HOW CAN WE SURVIVE TROUBLE?
"For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55:8-9)
"Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. (Job 5:6-7)
"Man [that is] born of a woman [is] of few days, and full of trouble." (Job 14:1)
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose." (Ro. 8:28)
God has never guaranteed Christians immunity from trouble. Although Jesus said we could come to Him to have life more abundantly, He wasn’t inferring that life would be a rose garden or that we would be borne to heaven on flowery beds of ease. The person was right who said life wasn’t meant to be easy.
But just why is this so? Jesus says that in this world we shall have trouble. We are, as the writers of the New Testament said, in the world, but are not of the world. This world is not our home. We are just sojourners, pilgrims, seeking a city whose builder and maker is God. Paul envisioned us a colonizers of planet earth in the Phillipian letter. And as ambassadors and living love letters from heaven in his Corinthian letters. As the old saying goes, we are cannot hold on to God with one hand and the world with the other. We cannot be neutral, Jesus said. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt. 6:24) God is asking us to take a stand for Him in this world. You see, Jesus called it like it was. He hewed right down the line. He surely would upset the proponents of a wishy-washy, mealy-mouthed, power of the positive gospel today.
The tug of the world and the pull of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in opposite directions guarantees inevitable trouble for a Christian. Experientially, we can all confirm the veracity of Job’s statement: "Man is born for trouble." He’s often caught up in the geography of circumstance and finds himself surrounded by the meteorology trouble. He frequently feels the heat of the crucible of crisis. He’s dropped into the test tube of trial. He’s called upon to navigate the shoals of loss and sorrow. He tries desperately to avoid the rocks of spiritual shipwreck and disaster.
Sometimes the storms of life arise from within. Sometimes terrible squalls blow up over the horizon of friendship. A cyclone will be howling before he has half a chance to batten down his personal hatches. It can come from any quarter. Natural disasters, accidents, enemies, strangers, family, so-called Christian brothers or even his church. He too often finds the old cliche, "Hell is people," too close to the mark. Because people are often the tool Satan uses to overwhelm him. So often he finds there is no easy way to build a detour around sorrow or tragedy. He must go through and in order to come out safely on the other side. The three Hebrew children were not saved out of the fiery furnace, but in it and through it. The lives of Daniel, David and all the patriarchs of the Old and New Testaments confirm the universality of this dilemma and the purifying experiences that often result form it.
In his Roman letter Paul gives a liturgy of the sort of tragic occurrences the Christian may expect in life. (See Ro. 8:35-39) In this list He gives no indication any will escape trouble. Rather he says we will suffer through them. He warned that Christian martyrdom was already becoming an everyday occurrence. He even mentioned two kinds of demonic angels. He indicated there are special kinds of demons whose primary mission is to bring us trouble. But he reassures us that by suffering we become more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
So how can we be conquerors and overcomers as we inevitable encounter the terrible troubles, trials and tests that threaten all Christians? Jesus said to his disciples who were weak, defeated and afraid in the face of such a storm, "Oh, ye of little faith!" He would continually and consistently say, "Be not afraid." (John 14:1-3, 16:33, Matt. 10:31 etc.)
Perhaps it is because faith is the real victory that overcomes the world. In the great faith chapter the Hebrews writer speaks of faith as the common operative principle in all the examples given. As he begins his great roll call of faith (faithful ones), he first defines real operative faith as being the evidential spiritual reality that gives real substance to the Christian life. Then he emphasizes the absolutely necessity of its operation. "But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews ll:6) I understand the original strongly implies that he who has such faith operating in his life just doesn’t simply believe that God is (theism), but must absolutely accept that God is constantly operating in the universe and in the Christian’s life and is intricately involved in all that happens.
Not that He just sets laws in motion and then steps back, scratches his head and speculates about the outcome. A little later in the Hebrew letter God assures those who have such faith can approach Him (and life) with great confidence in times of trouble. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16) I understand the original could be understood to mean that we can tell Him everything, holding back nothing. Psychologist call this ventilation and say it has great therapeutic benefit.
The tendency of people to hold back their burdens and troubles is one rationale for repetitive and continuing counseling sessions. It is a rare person who will immediately tell everything and make a clean breast of all his emotional problems. Every Christian knows the practical value of getting things off ones chest and seeking God’s help. The time of his greatest trouble is the time he most needs to let go and let God.
