deaf ear to our prayers indefinitely. In His acceptable time He answers our prayers. The Lord helps those who diligently seek His salvation and He uses His own as a covenant to the people for restoring the earth.

God is our comfort during all of our tribulations. We are able to comfort those who are in trouble with the comfort we receive from God. We are the temple of the living God so we are able to live without giving offense. We are able to be patient when we have needs, when we are in distress, when we are tired or hungry, when we must work hard, and when we are being oppressed. We live by God’s purity, knowledge, kindness, truth, love, and power. We are unknown yet well known, dying yet we live, sorrowful yet always rejoicing, poor yet making many rich, having nothing yet possessing all things. As the temple of the living God we are equally yoked together but apart and separate from unbelievers. We attend to the cares of this world but we are not deceived by riches or desires for other things that choke God’s word.

In God we have an inheritance according to His purpose. We are able to withstand problems great and small to further His word. We share in each other’s distress so we never stand alone. We understand that even though problems do test our faith problems are necessary for acquiring patience and patience is needed for making us perfect and complete and lacking for nothing. If we endure our problems together, the Lord will bless us with the crown of life which He has promised to those who love Him. When we are tossed about on the sea of life and become fearful of drowning, we cry out to the Lord and have faith in His excellent ability to save us.