“…so he bringeth them unto their desired haven”  (Psalms 107:30)

Are you committed to God, to His Service, and to each other? Is this proven by your words and deeds? And yet are you still suffering, saying – How long, Lord, How long? So what is your next step to be?

Your next step is to continue to surrender to God; submit to His Word; obey His Word; and endure in the same. The key word is endure. Endurance is the proof of true love; the proof that we love God with a true love. True love has many schools, trials, and tests before graduation (which is at physical death).

Tests, trials, tribulations, and adversity in the life of a Child of God always produce seven things.

1. They produce proof, not to God, but to the believer, that his faith is true and real and sustaining and rewarding; because they prove Christ (The Faith) lives and operates in the believer (Deuteronomy 8:1-8; James 1:2-4; Galatians 2:20).
2. Plus, they refine the believer; cleansing and purifying him (1 Peter 1:2-7).
3. They cause the believer to see that God’s Promises are sure and Amen in Christ (Philippian 4:13, 19).
4. They cause the believer to know that God cares about him and supplies his needs (1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 13:5; Psalms 23:1-6; 121:1-6; and a multitude more verses).
5. They ready the believer for the tasks ahead; such as was Moses’ case, forty years in Egypt, forty years in the desert, and then God’s call came for him to be Israel’s deliverer. But God had prepared Moses for his Calling of God.
6. They cause spiritual growth in the believer (2 Corinthians 3:5; 12:9-12). Adversity drives the believer to prayer, repentance, confession, and surrender, submission, obedience, and yes, endurance. The believer learns who God really is and who he really is.
7. They bring the believer home (Psalms 107:23-31; especially verses 28-30); “…so he bringeth them unto their desired haven” (verse 30b). “Their desired haven” is home – where you belong. Here peace and rest are; here you hear the words, “…Well done, thou good and faithful servant…” (Matthew 25:21).

Reader, you may be in the greatest test of your life, or you may be about to enter into the greatest test. Read the above seven things; study them closely; and allow God to speak to your heart.

Perhaps you will realize that life here on earth is so short. Perhaps you will find that material things are growing strangely dim. Paramount in your spirit is pleasing God to the very end; knowing soon these days will pass; knowing all that really matters is our service to God in love to Him; knowing the real goal is to be conformed to His Image.

Child of God, He has called you to a special calling. He has equipped you, prepared you, and empowered you with His Power and a knowledge of His Word and His Will. In the midst of your journey, God is showing you that you love Him first, above yourself; that your goal is to please Him first, and not yourself.

Remember, whatever comes your way – God’s grace, mercy, love, and power will carry you through. His Word records that He did this for all His Servants, especially His special servants. All of God’s special servants faced trials, tests, persecutions, etc.

His tests will prove you; they will grow you up. They will reward you with a knowledge of God; communion with God; the power of God; and last, but not least, a true perception of why God created you, called you, and empowered you – it is first for His Glory and Honor – and second for your good, now and in eternity.

Reader, are you up to the calling of God? Yes!

How do I know? Look at where you were and where He has brought you. Look at what you have in Him.

Has He ever failed you? No!

So what is next for you? Endurance; which will bring:

1. More truth;
2. A greater degree of understanding of His love;
3. A greater experience in His love than ever before;
4. A greater communion with Jesus Christ, who abides in us;
5. More fruit bearing;
6. More perfection (maturity);
7. Seeing more of His Glory!

The goal of endurance in your obedience is to make it “home”; that is, to be in the very Presence of God, experiencing the “fulness of His Joy,” for all eternity. Keep your eye on the Prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. Stand in His Promises, walk in His Peace, and find His Rest in your “desired haven.”