Sometimes some of our suffering can be attributed to our tendency to hold some things back. Fragmented Christians hesitate to trust God with everything. We sometimes act as if some problems are too big for God so we try to solve them all on our own. Then there are those who appear to feel that to come to God with boldness and confidence means to bang our fist upon the table and demand an answer to our dilemma or an immediate solution to our problem. Somewhat like the man who in his prayer for patience said, "Lord, give me patience, and I want it right now!" Ignoring the implications of James’’s statement, " Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience." (James 1:3)
So absolute faith and trust in God is the basic fact in any formula that would enable us to navigate the shoals of trials, avoid the rocks of disaster and survive the storms of trouble in our Christian life. But how can we place the formula into effect? How can we trust? HOW CAN WE SURVIVE TROUBLE?
1. WE CAN TRUST THE THOUGHTS OF GOD.
2. WE CAN TRUST THE TECHNIQUES OF GOD.
3. WE CAN TRUST THE TIMING OF GOD.
WE CAN TRUST THE THOUGHTS OF GOD. Why? Because He knows everything. "For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55:8-9) It often seems just too difficult for finite mortals to grasp the concept of the infinite nature of the immortal God’s attribute of omniscience. It seems beyond our ability at times to accept the glorious truth that He really does, as David said, know everything about us. (See Psalm 139:1-14) It is even more difficult to comprehend and concede that He knows what we need even before we ask. ". . . for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." (Matt. 6:32) It really stretches and boggles the finite human mind to try to grasp the idea that our heavenly Father not only knows what we need before we do but that His Spirit comprehends and communicates this to the Father in heavenly language in a manner beyond our understanding. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God." (Ro. 8:26-27)
In a message on, "The Lord’s Breakfast," based in John 21, I pointed out that through a series of three repetitive questions Jesus ultimately elicited the desired response from Peter. I think it’s significant that when Jesus chided Peter for not trusting Him, He gently led Peter to say, "Lord you know I love you ... you know everything!"
What a wonderful conclusion Peter eventually came to! He had witnessed the trauma of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. In spite of his boasting, he had denied His Lord three times, as His Saviour had predicted. Then he had wept bitterly in true repentance. Of course, it would have been better if Peter had learned this lesson earlier. But someone has said about we mortal beings, "Experience is a dear school, but fools will learn in no other."
But before we judge Peter too harshly, we should ask ourselves do we always trust the mind and thoughts of God? Do we always give ready assent to His plan and purpose in our life? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to always trust His thoughts? When we lose a loved one? When a friend betrays us? When we face financial failure? When relationships are stretched and strained? When our best laid plans seem to come to naught and our little world threatens to come tumbling down all around us? When most people would be pushing the panic button? Would it not be wonderful to be always able to relax and look up and simply say, "You know I love you Lord, even now, You know everything!"
If we could only have God’s omniscient perspective of life we could survive any situation. I have often thought we might illustrate God’s all knowing perspective by thinking of our life as a parade. If someone in time is watching the progression of our life from the vantage point of a street corner, they will only see one small section as it passes. They may remember some detail of what has gone before, but will have no comprehension of what is coming just around the corner. But if they were to watch the parade of our life from a helicopter, high in the sky, they could see the beginning and the ending and all that stretches in between. The could see how it all moves along together for our ultimate good. We can trust the thoughts of our God Who is that all seeing, ever present eye in the sky that sees and knows everything! (See Prov. 15:3)
Just because we can trust the thoughts of an all knowing and all loving God, does not mean we should neglect to try to prepare in advance for the storms of life. Jesus can be our example here. As He sets His face toward Jerusalem and the coming terrible trauma of the Cross, we find Him constantly communicating with the Father. Although He has known and participated in the plan from eternity past, He constantly reaffirms His oneness with the Father and His trust in Him. Again and again He says, "Not My will but Thine be done." He makes it crystal clear that He is completely committed to the plans and thoughts of the Father. He absolutely trusts the thoughts of the Father. Every step of the way He makes preparation for the ultimate test of His Cross.
I was reared in what is known as "tornado alley," in America. Because of unique weather patterns, tornados were all too common. From my earliest childhood, I can recall that some people had tornado shelters. Others did not. After I grew up, I well remember a first cousin who had built a rather elaborate such shelter. I understand the family used the shelter when appropriate.
