WE MUST THROUGH MANY TRIBULATIONS...
What is tribulation, but that very influence that brings us nearer to the heart of God than prayers or hymns?
I think sorrows usually bring us closer to God than joys do, but sorrow, to be of use, must be endured, as Christ’s were, victoriously, carrying with them intimations and sacred prophecies to the heart of hope. This is not only so we will not be overcome by them, but also so we will be strengthened and ennobled and enlarged by them. When God comes to you wrapped and wreathed in clouds and in storms, why should we not recognize Him, and say, "I know you, God; and I will not flee from you; though you slay me, I will trust thee"? If a man could see God in his troubles and take sorrow to be the sweet, discipline of a bitter medicine that brings health, though the taste of medicine is not agreeable—if one could so look upon his God, how sorrows would make him strong!
We grow in our understanding through difficulties, as God opens to us that which we could not have understood with any other background or in any other set of circumstances. Our assurance as children of the living God is that He is able to bring beauty from ashes and to give the "oil of joy" for the Spirit of mourning (Isaiah 61:3), and in addition, He refines, purifies, proves and causes to grow in us something very precious and lasting in our attitudes toward Him and in our actions to other human beings. As He removed the hedge protecting Job (or anyone of us...) He is also able to give us the grace to come through the onslaught that follows. However, there is much more than just "coming through", still hanging on to our trust and love of God.
In the midst of trials how often we say, "if only I knew what to do"; or we may say, "I don’t know which way to turn". God has promised to give us His wisdom, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Not only are we to ask God for wisdom, but we are to ask in faith. Someone has said, "Doubt is a non-conductor of grace", we are not to be double-minded, wanting partly our way and partly God’s way. As we ask God and ask in faith, God has promised to give liberally. We are to ask for wisdom to face severely the trials of today, unwaveringly trusting in Him. We are to ask for wisdom to meet each trial of life and to face it triumphantly. This topic will be covered in later chapters.
When I am Weak Then I am Strong
I remember reading 2 Timothy 4:5 one day, in which I believe the Lord used this text to speak to me directly, it said, "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry", this verse brought about true conviction in my heart. These are the very same words that keep me going each day of my life as a Christian and as a servant of God. Times are hard and trials will keep on coming, but the Lord, with His wonderful grace is sufficient to help us go on.
I can truly say that through all the strong winds and through the hard pounding storms; He has been with me by my side each moment of my ministry. We sometimes come to a point when we feel very weak spiritually and have no strength to go on in life, so we just decide to give up and not go on fighting. Many times I have felt this way and it’s been hard to recover. But through our weakness is when the Lord glorifies Himself in our lives as long as we wait in Him patiently.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10, we read about Paul, his sufferings and weakness. What fascinates me the most is what he wrote in these two verses "And He (the Lord) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecution, in distress, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." How beautiful it is to read this from a man of God who through all the sufferings and persecutions, he still remained faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. God is an awesome God; there is no other that can be able to accomplish all that He has in our lives. Even in our own weakness’ He is faithful enough to make us strong so that we can stand up and continue fighting our way into His kingdom.
Is Life Worth Living?
Our suffering may not be the deserved punishment for sin, but a testing of our faith. God allows us to face situations where our faith in Him is challenged and can be strengthened. Looking back on such experiences, we praise God for them and use them as a personal testimony to encourage others and to help them in there time of need. Our ultimate source of help in times of trouble and distress is God. When we feel as if God abandoned us, we should still appeal to Him. He has helped in the past and will do so again. He’s the same God yesterday who justified you, today who sanctifies you and tomorrow who will glorify you.
We may feel at times totally rejected and think God has rejected us, but we can take these honest feelings to Him and know He hears us. Life may be a constant suffering and sorrow, but God is as near as our next whisper. All we have to do is call out His name and He will respond. Those who rely on God need not to fear, because in all suffering and trouble we can turn to God, experience His presence, and feel the spiritual security that He gives. Our problems never outnumber God’s resources.
Help lies ahead for the suffering, lonely, imprisoned, and troubled Christian. God can and does reveal His goodness in all of life’s circumstances when His people cry for help. We should learn from others’ experiences, join them in praising God for His deliverance, and call on God for help in our troubles. Lonely isolation separated from all who care and love us may be the hardest type of suffering to endure. We need to lift our cry to God and experience His caring love. He often acts by establishing for us a righteous community who cares.
Ultimately the good and bad experiences of life come from God. We need to learn to enjoy the good times in happiness, but not expect all days to be good. We must enjoy today and be prepared to accept and deal with what comes tomorrow. It would be unrealistic and naive to expect a life without some pain, sorrow, or trouble. Even our Lord Jesus said that we would suffer in this world. The human mind cannot totally comprehend the meaning of life, nor can we judge things or events as good or evil because we cannot see their total results. We cannot claim life has meaning, nor can we declare it meaningless. Only God can answer such ultimate questions. Still, we use the intellectual capacities God has given us to struggle with and seek answers to life’s complex questions. We must trust Him to let us see the answers we need.
