Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. I'm Darrell Bailey, Servants for Christ, as we start into a new series called Truths Through Trials. You know, in life, we all encounter moments of disruptions, times when our plans are unended, upended, and our spirits are tested, and we face challenges that feel overwhelming. Yet, God often uses these moments of trial to teach us profound truths about himself and his ways. In this series, Truth Through Trials, we explore how life struggles, even when painful, are confusing or woven into his divine plan to shape us. and to refine us and to bring us closer to his heart. Scripture offers some of the most powerful illustrations of how God meets us in our trials. We'll be in several books, 1 Samuel chapter 4, Psalms chapter 32, Jeremiah chapter 18, Job chapter 14, and Proverbs chapter 6, and a few others. These passages remind us that trials are not meaningless or random. They're opportunities to discover truths through trials, lessons on humility, and repentance, hope, and strength that can only be fully understood through experiences. And so I want to ask you to journey with me through these powerful scriptures, seeking to recognize God's hand in every challenge, knowing that through each one, he draws us nearer to his heart and deeper into his truth. And so, as we look at these verses, I'm gonna be, first of all, in my series, Truth Through Trials, talking about lessons in the struggles. Lessons in the struggles, out of Deuteronomy chapter 32, verses 10 and 11, and Isaiah chapter 55, verses 8 through 11. Now, I'll begin reading these in just a few minutes, But in life, we all encounter moments of disruption, times when our plans are going through these very testing times. And so, as we get into them, let's before any further, let's get into a time of prayer where we can ask the Lord to intervene on our behalf. Heavenly Father, we come before you. Grateful for your presence in our lives as we explore the lessons in the struggles, we acknowledge that you are the creator who stirs our hearts, guides us through every trial, just as the eagle stirs her nest to prepare her young for flight. Remind us that our struggles serve a purpose in shaping us into the people you desire us to be. Lord, help us to embrace our challenges as opportunities for growth. and transformation. And may we understand that your thoughts and your ways are higher than ours. And in our moments of uncertainty, we can trust your divine plan. Fill our hearts with hope and courage as we reflect on your word today. Open our eyes to the lessons you wish to teach us through the storms that we face. In all of this, in Jesus' marvelous mighty name, amen. You know, the Lord has been trying to teach me and my wife some lessons that we'll never forget. My friends and my loved ones, they're all going through some of the most challenging times. My best friend has been going through double heart valve bypass. My other good friend is going through a Crohn's disease. Several people, friends and relatives, are going through various storms and trials. And the only thing that I'm praying for is that I will apply these things to my daily living. I've come to realize that it's one thing to learn lessons that God is teaching me, but it is another to put them into practice. And I want my Lord to put me through His school of life so that I can learn what He wants me to learn and apply them to my life and to be more like Him. As I study these scriptures, I discover that the Lord uses certain things that He wants to draw our attention to. The Lord uses struggles. He uses storms. He uses trials and certain subjects to illustrate certain things to every one of us. And I want to take these certain struggles and these certain subjects over the next few weeks of my series and see just what the Lord has to say. to every one of us. You see life is filled with struggles and each one of us carry lessons that are crucial for our spiritual growth. We often find ourselves questioning why? Why we must endure hardships and yet through scripture we learn that these struggles serve a purpose. And so we explore the wisdom that is found in Deuteronomy chapter 32 and Isaiah chapter 55 and we uncover the transformative lessons that God reveals in our challenge. We see the nature of struggles and we see just as the eagle stirs her nest, God often pushes us out of our comfort zones. And we need to reflect on our own life. What struggles have challenged you and I to grow? Not only the nature of struggles, but God's higher ways. Isaiah reminds us that God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, teaching us to trust His plan, even when we don't understand it. We need to consider a moment. when you felt lost and how did trusting God change your perspective? And so the nature of our struggles of Deuteronomy 32, God's ways are higher than our ways as Isaiah 55 says and then we see growth through adversity because our struggles refine us much like the potter shaping the clay, preparing us for greater purposes, we need to identify the recent struggle that's happening right now and what lesson did it teach us about faith and resilience. And so, when we look at the lessons in the struggles in our series, Truth Through Trials, we see a lot that he's trying to tell us about this, that he's trying to explain to every one of us, amen. But I'm glad that as we look at this, we're reminded of everyone's personal account of overcoming natural struggles, like those folks in North Carolina and Florida. The hurricanes are the blizzards that seem overwhelming, that relates to the trials and struggles of life, where strength and faith and unexpected blessings emerge from the difficulties. And so, here we go, when we look at the