Late one afternoon he and his wife had just returned from a funeral. They saw a threatening storm approaching. As they were changing into clothes more appropriate for spending the night in the shelter, they glanced out the front door. Seeing it was too late, they grabbed each other in an embrace. When I visited him in the hospital later, he told me the last memory he had was twirling around in the air with his wife in his arms. Their nice brick home was totally destroyed and He was seriously injured and she died that night. His in-laws living across the road suffered a similar disaster. In his own words he said, "We weren’t ready. We just waited too long!"
We should not wait too long to do what we can to prepare for adversity. We should not wait until life’s storms are raging around us, the winds of adversity are shrieking over us and the waves of destruction are tossing our little cockle shell bark of life, threatening to destroy it, before we batten down our spiritual hatches.
WE CAN TRUST THE TECHNIQUES OF GOD. (See Isa. 55:8-9) Thanks be unto God, He does not always do things our way. Israel traveled about seven hundred miles in forty years. About twenty miles a year. That’s slow going in anyone’s book. But God’s technique of chastening and cleansing was obviously the right way. You see, our Lord knew the way in the wilderness and all they had to do was follow. And then there are the stories of Joshua and Joseph. The Word of God is replete with examples of those who trusted absolutely in the techniques of God and survived as victors in times of trouble!
We do not have to wonder why God gave us these stories in the Old Testament. God inspired Paul to write the Church at Corinth and remind them of all the troubles the Israelites brought upon themselves because of murmuring and disobedience in the wilderness. (See I Cor. 10:1-12) I sometimes refer to their experience as an example of how God deals with His disobedient child today. God blessed. They prospered. Prosperity brought idolatry, rebellion and disobedience. God chastened. They repented. God blessed again. They prospered. They rebelled again etc. And so goes what might be called the life cycle of the careless Christian.
God is careful to give us many other examples of the downfall of those who did not trust and obey His ways or techniques in the Old Testament. The first to come to mind would be the first human beings and the first parents. Next would be their son, Cain. In fact, his failure to trust and obey God’s way not only led to his personal downfall and ultimate punishment, but his example became the earliest primary illustration of the curse of failing to trust the techniques of God. God continued to warn even in the New Testament against "The Way Of Cain."
Then we have such examples as the two priests, Nadab and Abihu, who offered strange fire before the altar of God and were destroyed. They ignored the way of God and chose to develop their own technique of worship. Later we are given the story of the sincere but misguided effort of Uzzah to save the Ark. But he didn’t do it God’s way. He relied upon his own technique and paid a terrible price in the process.
God wishes us to learn some important lessons from these and other example as well. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (I Cor. 10:11-12) He does not necessarily require us to repeat and relive every defeat and downfall experienced by those who have gone before. Of course, there are some who seem to be only able to really learn the lessons of the Christian life in the School of Hard knocks, the College of Crisis or the University of Adversity. Perhaps this is why someone once said something like this, "The only thing man learns from history, is that man does not learn from history."
Even though we have the benefit of history and hindsight, it is often difficult to really trust the techniques of God. Sometimes His techniques do not seem to make sense to the mind that is limited to reason in merely human terms. His techniques and methods may seem silly to those who ignore the spiritual dimension.
The true story of Noah and his building of the Ark in a time and place and among people who had never even experienced rain easily illustrates this. Can you imagine the scorn and derision the scoffers and agnostics must have heaped upon him? Yet it was God’s plan. He required faithful Noah to place His plan into practice. In the end God’s technique not only salvaged all the living beings of the earth but saved mankind as well.
There are many other examples of those who by faith trusted the techniques of God and were blessed with great victories. One of the most well known would be Joshua and the battle of Jericho. Joshua by faith trusted the techniques of God even though the concept of conquering a great walled city by simply marching and shouting would have seemed ridiculous to the seasoned officer corps of his army.
Another familiar example would be David and his battle with Goliath. He trusted the techniques of God even though his own brothers ridiculed him. The very idea of felling a giant with a sling and small stone was laughable to both his allies and opponents. But David trusted the techniques of God. His faith enabled the relatively small out numbered army of Israel to survive trouble and to the win the battle for the Lord.
I am sure in all these examples, it was difficult for those involved to clearly envision the glorious outcome God had planned for them. Just as it is for us today to always fully understand the implication of God’s promise when He said, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose." (Ro. 8:28) As we experience different and sometimes conflicting elements of life, we are sometimes given to doubt and prone to wonder about just how God could work it all out for our ultimate good. But we should always remember, WE CAN TRUST THE TECHNIQUES OF GOD!
