Everyone that is alive has faced struggles; some are physical while others are emotional or financial or relational. That is part of living in a fallen world and it is also in part to the spiritual enemies we face.
I think we would all like a lot less hardship and more ease but frankly, that’s unrealistic.
Before you stop reading and think that this morning’s words are too depressing to read, read this.
“We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed…16 That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17 We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. 18 So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.” II Corinthians 4:8-18 ERV
These words were written by the Apostle Paul. Other than Christ, I don’t think there was anyone in the Bible who experienced more hardship than him. He was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead. He was maligned in nearly every town he preached in. And he calls all of that “small troubles”.
How can that be? His answer: God does not leave us, we look at the eternal, ever present Spirit of God who will never leave us our abandon us.
“But the Lord said, ‘My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.‘ So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. 10 Yes, I am glad to have weaknesses if they are for Christ. I am glad to be insulted and have hard times. I am glad when I am persecuted and have problems, because it is when I am weak that I am really strong.” II Corinthians 12:9-11 ERV
When Daniel faced the lions, his strength was no match for theirs. David faced a Goliath of a giant, he was outmatched. The Hebrew children should have been toast in the fiery furnace. Joseph, who was accused of rape and spent years in an Egyptian prison, rose to be second in command.
Not one of them was abandoned or deserted by God. They were aware of the unseen power of God and they trusted Him.
“The Lord can be trusted in all that he says. He is loyal in all that he does. 14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen. He helps those who are in trouble.” Psalm 145:13-14 ERV
So, when we face hardship, and we will, we can trust God to give us the strength we need. He will be our deliverer.