Life involves some uncertainties and risks that we have to take and go through. No one understands God’s work in the world completely. Hard work does not guarantee success. The beginning point is to do our assigned work with hope for some success and to share with others in humility, knowing some day we may need help. We should rejoice while we can in life. Each of us eventually reaches the point of physical, spiritual and mental decline but we should not let these things dominate our lives. We should take every opportunity God gives us to enjoy life without expecting complete success and understanding. Life must be lived in faith in God, not in expectation of being able to control our destiny, whether we suffer or not.
Suffering may even make Christians to question why they were born. Suffering can cause life to lose its sense of meaning, and our obedience to God seems vain and stupid. We may even ask God if He has tricked us. We ask ourselves if life is actually worth living. God’s answer may be more shocking than our question. Suffering, no matter how severe, must not cause us to adapt to the world’s attitudes, instead lead us to trust in God.
God’s promise to save His people remains true even as we walk through the darkest night. Obeying God may bring suffering under human persecution and ridicule, but God’s call to obedience is not silenced. We must maintain confidence in His eventual victory in and through us. We must leave the timing and action to Him.
Blessed for all the Sufferings
Many Christians do not realize this, but we are blessed when we suffer and go through some hard times in our lives. Just as Matthew wrote in his gospel, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" 5:11, 12. Not only are we blessed, but ours is the kingdom of God. No matter what problem comes in your way or what the devil says to you, yours is the kingdom. Through tribulations, hardships or weakness’ you will see the kingdom of God, if you endure and persevere in the faith.
In the book of Acts we can see that the disciples in the midst of persecution and suffering rejoiced in the Lord always. To them, to suffer in Christ was a privilege and a blessing. This is something that many of us do not understand, but with God’s help some day we will.
In Acts 14:22 it says, “Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
Paul and Barnabas returned to visit the believers in all the cities where they had recently been threatened and physically attacked. These men knew the dangers they faced, yet they believed that they had a responsibility to encourage the new believers. Same issue with Christian of our time, no matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable the task may seem, we must always support new believers who need our help and encouragement. It was not convenient or comfortable for Jesus to go to the cross for us!
The word Tribulation comes from the Greek word Thlipsis which literally means: Affliction; it is also defined as meaning, trouble, suffering, agitation, disturbance, distress, or pressured.
Let’s take the example of Stephen during his final time in the ministry and how he rejoiced in his final suffering. Like the Bible says, Stephen’s fame spread through out Israel and the near by lands, as well as in the many synagogues. The Jewish leaders in those days were against any preaching about the gospel of Jesus and many times they persecuted the Christians for this. These Jewish leaders did not accept what Stephen was preaching and they stoned him to death. These Jewish leaders were furious at Stephen and gnashed their teeth at him, but Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, during the time that he was being stoned to death, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and when Stephen saw this he said to them "Look", I see the heavens open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God". When the Jewish leaders heard this they covered their ears and yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at Stephen, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him until he was dead. While these people were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". Then Stephen fell to his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them". When he had said this, he fell asleep (died) Acts 7:54-60. What an amazing event! Every time I read about Stephen’s victorious fight for the gospel it just brings about true conviction in my heart to go on. I myself cry out with tears unto my God, to fill me each day with that same presence that Stephen had.
One thing I’d like for you to know is that they did not stone Stephen with little pebbles, they literally took big stones and through them at him with anger, thinking that they were doing something right before the eyes of God. Stephen responded to persecution by looking up towards God and forgiving his enemies. He responded to suffering by praying to the Lord. Many early Christians of Stephen’s time were willing to die for their faith. To be a martyr means to literally be a witness for the gospel of Jesus. Stephen in that final suffering point of his life was able to maintain himself faithful to God. He prayed to God and the Lord responded by opening the doors to His kingdom and letting him in. Stephen in his final tribulation entered the kingdom of God. He received the greatest blessing out of suffering: Eternal peace!
Persecution marked the earliest history of the church as the book of Acts repeatedly shows. Jesus had prepared the disciples for this (Mt. 5:10-12, 38-48; Jn. 15:18-27; 16:1-33). Such persecution pleases God’s enemies and may serve selfish, political purposes, but persecution will not defeat the prayers and faith of God’s people. It may provide God the opportunity to test and strengthen His people as we endure persecution. No matter the cost, we must through many tribulations go on living by the Word of God, enduring and persevering until we enter the kingdom of God.
When you are able to endure and bear the sufferings, you get the blessings. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is a man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
When the suffering is finished and the lesson has been learned, then God’s approval comes. God’s blessing for the believer who endures his or her suffering is the crown of life, the blessing of kingly glory and recognition. This blessing involves a change in your circumstances. You move into the realm of spiritual victory, (Rev. 2:10.)
How long will your sufferings last? Only God knows. But I do know one thing: Once you have overcome, you will see a blessing greater than anything you could have thought of. But as long as you’re refusing to pass the test, God is going to keep you in the classroom; God will do whatever it takes to make you holy.
God wants you to pass the testing of your faith. So that you can obtain the blessings He has for you and so that you can learn to love Him more and depend on Him with Christ-like passion and devotion. The crown is promised to those who love God, and He wants you to fall in love with Him more. He wants to draw you closer to Himself.
God puts you through trials and sufferings to draw you close to Him, to teach you to cling to Him, to grow you into spiritual adulthood, and to bring you along in your journey toward being a perfect Christian. Let Him finish His work, and you will obtain all the blessings He has for you.
