Think of It This Way

I came across this little piece of writing on trials and I liked the way it made me think:

In time of trouble, say, "First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest." Next, "He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child." Then say, "He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow." And last, say, "In His good time He can bring me out again. How and when, He knows." Therefore, say, "I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for his time."
~Andrew Murray~

At first I wasn't sure why the author used that word 'strait' in the second sentence.....I thought maybe he misused the word there or spelled it wrong. :) Then I checked the word meaning on my thesaurus and saw that it means - passage, channel, canal.

The author is saying that a trial is just a passageway or channel into a different section of our lives. But we have to go through it because God has things for us to learn at this particular time and in this particular situation. I like the above author’s mindset of not focusing on the problem, but rather on God and His Sovereign purposes for allowing the trial.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (James 1:2-4 The Message)