Getting a Lift

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (I Peter 5:6-7).

What's this about "in due time"? I read a devotional last night that said that "[t]he thorn and the thistle - the difficulties and trials that make (man's) life one of toil and care - were appointed for (man's) good as a part of the training needful in God's plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought (The Path to Peace: Finding Hope in a Troubled World, Steps to Christ).

We are so impatient, aren't we? We're even impatient about God's speed in helping us. We wonder how long we'll have to suffer whatever it is we are going through. But do we do what it takes to let Him help us? The key is in the humility. Are we not being arrogant when we think we can handle all of life's difficulties on our own? God knows us -- we're His creations. And He knows that we need to understand that -- that He made us, so He can take care of our problems better than we can. This is not to say that we don't have a part in the solutions to our problems. But we must remember to constantly ask for His guidance, strength, wisdom, and peace. Then maybe we'll get a lift.