Trouble and our Overcomer

   

Mary Norris and Matt made and gave this to Janie for her high school graduation.  It's made of rough wooden planks that were harshly sanded, worked over, primed, and finally painted with Janie's favorite verse.  It required a lot of time, effort, and, for the wood especially, hardship!  True beauty often requires some painful sanding and chiseling and struggling, doesn't it? 

 Reminds me of the words of A.W. Tozer: "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply."  We may not understand.  We may not like it.  But it's simply true.  The people I love and admire best on this planet are those whose hearts have been seasoned and softened by suffering and sorrow.  An unmistakable beauty emerges--hard, hard won but with a "beauty from ashes" that strengthens others and glorifies God like nothing else.  

And so the words on Janie's seasoned planks emerge, clear and beautiful:

"In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Jesus' words painted across the wood that He, our Creator, made and that He, our Redeemer,  chose to die upon...for us.  

Even as I write this, I hear the chorus from a hymn waft drift across: "O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross, bids me come and die and find that I may truly live..."  O thank You, Jesus, for the harsh, hated, glorious beauty of that rough wooden cross.  Your beauty from ashes.

And yes, His Word once again and always not only reveals truth but is Truth.   Don't we all know that trouble always seems to find us in this world?...  

But Jesus! 

 But our  Redeemer!

But our Overcomer! 

 O how I love seeing those two words together in the Scriptures.  And we see them over and over again: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom.8:8) "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Ps.73:26) "But God raised Him from the dead..." (Acts 2:24) "But God will redeem my life from the grave..." (Ps.49:15) "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Mt.19:26) 

 Jesus--the Creator.  Jesus--the Redeemer.  Jesus--the Overcomer.

Yes, trouble may seem to constantly seek and find us...but our Overcoming Savior tirelessly, relentlessly, and perfectly always, always seeks and finds His beloved children.  And His seeking and finding is deeper and stronger and surer and greater than all that trouble.  

So today, might we praise our  "Hound of Heaven" Who never tires of relentlessly seeking and saving the lost.  And Who will never ever leave or forsake His own--whether through sunshine or storms, tranquility or trouble. 

 He has already overcome the world--

and we are in Him and He is in us.  That makes us overcomers too!  

To God--our Overcomer and the One through Whom we, too, will overcome--be all the glory.