And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord, I have spoken, and I will do it.

~Ezekiel 17:24 ESV

 

In the middle of a pandemic, over a span of six months, our family experienced losses in ways we never had before.

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Unexpected relationship issues arose outside the family that hurt us deeply and caused a divide. A business deal went wrong, so we had to employ an attorney. Issues came up in our church, and we made the tough decision to leave this church family we had grown to love. My husband also lost his job.

 From these losses, we learned that God gives and takes what seems good to Him as He carries out His purposes in our lives. The losses we endured paved the way for us to experience spiritual growth we would not have otherwise obtained.

As time passed and our hearts began to heal, we began to see that these painful situations were opportunities. God was giving us a clean slate, and hard lessons learned helped us attain this. We began to look forward to the good God had in store for us that He would bring out of the next hardships we would endure.

Friend, sometimes God must change situations in our lives so He can transform us, even if it means working against our expectations. Ezekiel 17:24 ESV says, “And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord, I have spoken, and I will do it.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

~Romans 15:13 NIV

 When you experience regression in an area of your life that once thrived, or distress where there was vibrant life, remember God can take a dry tree and make it flourish. When you feel knocked down, remember God is the lifter of the lowly. You are valuable to Him. He wants an ideal future for you, so He will do whatever He has to, to get you there. He wants to advance you because you are His. Remember, He is in the business of recovering, rebuilding, refurbishing, rehabilitating, and reviving your soul.

My prayer for you when you find yourself in a season of unexpected loss is this: May God put inside you the expectation that there is something good waiting for you further down the road. May He help you to realize these trials will eventually end. May He give you His perspective of what happened, so you can understand better how to perceive, react, and respond to each situation. May He fill you to the brim with His joy and perfect peace as you put your trust in Him. May the power of His Spirit surround you in abundance so you can receive the strength to heal and move forward.

Share a time where God let an area of your life dry up, so He could bring new vitality and growth.

Lord Jesus, I invite You into any grief that lingers in my heart. When I experience loss, I sometimes feel abandoned or unloved, but I know this isn’t true. You are with me, especially during tough times, and Your love is constant. I surrender all things to You, knowing You are the best director, and You have my interests at heart.

Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2021: Overcoming Trials God’s Way: Brandie J. Muncaster: All Rights Reserved