So, after posting my very first post, on my very first blog, I found myself under attack, physically, mentally and emotionally. I suppose I should have expected that to happen. I have been really ill and I have found it difficult to even pray. At night when I have been laying awake and anxious, I have buried my head in my pillow and called out to the Lord in distress. For most of my life I have suffered serious illness and pain, in one form or another. Many times I have cried out to God to end my suffering. People quote the verse from the Bible, 'God will never give us more than we can bear'. ONLY this is not what the actual verse means. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” - 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

So does this verse mean that the hardships and trials of life will not be more than you can bear? This Bible verse is referring to righteous living and how we deal with the temptations of life. When we are faced with temptations, and we all are, along with the temptation comes a choice. And God has given us His promise that He is faithful to give us the strength to choose the right, and give us a way out of the temptation. The choice is ours, and it is always in our power to resist sin. Jesus has taught us that we must become like Him, conformed to the image of His likeness. And by His Spirit He has given us the power to do just that.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” – Isaiah 43:2-3 KJV This is one verse that tells us how God will protect us through the 'lows' of life.

Sometimes I feel like a surfer! My life seems to be like the sea, waves, some small swells where I have to sit up and take notice, and be alert.  Other times the sea is smooth and calm, and I can 'rest'. But then all of a sudden, huge swells catch me offguard and it is easy to be overwhelmed. I try to ride that wave but I end up crashing back to shore! I am beaten, exhausted. I think if you had to ask a surfer which waves he would prefer, it would be the big ones. Because this is where the surfer gets his experience. This is where he learns how and where, and when, to catch the waves and ride with them. He has to watch and wait, and calculate when to GET UP and STAND. He has to be brave in the face of this huge wave of water that threatens to wipe him off his board and dump him into the deep water.

When I was a youngster, my parents used to take us on an annual holiday to the seaside in South Africa. I absolutely loved the sea, and I still do. To me there is no greater example of God and His magnificence. There are so many lessons to be learned from the sea. 
My dad used to love swimming far out, and I used to go further and further out each time, until I reached my dad. I trusted my dad to be watching out for me. I loved the thrill of seeing those huge waves coming at me! I learned to go with the swell. I was not afraid. But I also knew my father would not let me go futher than I would be able to cope with, where I would be in danger of drowning. I once was dumped heavily into the sea, I was turning around and around in the deep water and I did not know if I would ever be able to get to the top. But my parents had taught me to swim from a young age, and instinctively I did not try and fight the wave, but I literally rolled with it. Was it dangerous? Yes. Was it scary? Definitely! But it did not put me off swimming in the sea. No. I was still not afraid of those huge waves coming at me!

I guess you can see what I am trying to say here. Even when the problems and trials are rising up against you, and you feel your very life is threatened, Jesus is always there. Faith is easy to excercise when things are going well, but this is something I have had to grasp in my spirit, it does not matter the SIZE of the problem or trial, it matters that we trust God that He is there to save us, because He knows when we are too far out to sea. He knows when we are in danger of drowning. When we try to fight that huge wave on our own, it threatens to drown us. We have to just believe what His word says and rest in Him. This has given me courage today.