We encounter trouble. Bad days, month, years. We encounter events that we can’t control. We encounter circumstances under which even when we choose and decide with the best of wisdom, the results are less than we might desire. You may be going through something right now that bends you over, making you need the support of friends and God. We all encounter trouble.
So being faced with trouble is itself not proof of anything. It doesn’t tell us that we are in God’s favor, nor under his judgment. Our response, however, says volumes. Recognizing that our circumstances are used by God to shape us and help us to live out God’s will in our lives, we can respond with joy and satisfaction:
We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 6:3-62 Corinthians 6:3-6
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
3 We don't want anyone to find fault with our work, and so we try hard not to cause problems. 4 But in everything and in every way we show that we truly are God's servants. We have always been patient, though we have had a lot of trouble, suffering, and hard times. 5 . We have been beaten, put in jail, and hurt in riots. We have worked hard and have gone without sleep or food. 6 But we have kept ourselves pure and have been understanding, patient, and kind. The Holy Spirit has been with us, and our love has been real.
WP-Bible plugin, NLT
Paul could have wallowed in self pity, considering all the obstacles as a sign he was outside of God’s will. Rather, he recognized that he was dependent on God, and that God was not unseated from his throne by the world’s ill will. It became an opportunity to patiently endure, becoming more like Christ, and propelling the gospel forward.
Our entire being is dependent on God. Our circumstances are part of God’s work in our lives. Our genes and our upbringing come together, beyond our control, but not beyond God’s. He has uniquely designed us to bring himself pleasure and to fulfill is purpose. God can and does work in the details of our life, with the Spirit guiding us and making us aware of his will. We are dependent on the work of the Spirit so that we can respond!
How do you respond to trouble? When the crisis comes – sickness, death, pain – it can seem overwhelming. But God is ready to respond with his presence if we will patiently endure and allow him to work. We can’t escape from our dependence on him. We can hide, we can shout at the heavens, but we don’t stop God from being God in our lives.
And to be honest, this fact is not always comforting. When we are hurting, God can seem distant and uncaring. He can seem unresponsive – silent. This is the way our nature, broken and misshapen by sin, sees God’s action sometimes. But God still intends us to find comfort in our dependence on him. It is in our dependence that we prove ourselves – by our purity, our patience, our kindness, our love and his Spirit at work in our lives.
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