08/02/2023
Are you experiencing hardship in your life right now? Is there a problem at work, a health issue, the loss of a loved one? There are so many troubles that plague us in life, and being a Christian doesn't exempt us from them... but it does help us through them. Our God is not bound to this world, and Jesus, our savior, tells us that He too has overcome it. Answered prayer, like the way we worship, comes in spirit and truth. Are you looking far enough into your faith to find it?
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."”
John 16:33 ESV
A few years ago I was faced with cancer. When I received the news it was definitely bad, but it didn't devastate me because my faith gave me hope. I had a God to turn to who I trusted would see me through this rough spot. When a friend commented about the strength of my faith in the face of such news I told him that my God intended to heal me, and that I was going through this so that I could be a witness to others and provide them with the same comfort that I was receiving. Little did I know that the first person I would do that for would be my own son. Less than a year later he had the same cancer, and since then there have been others. My struggle with cancer put me in a unique position from which I was able to minister to them. As for me, my life has changed, and my faith abounds. I love this quote by Oswald Chambers...
"God does not give us overcoming life: He gives us life as we overcome. The strain is the strength. If there is no strain, there is no strength. Are you asking God to give you life and liberty and joy? He cannot, unless you will accept the strain. Immediately you face the strain, you will get the strength." - Oswald Chambers
In the midst of our many hardships comes new strength. Scripture tells us that by seeking God in our tribulation, we find a strength of faith and character that is peculiar to the struggle.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
James 1:2-4 ESV
I took a health class way back in high school and one of the things I was taught is how our muscles gain in size and strength when lifting weights. As it turns out, the muscle develops many microscopic tears when we lift heavy weight, and then it heals over the next week. As this process is repeated, over and over again, the muscle enlarges and gains in its ability to lift heavier weights. This also accounts for the soreness we feel after exercising, but in the process of tearing and healing comes new strength and this is a model for viewing our life's struggles.
In life we have trouble, and as we exercise our faith to overcome it, we gain in spiritual strength and our faith increases. This is a rather close parallel that helps us understand why God expects us to do a spiritual workout every now and then. The strain of life has beneficial attributes. However, don't confuse the source of the trouble as being from God.
“Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”
James 1:13-14 ESV
Some problems we face in life are just that... they are natural occurrences in life; but there are others we bring upon ourselves... these are the products of our own desires. Regardless of which type we are experiencing, God will lead us through them if we place our faith and trust in Him, and if we listen to His voice in the midst of our trials.
If God tells me to plant a crop again after a killing frost, but asks me to plant corn instead of soybeans, then I should listen. If God tells me to stop smoking, then I should listen, and if God tells me to forgive and love my enemy then I should do that too. We should be steadfast in our faith, and obedient to His will. This is the foundation on which we build an understanding of answered prayer.
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12 ESV
On the surface trials appear to be nothing but pain, suffering, and worry, but don't be deceived. Inside each tribulation there is an opportunity... one that God desires to expose as a blessing. This is His promise to us, and this is the difference that being a Christian man or woman of faith, brings. The faithful experience life’s trouble just like the rest of humanity, but the way in which we face it, and overcome it, is the difference... we never face it alone. God takes our oyster and shows us a pearl inside it. The oyster we are presented is just like everyone else's, but the pearl inside sets it apart, and that is our blessing.
As for my cancer… I still go to the hospital regularly to get checked for it. The chances of it returning are relatively small, but greater than for the average person who has never experienced it. Each time I make that long drive to the clinic, I don't travel alone, and when the results of my tests come back I am not receiving them alone. Whether I celebrate or face yet another trial, I know I will not be doing this alone either. My God surrounds me, for He is great, and Jesus abides in me while reminding me to pray in His name as He encourages me. I am never alone and the Holy Spirit, my comforter, accompanies me equally in times of hardship and joy.
“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
John 14:13-14 ESV
Yes, we will experience tribulations in our lives, but they are not being heaped upon us by God, and He will lead us through them. He will not ignore our sin in the process, and we will need to confess, and ask for forgiveness. If we do this our prayers will not fall on deaf ears, and He will bless us in the storm; He see us safely to the distant shore.
“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"”
Mark 4:37-41 ESV
If we are experiencing trouble today... we should awaken Jesus and tell Him of our fears and what we are going through. Then, as we pray in His name, we should ask Him to intercede, and ask for God to deliver us. Our Lord is faithful and will either still the raging sea we find ourselves in, or increase the size of our boat to accommodate it. You see; it isn't about the sea, or the trouble in our lives at all... it is about how we face our troubles and the faith that comes from believing in our captain, our savior. Whether the answer to our prayers is realized in life, or death, we have victory in Jesus, and we will rise up. God’s will for us is perfect always… in life, death, and in resurrection.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your presence in my life and the comfort you provide in times of tribulation. I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who tells me to ask in His Name and that He will provide. This world is full of trouble Lord, but you are greater than all of it, and Jesus tells us that He is greater than he who is in the world. No suffering released upon us by Satan is beyond your ability to overcome, and in you Heavenly Father I place my trust always. Bless me Father in the midst of my trials and sorrow; give me your comfort and let me feel your peace as I pray my way through the greatest of my hardships. Your hand is upon me always... what am I to fear? You guide my steps... where am I ever lost? My answer in you is that I should never fear and that I am never lost. I praise your name and cling to you with every ounce of strength I can muster. I know that at the moment when my fingers grow too weak to hold on that you will renew me, and that in you I cannot fail... you are my deliverer, and my safe harbor.
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
1 John 4:4 ESV
Rich Forbes