lessons in the struggles. The main lesson that I'm thinking about as I tell you my heart's message is, first of all, number one, the shelter in the struggles. In Deuteronomy chapter 32, verses 10 and 11, the Bible says, He found him in a desert land, in the waste howling wilderness, and he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. In verse 11 of Deuteronomy 32, And as an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings. You see, that eagle shelters its young under the winds. The wings are dear in danger. God is our refuge amid life's struggles. God's protection that we're not alone in the struggles of life. That He spreads His wings to protect us. As Psalms 91 verse 4 says, He shall cover thee with His feathers and under His wings shall thy trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. God told Israel. in Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 10, that they were the apple of his eye. And he reminded them of how that he had watched over them, not only guiding them, but also guarding them. And we as God's people are different. We're no different. God's concerned that we do not fall prey to the spiritual enemies that seek to destroy us. We're the objects of God's protective care. And many of you can remember times that when you thought you may have had a close call, it was God just watching over you and protecting you. Paul Harvey's old radio broadcast called The Rest of the Story. He was talking about a story called Excuses, Excuses. Mrs. Paul was the choir director for the Westside Baptist Church in Beatrice, Nebraska. Her daughter Marilyn is the church pianist and neither has ever been late for choir practice. To the contrary though, both are in the habit of arriving 15 minutes early. But it was a Wednesday evening, March the 1st, 1950 at 7 p.m. The choir practice began at 7.30 and Mrs. Paul calls to her daughter upstairs. They should be leaving now. It's almost time. No answer. Mrs. Paul returns to her last minute preparation. The minutes are ticking away and it's now 7.15 p.m. When she realizes her daughter is asleep, Mrs. Paul goes upstairs, awakes her daughter and there's time only to tidy up and start out. This will be the first time either Mrs. Powell or her daughter Marilyn have ever been late for choir practice. Their perfect attendance record was broken. But do you know what? There were 18 choir members in the Westside Baptist Church Choir and each and every one that same night also were late for practice. All 18 choir members have perfectly valid excuses and all are late. You've heard the excuse of Mrs. Paul, the choir director, her daughter in Maryland, the church pianist. They had fallen asleep after dinner and did not wake up in time. But the others had excuses too. LaDonna Vandegrift, a high school sophomore, was having trouble with her homework. And she and Mrs. Paul in Maryland always came early. But on March the 1st, 1950, she was detained by a particular baffling geometry problem. Rosanna Estes and her sister Sadie were ready to leave their house on time, but their car wouldn't start. So the two sisters called Miss Vandergriff and asked her to pick them up. Miss Vandergriff was working on her geometry, remember? and the Estes sisters had to wait. Ordinarily, Mrs. Schuster was 10 minutes early for choir practice. The night of March the 1st, 1950, she was detained at her mother's house, and the two were preparing for a late missionary meeting. Herb Kipp was at his own home. He too would have been early, but there was this important letter that he had to write. He had been putting it off for some time, and the time got away from him. Excuses, excuses. Joyce Black would probably not have been early, but she would have been on time, though. And it was just so cold out that evening, she wanted to stay in the house until the very last possible minute. She was late. Harvey Aul would have been on time, but his wife was out of town, and that left him in charge of the two sons. And a friend invited Harvey and the two boys out to dinner, and a pleasant conversation carried them away, and Harvey was late. Lucille Jones, Dorothy Wood, they were high school girls and they lived next door to each other. Lucille was listening to a half-hour radio program that began at 7 o'clock and she just had to hear how it ended. And Dorothy waited for her and the pastor, Brother Klempel. and his wife were always on time for choir practice. But not the evening of March the 1st, 1950, however. The pastor's wristwatch was always accurate, but it was five minutes slow. The remaining choir members had equally valid excuses for their tardiness. Excuses, excuses. Eighteen in all. Never before nor since had each and every choir member of the Westside Baptist Church been late for choir practice on the same evening, but that was Wednesday, March the 1st, 1950. Choir practice scheduled at 7.30 p.m. No one showed up until 7.30 p.m., and that is the rest of the story. Well, at 7.30 p.m. on March the 1st, 1950, there was a natural gas leak surfacing into the basement of the West Side Baptist Church, and it was ignited by the furnace, and the church blew up, and it was demolished. The old furnace of the West Side Baptist Church was directly below the choir loft, the empty, empty, I say empty, choir loft. And I'm thankful that were objects of his perpetual God is our refuge amid life's struggles. God's protection, hallelujah. God's provision even in the difficulty. God provides what we need, strengthen in our faith. Picture of Mother Eagle high in the mountains nurturing her young. And as they grow, she begins to stir up that nest, removing the soft feathers and padding. And at first, the eagles protest, clinging to the cozy home. But as they become increasingly