Tag Archives: Faith

Dealing with Adversity

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“we rejoice in our sufferings…”
Romans 5:3 (ESV)

“Into each life a little rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary” (Longfellow).  I think we can all understand and agree with Longfellow.  Each of us has known those dark and dreary days; some of us may be facing them even now.  Adversity, persecution, trial and hardship – these are experiences common to everyone, in one way or another.  How we respond, however, defines our character.

Jesus warned his followers that “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20 ESV).  Facing adversity for your faith, being persecuted for your beliefs, dealing with hardship because of your decision to live in righteousness and peace; all of this is to be expected for those who follow Jesus.  If you are truly living for Christ, you will face persecution.

There are those who, when faced with adversity, react poorly.  In anger they may lash out at those who stand in their way, or in defeat they may resign and run from their problems.  “Fight or Flight” are the two recognized biological responses of all animals facing acute stress. 

There is a third response; it is not biological, it is spiritual.  Romans 5:3-5 tells us to rejoice in our sufferings, “knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

This third way, the way of rejoicing in the midst of suffering, is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  It is not natural to us.  But when God is with us, we will face difficulty with:

  • Faithfulness – Consider Job.  He lost everything, his farm, his house, his family – only his wife was left, and she told him to just curse God and die.  Job’s response, however, was one of absolute faithfulness, “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21 ESV).  The overarching message of Revelation is that in the midst of the calamity, persecution, and general mayhem of the last days, God is still on His throne, and He has a plan of salvation for His people.  In spite of your trials, because of your trials, trust in the Lord.
  • Humility – Every time we face hardship, or we are persecuted by others, it is important for us to humble ourselves before the Lord.  Sometimes the adversity we face may be God’s way of disciplining us, weaning us from sin, teaching us to lean solely on Him.  Ask yourself, “How have I been wrong?  How have I contributed to this problem?  Am I guilty of doing to others the thing that is causing me suffering?”  You may be completely justified, you may be suffering unfairly, but each us of may learn, through humility and a teachable spirit, how to grow and mature through the struggles we face.
  • Grace – How much better would the world be if we treated one another, especially in times of great crisis and stress, with the same grace that God has given to us?  Jesus said in Matthew 10, “Freely you have received, freely give.”  In Jesus we have received the free gift of grace, the salvation from our sins, as God overlooked our sins and transgression to bring us forgiveness.  As He has forgiven and welcomed us, so we are to forgive and welcome one another.  Grace under fire offers forgiveness and seeks forgiveness.
  • Love  – One of the greatest questions we can ask in the midst of our suffering is, “How can I, even in the midst of adversity and trial, show the love of God to those around me?”  In the course of our struggles we come to know how God’s love has been poured into our hearts, until we come to the point of overflowing, so that God’s love spills out into the lives of others.  As we respond to adversity with love, we can encourage and equip those around us to do the same.

Friends, suffering is not easy, nor is it enjoyable; but neither is it without purpose.  Whatever you may be facing today, may God’s Spirit equip you to face the day with Faithfulness, Humility, Grace, and Love, and may your trials bring you closer to the Lord.

SDG

Believing in Miracles

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So here I am, preparing for my sermon on Sunday.  I’m preaching on Matthew 14:22-33, the story of Jesus walking on the water.  What a powerful story demonstrating Jesus’ power as the King of all Creation, His compassion for the disciples who were fighting all night against the sea, and His challenge for His disciples to put their faith in Him.  I’m struggling with this text, not with knowing what to say, but with limiting myself to the 20 minutes I’ll have to say it.

Still, I get a little frustrated as I study passages such as these by the writers and “academics” who work very hard to dismiss the miracles of Jesus.  I read a couple of options today: 1) That this even actually took place after the resurrection, so this was the resurrected body of Christ that was out on the water, 2) That the disciples were actually closer to the shore than they realized, and that Jesus was actually walking beside the sea and not on the water, and 3) This never actually happened, but was attributed to Christ by his disciples after the fact as another way of justifying their faith in him.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I am not an anti-intellectual when it comes to my faith.  I believe that in Christ, God redeemed the whole person, heart and head.  I am called to love the Lord my God with all my heart, mind, body, and soul.  I know that faith means trusting in the promises of God; but it also means a continual pursuit to know God better.

Still, is it necessary for the “intellectual” to completely dismiss the miraculous?  Why must these be regarded as “mythology” rather than faithfully received as another witness to the authority and identity of Jesus as Messiah (John 5:36)?  It was the pharisees who witnessed the miracles and wonders of Jesus and were so blinded by their learning that they could never see who He truly was. 

Maybe I have been too influenced by Science Fiction/Fantasy; maybe I read too many comics as a kid, but I have no problem balancing an intelligent understanding of the world around me and a wholehearted acceptance of the miracles of God.  As I continue to learn and know more about the truth of God, and how He has been revealed in His Son Jesus Christ, I hope I never lose the childlike wonder of His amazing presence.

If we dismiss the miracles of Jesus, then we must dismiss the Christian life altogether.  The greatest miracle of this story wasn’t our Savior walking on the water or calming of the storm.  The real miracle was Peter’s walk with Christ.  And that is a miracle that happens every day.  To really walk with Christ in holiness and love is a miracle that happens every day.  If we can’t believe in the miracles of the Bible, then it is impossible for us to believe that Jesus could bring peace and life to our dead and broken lives that we may walk with Him.

I believe in miracles, regardless of what the commentaries say.  Not because I casually suspend the laws of nature when it comes to my faith, but because by faith I know the One who wrote the laws of nature.  I’ll trust in Him, and in His powerful hand to protect and to save me!

Sola Dei Gloria