​​His Inscriptions Blog

Life-Giving Communication with God
  His Inscriptions
  • Home
  • About
  • Current Words
  • Store
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • All Prophecies
  • Houses of Prayer
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Articles
    • His Inscriptions: How God Speaks to Everyday People
    • Have Smartphones Replaced God?
    • How to Pray to God: 5 Easy Steps
    • How to Start a Christian Blog: A Guide for Writers
    • How You Personally Could Spark the Next Great Awakening
    • Finding Beauty in Your Winter Season
    • Silence: Your Secret Weapon
    • Overcoming Exhaustion
  • Bible Promises
  • Friends We Support
  • How to Know God

Light and Momentary Afflictions

5/6/2015

 
Light and Momentary Afflications - a Blog by Deborah Perkins of HisInscriptions.com. Dealing with the

Sometimes we go through a series of "unfortunate events," as Harry Potter fans would call them, which seem to suck the wind right out of our sails and leave us almost dead in the water. Our beautiful day of smooth sailing suddenly darkens, and we notice ominous storm clouds all around us. The reality of our situation hits us hard: here we are - fools! - in the middle of the sea, without any land in sight, and completely at the mercy of the storm. What were we thinking? How on earth are we going to get out of this?

If you have been a believer for any length of time, this has happened to you, too. Just this morning I woke up to the alarming reality that I was quite literally adrift at sea, having cast myself out all wide-eyed and expectant on a gorgeous day, only to find that the weather had changed. Storms were gathering, and I was too far out to go back to land. The only thing left to do was to batten down the hatches and continue sailing. 

We Christians are meant to be sailors, of course, to launch out into the depths of faith, trusting Jesus as our "skipper" to help us reach new places, wherever they may be. There is something in our hearts that longs for this adventure of faith, to cast all upon Him and experience the freedom of soaring, our sails full of the wind of the Spirit, our hearts full of hope. If God works everything together for our good, what could possibly go wrong? And so we launch. 

But storms inevitably come, and it is the storms that make us true sailors.

Thankfully, this morning the Lord led me to 2 Corinthians 4:17, which reads: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 

Our "light affliction" is like a storm at sea. At first glance, it seems like only a demonic hindrance to keep us from reaching our destination. And the enemy does use storms to try to deter us.

Our trials do more than that, though. Look at 2 Corinthians again and you'll see that our afflictions are working for us!  What are they working on? They're producing a glory so strong and powerful in our lives that the sheer magnitude of it will outweigh every trial we've ever had to go through! The glory of God in our lives is going to be so heavy that these current afflictions will seem "light" to us! Our momentary troubles can only vanish in the eternal radiance of the glory of God!

I'm preaching to myself here, but I believe that this is a word for you, too. We sometimes fail to see the point of our afflictions, and the old cliche that we're supposed to "learn something" from our trials just doesn't comfort anyone. Here's what does comfort me in the hard times: 2 Corinthians 4:15 confirms that "All things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God." 

All things - including our trials - are divinely orchestrated to produce more of the glory of God in us. Look at what a sailor must do to stabilize himself in a storm. He throws out an anchor to create drag through the seas, to bring balance when the boat is rocked by waves. He dons his foul-weather gear for extra protection from the rain. In all but the worst storms, he doesn't change his course, but he slows his pace, perhaps, by lowering the sails. This allows him to concentrate on overcoming the weather's assaults on his craft. 

The storms do teach us how to better handle ourselves and our commissions as we navigate life. But few sailors look forward to the storm, or delight in what it's "teaching them" at the time! Instead, they look forward to the "things which are not seen:" the land they will reach, the family they will return home to. In the same way, we look forward to the eternal things we are gaining, and we trust that the storm we see is only temporary (See  2 Corinthians 4:18). We delight in knowing that Jesus is our anchor, and that even in the storm, we are still held tightly in the palm of His hand. 

Isaiah 32:17 says that the work of righteousness - or the fruitful work of Jesus in us - will be peace, quietness, and confidence forever. I am thankful today for the storm that drives this intrepid sailor to Him. I know that in this momentary affliction I will hold on more tightly and anchor myself more securely to the Lord. And by clinging to Jesus, my righteousness, I will soon receive the peace that He imparts to calm the sea. 
 