uncomfortable, they're nudged to the edge of the nest. And it is in this moment of discomfort that they learn to spread their wings. And when they finally take flight, they realize the joy of soaring above the mountains and the sky, free from the confines of their nest. Deuteronomy 32 11 says as the eagle stirs up her nest it continues saying she fluttereth over her young." We've already drawn from the statement that the thought of the eagle brooding over her young, but the order of the verse suggests that there's something else implied in this statement. Think about what has been going on in that nest. It's not many days before the little eaglets realize that mother is not renovating. She's not remodeling the nest. There's no new furniture on the way. The mother has been acting strange. She really has started acting very strange now. And once she stripped the nest down to nothing but sticks and uncomfortable things, she gets this wild look in her eye and she begins to squawk and flutter her wings like a wild woman. Mother Eagle begins screaming, get out, get out of this nest, get out now. And like the kids, scurrying for the door. When the mother is after them with a broom, the little eaglets begin dodging mother's wings and heading for the edge of the nest. They now find themselves where they have never, ever been before and doing things that they've never, ever done before. The weeks that they had seen all of this, but inside the nest now they're looking out at a big, big open blue sky and a vast amount of territory that is underneath them. And since they've been gripping the sticks in the nest for several days, their talons have become stronger. They are able to balance themselves on the edge of the nest and they get more comfortable standing on the edge of that nest and they begin to take in the vast area before them. They not only find themselves where they have never been before, they're doing things they've never done before. And now they find themselves seeing things that they've never seen before. And as the days go by, they get more confident and fearless as they walk around the edge of the nest. There's something about the wide open sky that pulls at their heart. They see their mother and father soaring in the clouds, but for the time being, they're content to stay perched on the edge of the nest. What is the lesson God's trying to teach us about the mother eagle stirring up the nest and wanting to realize that there's no more to the Christian life than a nest life. We all are spiritual eagles in lessons in the struggle. And God's plan is for us to soar in the heavenlies to be partakers of the heavenly heights. When we got saved, there was a time that we were in the nest. Each day we learn, we experience God's power, His love, His care. I'm sure that you remember those first few weeks and months after you were saved, how you bask in the blessing of being saved and how wonderful it was to know that you were God's child. The more that you learned about the Lord, the more you were amazed at His love. And it was a time when God seemed to be real to you and so close to you and His presence was so real in your life. It was almost like that, that you had died and went to heaven. You began learning about the promises of God. You began to learn that you could trust in the Lord no matter what happened in your life. You learned about the fact that God's grace would be sufficient for every need in your life. You began to understand that you could stand on every word that God had given you. But there came a time when it seemed things began to change. God seemed to withdraw from you. You found your nest being stirred and you found God disturbing your place of comfort. God seemed to be a thousand miles away. And there were times when you even begin to question God's love and God's care for you. But we got to go back for just a moment to our example of the little eaglets. when we look at the lessons in the struggle because what those little eagles didn't realize was that when father quit bringing them food he was forcing them to learn how to hunt for food and what those little eagles didn't know was that when mother stripped the nest she was forcing them to stand strong and make their talons strong She was forcing them to use their talons as an eagle should do. And this confusing time, this disturbing time in their life was actually good for them. Because when she forced them out of the nest, they didn't realize at the moment That mother was getting them ready for better things than the nest. She was bringing them to a place where they had never been before, to do things they had never done before, to see things they had never seen before. These things were done with a goal of having bigger and better things. But behind all that she was doing was forcefully coaxing them out of the nest to get them ready to fulfill their purpose of life, to soar in the heavenlies. There are times when God stirs our nest, and we find our world turned upside down, and we find our comfort zones being shattered, facing discouraging, distressful times. Behind it all was God at work to mature us and to make us stronger. Behind it all was God working to let us be what we had never been before, to do what we had never done before, to go where we had never gone before, and to see what we had never seen before. Oh, I'm going to tell you, Ruth Bell Graham quoted a poem one time called, There Is A Reason. The poem goes like this. For every pain that we must bear, for every sorrow, every care, there is a reason. For every falsehood that is said, for every teardrop that is shed, there is a reason. For every grief, for every trial, for every weary, lonely mile, there is a reason. But if We trust him as we should. All will work out for our good. And I'm glad there's always a reason. And I'm glad that just as the eagle prepares her young for the skies, God stirs up our nest of comfort to prepare us for greater things. In our lives, struggles can feel like a push out of our comfort zone. But we've got to embrace the discomfort, knowing that God's teaching us to fly. to reflect on our own struggles and what's prompted us to grow and to look for the next thing. God is our refuge amid life's struggles. We see God's protection, God's provision, but also we see God's presence. The assurance that He's with us transforms us, fear into courage. And the final acts described by our texts are seen in the words of Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 11. Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, bare them, on her wings. I'm going to tell you, my point is that we're trying to make is, spreadeth abroad her wings. The young have been brought to the edge of the nest, but there is more than just living on the edge of the nest. Their nature is to fly, to soar in the heavens, and the heavens is their habitat. and the heights are to be their domain. They're not chickens, they're eagles. And one day Mother Eagle says to her young, I want you to do what I'm doing. and she spreads out her majestic wings, and the instinct of the young to do what mother shows them. They spread out their wings, and in effect, she shows them what their purpose in life is, helping them to realize that they've received in birth what enables them to do what they were created to do. Kimberly W. McDade said one time, sometimes God calms the struggles, sometimes he lets the struggles rage, and he calms his child, unquote. The little eaglets have learned how to spread their wings and they're getting close to learning how to fly. But there's one final action on the part of the mother and the father that will bring them to fulfill their purpose. Imagine once again that these little young eaglets perched on the edge of the nest. They're so proud of all that they've done, all that they've learned. I can imagine that they are on the perch of the edge of the nest saying, Mommy, Look at me, look at how wide my wings are. But then something happens that they're not expecting. Mother Eagle takes her wings and knocks them off the edge of the nest. Damn, damn, damn, that little eaglet falls. I can't help but feel that they're screaming and falling faster and faster, still picking up speed. But then, The instincts take over, and they begin to flap their wings, beating the air with all might. And they continue to fall, but they're not falling as fast as they was, but still, they're falling. But instead of getting closer to getting back to the nest, they're getting closer and closer to the ground. But now, they're asking God to forgive them for the way that they treated their brother that's promised God that they'll be able to do this and that. You know, many of us, as we get a few hundred feet from the ground, all the time, we've fallen. Mother's been hovering over, watching over us. God's been right there. When it seems like all's lost, when lightning speed, Mother has calculated the last possible moment to save that little eaglet. Swoops down under and catches them on their wings and bears them back up to the nest. There gonna be times when God will stir your nest, knock you out. and knows how far you can go before you can bear it. You may think that you're all by yourself, and the Lord's abandoned you, and you cry out for help, and it seems like he doesn't hear you, and it seems like he's ignoring you. But somewhere in the heavenlies, God's hovering over you, and he knows how close you are getting to that ground. and he sees you struggling, and he sees you fighting for life, but don't lose all hope yet. You'll find that he'll be there to bear you up on his wings and carry you back to safety. And he will always be there when you need him the most. Boy, I thank God. You'll get that first ride class on the wings, back up to the nest like the mother eagle does for the little eaglets, amen? And each and every time, whether we realize it or not, the wings just keep getting stronger and stronger until there's a time when one of those falls that we spread out our wings like we've been shown and the wind beneath our wings slow the fall slowly begin to lift up into the heavens until we realize that what mother has been saying and showing we found our purpose and I'm glad that when we find that purpose we see the shelter in the struggle, amen, through that. Not only do we see that God did not save us to live in the nest, he saved us to soar in the heavens. If you'll ever feel the wind beneath your wings, it'll lift you to those heavenly heights that will lift your voice to God to give him praise for stirring your nest. What we learn through struggles is that God gets us out of our comfort zone so that we can trust fully in Him. God wants to take us to a new height so that we can be where we've never been before, do what we've never done before, go where we've never gone before, and see what we've never seen before. And so We see the shelter in the struggles in Deuteronomy 32. But in Isaiah 55 verses 8 and 9, we see the purpose beneath the pain. The Bible says in Isaiah 55, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. God's thoughts and ways are much higher than ours. His purposes can unfold even in the struggles that we go through. Charles Spurgeon said one time, I've learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages. And in our trials, we often feel overwhelmed, yet those waves drive us closer to Christ. And I'm glad at that moment we push to seek God and we can rely on him for our strength and comfort because when we see The purpose beyond the