Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Nov 16, 2006 13:42:21 GMT -5
What is God Teaching Us in Times of Trouble?
By Martha Matthews
Have you ever asked yourself this question, "Why has God allowed this to happen to me?" Some people might think that God is punishing them. Some might think that God doesn't care, which leaves them feeling hopeless and confused. Many people feel that it is unfair of God to allow them to go through such things and they respond by hardening their hearts, shutting down their feelings and "gutting" things out.
We, here in America, compared to most of the world, have a pretty comfortable life, so when trials come our way we are surprised. Why are we surprised? Jesus warned us that we would have times of trouble. In John 16:33 Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Trials and tribulations will come; that's a fact. What makes things different then, for the Christian? We have the privilege of see things from a different perspective. We no longer look at life's difficulties from a worldly point of view. We see that there is a greater purpose in every hardship that God allows to happen.
If everything always went well, not many of us would see our need for a relationship with God. It is through trials that we see our need for God and our faith grows as we draw closer to him. I think Paul understood this truth when he shared with the Corinthian Church about the hardships he and his companions had endured in Asia. If anyone had reason to complain this brother did and yet his heart was so different. He saw the purpose in hardships.
"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1: 8-10).
Isn't that incredible! Paul really understood the "big picture." God wants us to rely on him and not on ourselves. When God looks at our situation, he doesn't see insurmountable obstacles. He sees an opportunity to work in our lives and build our faith. It is an opportunity for us to experience God's power, his love, his faithfulness and his comfort.
If we put our trust fully in God during hard times then we will become mature in our faith. James 1:1-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
It may seem strange to think that we can find joy through our struggles, but it is possible, when we let our problems bring us closer to God. It's upside-down thinking from what we have learned in the world. Change the way you look at your struggles. See things from God's vantage point. It's a higher way of thinking. Max Lucado put it very succinctly when he said, "God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them."
About the author
Martha Matthews is the Executive Director of Christian-Homemaking.com. She helps Christian homemakers organize and manage their home. She also has a popular free monthly newsletter. To subscribe visit www.christian-homemaking.com
© 2002 Christian-Homemaking.com
All rights reserved.
By Martha Matthews
Have you ever asked yourself this question, "Why has God allowed this to happen to me?" Some people might think that God is punishing them. Some might think that God doesn't care, which leaves them feeling hopeless and confused. Many people feel that it is unfair of God to allow them to go through such things and they respond by hardening their hearts, shutting down their feelings and "gutting" things out.
We, here in America, compared to most of the world, have a pretty comfortable life, so when trials come our way we are surprised. Why are we surprised? Jesus warned us that we would have times of trouble. In John 16:33 Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Trials and tribulations will come; that's a fact. What makes things different then, for the Christian? We have the privilege of see things from a different perspective. We no longer look at life's difficulties from a worldly point of view. We see that there is a greater purpose in every hardship that God allows to happen.
If everything always went well, not many of us would see our need for a relationship with God. It is through trials that we see our need for God and our faith grows as we draw closer to him. I think Paul understood this truth when he shared with the Corinthian Church about the hardships he and his companions had endured in Asia. If anyone had reason to complain this brother did and yet his heart was so different. He saw the purpose in hardships.
"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1: 8-10).
Isn't that incredible! Paul really understood the "big picture." God wants us to rely on him and not on ourselves. When God looks at our situation, he doesn't see insurmountable obstacles. He sees an opportunity to work in our lives and build our faith. It is an opportunity for us to experience God's power, his love, his faithfulness and his comfort.
If we put our trust fully in God during hard times then we will become mature in our faith. James 1:1-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
It may seem strange to think that we can find joy through our struggles, but it is possible, when we let our problems bring us closer to God. It's upside-down thinking from what we have learned in the world. Change the way you look at your struggles. See things from God's vantage point. It's a higher way of thinking. Max Lucado put it very succinctly when he said, "God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them."
About the author
Martha Matthews is the Executive Director of Christian-Homemaking.com. She helps Christian homemakers organize and manage their home. She also has a popular free monthly newsletter. To subscribe visit www.christian-homemaking.com
© 2002 Christian-Homemaking.com
All rights reserved.