We’re using the summer as an opportunity to re-align our lives to the Lord as many of us step away and rest from the daily routines and demands of life. This week’s devotion helps us evaluate our response when things don’t go as expected:

IN WORD Staying power. It’s a rare commodity in a microwave society. Technological advancement has made travel, communication, and daily chores incredibly time-efficient, if not instantaneous. The result is that we’re not trained in perseverance.
We’re not accustomed to pains that can’t be relieved and problems that can’t be corrected. When they come, we send up prayers with almost the same expectation as when we press the buttons on our microwave. A few seconds, we think, and we should be done with it. God doesn’t usually work that way. He is thorough and precise, and He will not be rushed. When He tries us in the fire, as He did Job, nothing can get us out. The time cannot be shortened and our growth cannot come more quickly.
We must learn perseverance. James began his letter by telling about the results of perseverance—maturity and completeness (1:4). There is no way to become a mature Christian without trials. We may pray for Christlike character and hope that it will come by spiritual osmosis, but it will not. God’s plan for all of His people is trial by fire. It is the only way to burn away the flesh and reveal the Spirit. It is the only way to grow. No one has ever become a true disciple without perseverance, and no one has ever persevered without pain.
IN DEED What is your reaction to trials? Do you expect instantaneous answers to your prayers for deliverance? More often than not, you will be disappointed. Change your perspective. Rather than looking for escape, look for the benefit of the trial. Let endurance have its perfect result. Ask God what He’s accomplishing and then participate in it willingly. If you can learn perseverance, you will be a rarity in this world and well fit for the Kingdom of God. “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” – Corrie Ten Boom (in “Walking with God” by Chris Tiegreen)

Every vacation we’ve been on has always had a hiccup here or there. Whether it be a flight delay or rain when we are set to go on a hike, plans are affected in one way or another. So how do we respond? Do we get upset, lash out at those around us, and even get angry with God?
Take time to read Psalm 107 and reflect on God’s faithfulness and goodness in the different situations described. Then, when you are on vacation this summer and a hiccup occurs, use the encounter as practice to prepare you to respond when something unexpected happens in your daily life. Know that God remains in control and He is faithful and will guide you through. Have a blessed week! - from Magnolia, Pastor Sam