Guided Endurance

* from my soon-to-be fave book: Guard Us , Guide Us by JI Packer
Chapter 2, Some Tangled Tales , pg 44

Guided Endurance

A myth, that is , a nonfactual fancy, which for some surrounds the subject of guidance, is the idea that as one follows God's guidance everything falls neatly and pleasantly into place, so that the headaches and heartaches that unbelievers have to cope with do not arise. Thus the guided ones lead a charmed life. The wide currency of this notion, is we think, further evidence of our immaturity, the naive magic-carpet view of living that Dallas Willard illustrated for us a few lines back, when he spoke of being addicted to the spectacular. We round off this chapter therefore, by categorically denying that either in the bible or in life, today or any day, are those whom God guides shielded from hardships and bewilderments.

This denial should not be problematical to any believers; for surely we all know, first, that it did not work out this way for Jesus, the Lord whom we follow, and , second, that God uses stretching and sandpapering experiences both to teach us truths and to shape and , if we may so speak,polish out souls. Says the psalmist,"You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word... Before i was afflicted , that i might learn your statutes"(Ps. 119:65,67,71). These are words that every believer will have reason to echo sooner or later. To Christians being hammered for their faith the writer to the Hebrews says:"it is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?... He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness"(Heb.12:7,10).

This regimen of character training is appointed for all who follow Christ.

The Pentateuch shows Israel experiencing hardships (lack of food and water along with perodic conflicts) as they trekked where the pillar of cloud and fire led; and the story of Jesus walking on water starts with the disciples caught in a windstorm because they were obeying Jesus' instructions to cross he lake to Bethsaida (matt 14;22;mark 6:45; compare mark 4:35-41 for a similar situation)