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Submitting to the Will of God in Time of Tribulations, More Than the Good Times
By Archdeacon Habib Guirgus
The most wonderful comfort you can find will be in denying yourself and make it submissive into the hands of the Almighty God, in order to unite with Him in love and submission to His will, especially during time of tribulations and hardships.
You need to tame
yourself to be trained for the virtue, especially in times of temptation,
catastrophe, or sickness, to reveal your love to God, to show your content in
tribulation and peace.
To thank God during good times and abundance, is a natural matter. But to do
that in time of hardship has a comfortable tune and wonderful voice to God's
ears, especially those who love Him, and tasted His comfort.
After the Apostles were beaten "they departed from the presence of the
council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His
name" (Acts 5:41).
The apostle Paul said; "I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful
in all our tribulation" (II Corinthians 7:4).
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we
may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with
which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound
in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ" (II Corinthians
1:3-5).
We have seen Job and the calamities which befell him; his children killed, his
cattle stolen, his camels taken away, and his body was struck with painful
boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of the head, yet he only said;
"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the
Lord" (Job 1:21).
The Apostle Paul said; "But recall the former days in which, after you
were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while
you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while
you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on
me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing
that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you
have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may
receive the promise: For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and
will not tarry" (Hebrews 10:32-37).
"My beloved is mine, and I am his... until the day breaks and the shadows
flee away" (Song of Solomon 2:16, 17).
Let these words cleanse your heart and make it 'whiter than snow'.
Let these words be on your mouth for it is capable to make you happy and
rejoice and make your days joyful. It will remove all sorrow, and change your
hardship into comfort.
It can even make you accept death in exchange for God's love, to have a more
complete life and abundantly. How sweet it is to put ourselves in the hands of
the Almighty; the Living God, "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I
say, 'You are my God'. My times are in Your hand" (Psalm 31:14, 15).
"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing. You have put off my
sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing
praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You
forever" (Psalm 30: 11, 12).
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