I have found that I absolutely cannot do without Wednesday night services at my church. It is really amazing what that service will do for you right in the middle of your week.
When I was growing up, I remember my family going to Wednesday night services, but, I didn’t start really attending Wednesday services at my church until recently, well, within the last few months.
I had always had something else taking up my time in the middle of the week. I know that sounds terrible, but it is the truth. I had to force myself to clear out that block of time on Wednesday evening. Making that commitment has really changed my week.
Our service on Wednesday is very informal. It is a discussion type session. I like it. I get to pipe up and talk about what is going on with my walk with the lord. Sometimes, some things are just so relevant to what I am going through and where I am at and it is so great to talk about that with some members of my church family.
Our congregation is a small one. Let me clarify small for you: Our congregation rarely numbers more than 30. It seems like this might limit us as a church body, but really, I enjoy the “smallness” of our church. We are intimate. We all know each other. We are free to speak frankly. We make connections and build relationships. We are all close to our pastor and get time with him. We all get the chance to be active in whatever kind of thing the church has going on. There is always a spot that needs filling. It’s nice.
So last evening, our congregation for the mid week service was about Testing and Chastisement. We are on our second lesson on this subject. Last evening, we talked about how we can tell the difference between when the Lord is testing us or chastening? We are also beginning to look at how we can/should react to these events in our lives. We have been looking at Job and his trials as well as the trials of others like John. We are looking at how they reacted while going through their own trials. For example: Job lost his home, his wealth, his children and his health and he still praised God. He never resented God or blamed God for the terrible things he was going through. Read Job 2 9-10 to see how Job reacted to his trials. Would we be able to do this today? I would like to think that I could react that way through trials like that, but, to be honest, I am just not sure. I strive to perceive my trials the way Job did.
We talked about how Job endured. The definitions of the word endure are: 1) to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo 2) to bear without resistance or with patience.
During all of Job’s trials, he truly did endure. This is the standard that we are to strive to meet when we are under fire. We discussed about the standard we are held to, not by people, but by God. He wants to see us endure so that we might persevere and move forward in him.
This is something I needed to hear! This is a wonderful lesson for me because I have a hard time enduring. Small problems throw me for a loop, so you can imagine how major ones have an effect! In the past few years have been tumultuous for me. I have struggled to deal with the stress. I have struggled to endure. So, this is useful study for me to participate in. Job inspires me. He gives me an example to live up to.
So, I am going to try to be more like Job when I am going through rough patches. That is what God is waiting for me to do; it is what he desires from me—to praise him in the storm.
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