pain, we see God's wisdom. His ways surpass human understanding. He sees the end from the beginning, and as moments that push you to seek God, to rely on Him for strength and comfort. We see, secondly, not only God's wisdom, but our growth. The trials refine us, growths us spiritually, and teaches us reliance and resilience. The clay and the powder, a vision, a powder. in a sunlight studio, working diligently with a lump of clay. As the potter shapes that clay, he applies pressure, molding it with care. The clay may feel like a strain, and we wonder why the discomfort. But yet, with each turn of the wheel, the potter envisions a beautiful vase, destined to hold flowers and to bring joy. And after a trial of fire, the clay transformed into a vessel of beauty, a testament of the potter's skill. Just as the potter shapes that clay through pressure and heat, God is shaping us through our struggles. And I'm glad that we can realize and trust God is crafting something beautiful within each and every one of us as the moments that push you to seek God, to rely on Him for strength and comfort. We see God's wisdom, our strength, but also we see God's purpose. God may use struggles to shift us, strengthen us, or to draw us closer to Him. Charles Spurgeon said another time, we must trust in the Lord, not because we understand, but because He understands. And so, we see the lessons in the struggles, amen. That here we see as we look at our life today, that it's not only that when we look at the lessons in the struggles, the shelter in the struggle of Deuteronomy chapter 32, the purpose beyond the pain in Isaiah 55, but lastly, we see the promise in the rain. of Isaiah 55 verses 10 and 11. The Bible says, for as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the soul, bread to the eater. In verse 11, so shall my words be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it. Just as the rain and the snow water the earth, God's word fulfills its purpose, nourishes us, brings life, even in the seasons of hardships. C.S. Lewis said one time, hardships often prepare ordinary people for extraordinary destiny. Well, I'm glad we got to trust in God's timing and purpose because we see God's promises are faithful. His Word will not return void. We can depend on His promises through every trial. We trust in God's timing and purpose, but we trust in God's timing and purpose because God's plan for restoration is for all of us. Struggles can prepare the soil of our hearts for growth and blessing. I remember, imagine a young oak tree standing tall, proud in the middle of a forest. And one day a fierce storm rose in with the winds howling and the rain lashing against it. And that young oak tree bends and sways. It branches straining under the pressure, but it doesn't break. Instead, with each storm, its roots dig deeper into the earth, anchoring it more firmly. And after the storm passes, that oak stands even stronger than it ever had before, resilient and majestic, a testament to the storm that has been weathered. You see, in our lives, struggles can be like storms that test our strength. Think of a time when you faced a difficult situation. How did you feel during that storm? How did it challenge you? Just as that oak grows stronger, so can we through our challenges. We learn and lean into those moments of struggles, knowing that they're making us stronger and resilient. We've got to trust in God's time and in purpose, because God's promises are faithful. God's plan for restoration, but the assurance of fruit, because just as the rain brings forth God's word, will bring forth growth and purpose in due season. Amen. And so, I'm glad each and every one of us, as we look at Ruth Graham, said one time, though God's ways are above our own, his word remains true and unwavering through every struggles. And so we find purpose in pain. Every one of us as we encourage the congregation to view the struggles as opportunities for growth and share our testimonies from individuals in the community and encourage those stories in our small groups as well. I'm glad that each and every one of us As we get ready to close out, life's struggles challenge us. Each one carries divine lessons of trust and purpose and promise. God, our refuge, has a purpose beyond the pain, promises us growth even when the rain seems endless. And like the eagle that shelters its young, God's love surrounds us. Like rain that brings life, his word that nourishes our spirits, we find shelter, purpose, and hope in every trial, knowing that he holds us firmly through it all. And as we conclude, Remember that our struggles are not pointless. They're lessons from a loving, heavenly Father that we all know that cares for us. Just as the eagle teaches her young to soar, the oak stands strong against the storms. We're being equipped for our journey to embrace the lessons in our struggles that are shaping us into the person God has created each and every one of us to be. And so, Lord, We asked as we close out. Help us to face the struggles, to remind us of your shelter and purpose and promise, and may our faith grow stronger through the trials. May we cling to your unchanging word, equip us to endure with hope, knowing your love guides us, your wisdom holds us, strengthen us for the journey ahead, teach us to trust in you. Even in the fiercest struggles, we ask all of this, Lord, that even though you're always present and your ways are far above our understanding, Gracious Father, may we carry the lessons learned in our daily lives, trusting that your thoughts and ways will guide us in every season. As we take and face these challenges ahead, remind us that we're never alone, that you're with us, bearing us on your wings. In Jesus's marvelous mighty name, amen. so