A few weeks ago a visiting speaker came to our church. Before she started speaking, she said that the Holy Spirit had highlighted a certain gentleman in the second row, three seats along … It was me. She brought a very encouraging word, with enough detail about myself (she had never seen me before) to confirm its accuracy, but the thrust of it was that ‘a door would be opening to me that would draw me closer to Him.’

Don’t we love it when someone brings an encouraging prophesy, underlined by another gift of the Spirit, the word of Knowledge, that speaks into our spiritual life and affirms us in our walk with God? I did not know what door she was referring to, but open doors often speak of opportunities. More time with Him and therefore less time at work? Ministry opportunities? I didn’t know and didn’t try and guess, but I certainly left church feeling good and played the recording of her word to me a few times over.

A couple of weeks after that we were praying for each other at School of Prophesy. One of the guys said that he could see our business going down a waterfall. There would be churning in the pool at the bottom; we would come out afterwards, but the watercourse would be different. That too was accurate: two days later our expected sales for this time of year plummeted, and there is definitely churning going on as I write. I have had to hold on  to the Lord as the water takes us on its course.

Then a few days ago the penny dropped: this was that. The open door that would draw me closer to Jesus is the waterfall that is rocking our business. When God speaks to us of blessing – and to be drawn closer to Him has to be a promise of blessing, because “at His right hand are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11) – our flesh tends to interpret that, in some way, in terms of advancement and comfort. (Well, mine does anyway…) But God has a different angle:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1: 2-4)

When the Holy Spirit spoke to me of that door that was going to open, did it ever occur to me that it was going to be an opportunity for my faith to be tested in order to produce perseverance? I think not. Did I imagine a trial, or a mountain top experience? Certainly the latter.  But God’s ways are not our ways. How different are the values of His Kingdom to those things our soulish minds hold dear. We value our comfort and advancement, our security and the approval of our peers; God values that we “act justly, … love faithfulness, and … walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) The Narrow Way has a totally different trajectory to the way of the world. God’s priority for us is that we walk with Him, and that we “Seek first the Kingdom of God.” And it is only by faith that we can take any steps with Him at all, so if trials are the best way to strengthen our faith and bring us into that place of blessing which is increased closeness to Him, there is a good chance that trials are what we are going to get.

My business is a tiny little pool: the world itself is going through a state of churning, and none of us know what the watercourse will look like when it comes out the other side. But one thing is true: we all need to let Jesus draw us closer to Him, because there is no other place that is more secure. One of the worship songs that came out of the charismatic movements starts “This is my desire, to worship you…” We love to lift our hearts and voices, and probably our hands, and tell the Lord how much we want to come close to Him. The Son shares our desire, and expresses it to the Father just before going to the cross: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John17:24) We lift our voices to draw near to God; Jesus lifted His body onto the cross to have us close to Him. His Spirit in us will always be working towards that goal, because that is His desire. This was the joy set before Him.

Probably the best-known “resurrection psalm” is Psalm 16, where, by the Spirit,  Jesus expresses that joy through the words of David:

I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16: 8-11)

Jesus faced the greatest trial of all for the joy of seeing our faith bring us into the glory of unity with Him and the Father for ever. So when we are facing trials, let’s remember to “consider it pure joy” as Jesus did: our faith is being tested, to enable us to persevere in the things that really matter.