When Trials Come

I don't know if any of you have ever heard of the song "When Trials Come", but it's an incredible song that has given me a lot of encouragement over the past few days. Life here is wonderful, but sometimes stress creeps in, and I find myself discouraged. I've been having a fever on and off for the past few days and there are a lot of other things that could cause me to quickly throw up my hands in defeat and exhaustion. But God is more than faithful, and I know that I can depend on Him.

 

When trials come, no longer fear

For in the pain our God draws near

To fire a faith worth more than gold

And there His faithfulness is told

And there His faithfulness is told

 

So what's up with classes? Last week, we started our Phonetics class, which has been SUPER fun so far. This class will continue until the end of the semester. We are learning how to recognize, hear, write symbols for, and speak every sound that humans (in any language) make in speaking. It's pretty cool, but it's also making us see how incredibly stupid the English language is at times! This knowledge will help us further down the road when trying to learn a language that has never been written before.

 

Within the night I know Your peace

The breath of God brings strength to me

And new each morning mercy flows

As treasures of the darkness grow

As treasures of the darkness grow

 

Things at ministry are still really neat, but also discouraging at times. We never know what to expect when we show up. Last Sunday, I ended up talking for an hour one-on-one with one of the guys who told me basically his entire life story. It made my heart hurt so much for him. He is a Christian, but he hasn't been discipled very much, and it shows. He's scared, hurting, and very much alone in the world. It's so hard to hear stories like his, and yet, it forces me to my knees in prayer for him and all the other guys at the home. Every night, I know His peace.

 

When I am weary with the cost
I see the triumph of the cross
So in its shadow I shall run
Till You complete the work begun
Till You complete the work begun

 

Ultimately, through everything that's going on right now, I'm struck by the brevity of our lives and the urgency that we have to live every moment for Christ. Our world is dark and only going to get darker. Our society has wholeheartedly embraced evil, and, while I did enjoy getting to vote for the first time yesterday, I think that America is quickly setting itself up for failure. As such, we as Christians need to be even more proactive about sharing the Gospel because we never know how much time we'll have. Whether it's here with the guys at the boys home or overseas, I want to constantly see the triumph of the cross and run in its shadow until Christ completes the work He's begun in my life and in the lives of those around me.