If you're experiencing stormy seas, pray this with me today: 
Hallelujah! I thank you, Lord, for the glory that I am gaining through these momentary afflictions! I believe Your glory is ever increasing in my life, transforming me into Your image (2 Corinthians 3:18). I believe even the storms in my life are subject to you, and designed to produce godly fruit in me. Show me what I need to do to anchor myself in You until this "weather" turns. And let my experiences transform the nations and result in abundant praise and thanksgiving to Your Holy Name! Amen. 
Picture
c. Deborah Perkins, His Inscriptions
Picture
Deborah Perkins is passionate about helping others to connect with God. She writes about knowing God's Word and hearing His voice at His Inscriptions. To follow her weekly blog, subscribe here. Or to contact her directly, please click here. 

    Free Link to the Subscriber Resource Library when you join His Inscriptions!

    JOIN FREE
    Deborah Perkins, Author and Founder of HisInscriptions.com
    About
    ​Deborah Perkins

    RSS Feed

    Click to Order Deborah's Books on Amazon.com
    Author Deborah Perkins' books on Amazon.com
    Picture
    Author Deborah Perkins blogs for Bible Gateway.
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Bible
    Book Reviews
    Christianity In Culture
    Church
    Communication
    Communion
    Consecration
    Creativity
    Deliverance
    Easter
    End Times
    Evangelism
    Faith
    Family
    Fear
    Feasts
    Finances
    Forgiveness
    Glory
    God The Father
    Government
    Grace
    Healing
    Hearing God
    Heaven
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Humor
    Interviews
    Jesus
    Judaism
    Justice
    Leadership
    Lifestyle
    Love
    Ministry
    Missions
    Passover
    Peace
    Persecution
    Prayer
    Prophecies
    Protection
    Relationships
    Rest
    Revival
    Satan
    Service
    Suffering
    Supernatural
    Technology/Social Media
    The Bible
    Trials
    Trust
    Warfare
    Women
    Worship
    Youth

    Picture

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Author

    A severe hearing loss from childhood caused Deborah Perkins to develop what she now calls her secret weapon: tuning in to God's voice.  A Wellesley College graduate and an award-winning writer, Deborah is now a wife and mother of 3 boys. Deborah has devoted over 25 years to professional and lay Christian ministry in New England and beyond. Her passion is inspiring people to cultivate greater intimacy with God. 
    You can follow her on social media using the links above. To subscribe to her weekly blog (free) by email, click here. 


    Salvation Pic
Photos used under Creative Commons from leireunzueta, kelgal77, graphia, Orin Zebest, MartialArtsNomad.com, put_the_needle_on_the_record, zeevveez, rebamae, jonycunha, traveling.lunas, Newport Geographic, Alexandre Dulaunoy, popofatticus, brendan.lally....away, adamfarnsworth, piropiro3, fabiane13, Luis Roberto Lainez, Snake3yes, ceasedesist, Kevin Shorter, dustinj, feryswheel, rghisi, stuartpilbrow, BLMOregon, Didriks, .Martin., jonseidman1988, feelsgoodlost, francisco.j.gonzalez, imagine_reality, Jay Aremac, Northwest Rafting Company, amsfrank, qmnonic, PhoTones_TAKUMA, chatblanc1, garryknight, limaoscarjuliet, V31S70, lcm1863, Jayel Aheram, SimpleSkye
  • Home
  • About
  • Current Words
  • Store
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • All Prophecies
  • Houses of Prayer
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Articles
    • His Inscriptions: How God Speaks to Everyday People
    • Have Smartphones Replaced God?
    • How to Pray to God: 5 Easy Steps
    • How to Start a Christian Blog: A Guide for Writers
    • How You Personally Could Spark the Next Great Awakening
    • Finding Beauty in Your Winter Season
    • Silence: Your Secret Weapon
    • Overcoming Exhaustion
  • Bible Promises
  • Friends We Support
  • How to Know God