WE CAN TRUST THE TIMING OF GOD. "But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my God. My times [are] in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me." (Psalm 31:15-16) Is our time not also in His Hand. Is not this the day the Lord has made? Should we not be glad and rejoice in it? Let us look again at the patriarchs of old. Noah being ridiculed by the scoffers, Moses on the backside of the desert, Joseph down in Egypt. But time would pass. Their day would come. Joseph said it all when he told his brothers that they had meant it all for evil, but that God (in His time) had meant it for good. (See Gen. 50:17-21)
There are so many examples of the providence of God’s time in the Bible. Just imagine for a moment you are an impartial observer watching a ram wandering aimlessly in a wilderness. As you look on, the careless ram catches his horns in a thick bush. Naturally the frustrated ram struggles desperately to free himself, but to no avail. What possible eternal significance could such an ordinary and mundane happening have? But then you hear a noise and turn to see a terrifying scene. A young lad lying trussed up atop a pile of wood upon a crude stone altar. He lies quietly and calmly awaiting his fate. Standing over him is the towering figure of his father with his sacrificial knife poised to make the fatal thrust! Just as you are about to cry out in horror, you hear an angelic voice calling out to the man; bringing his attention to the struggling ram. You know the rest of the story. The exquisite providential timing of God provides the sacrifice at just the moment it was needed. Not a moment too soon nor a second too late.
Just imagine for a moment a lowly and insignificant donkey wandering around in a wild and arid land. All at once a lion lurking behind a bush leaps; giving out a mighty roar, he pounces upon his helpless and hapless victim. Later, the vultures come and pick the bones clean. Days and months pass. The bones are washed clean by rains and bleached and hardened by the hot sun. Then one day a mighty man of God finds himself surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered by an army of a fierce warrior race. In that moment of looming death and disaster, he desperately glances around for some weapon to fend off his enemies. The tough and weathered bones of the donkey immediately catch his eye. He runs toward his enemy; sweeping up the jawbone of the donkey. The Spirit of the Lord is upon him as he slays one thousand of God’s enemies. Again, the delicate providential timing of God provides the right weapon, in the right place at the right time!
Then there’s cache of small stones laid down by the creative hand of God and worn smooth by the flowing waters of a beautiful brook. In the heat of a mighty contest, a young shepherd lad thrusts his hand into the cool water and his strong fingers close around five smooth stones. Just the crude ammunition he needs to slay a ferocious giant who has been defying God and his people. Someone has said he had four stones left over for the giant’s brother as well!
We could speak further of another small donkey standing ready to bear real royalty into a city one joyous and triumphant day. We could also recall the momentous day a Roman soldier went out and felled a tree that would become a rugged, cruel cross. Are any of these accidents? Or are they reassuring examples of the tremendous providence of God given to us in the Word of God to reassure us that we can trust the timing of God?
In my childhood, baking day was always a day we looked forward to; especially the Christmas baking days. In a large rural family, it would not be unusual to have at least a dozen different cakes and pies prepared and ready for the holiday season. My mouth still waters at the thought. Hanging out in the kitchen as much as I could, I soon became aware of the various ingredients going into the different sorts of cakes and pies. A few of these were sweet and pleasing to the taste, but a number of the ingredients, when tasted alone, were too salty, sour, dry, tart, bitter or tasteless to please the palate. But a minor miracle inevitably occurred. My Mom would mix all these single unsavory ingredients, stir them together for just the right amount of time, place them in a greased pan, heat them at the right temperature for the right amount of time. And presto! A beautiful and tasty cake would emerge.
Many of the ingredients of the Christian life, when experienced alone, sometimes seem too salty, sour, bitter or tasteless. But let the Master baker mix these together in the right combination over a period or time and bake them in the oven of His everlasting love. He promises that a beautiful conclusion will inevitably come to pass. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose." (Ro. 8:28)
Those Christians who have been walking with the Lord for very long understand that any successful formula for surviving trouble must be scripturally Christ-centered. They have experienced again and again the positive proof of the elements in the outline we have shared here.
Yes, we can surely TRUST THE THOUGHTS OF GOD. He plans and purposes bring only eternal good for His eternal sons and daughters.
We can also safely TRUST THE TECHNIQUES OF GOD. His divine ways and methods, although sometimes beyond the comprehension of our finite mortal mind, are always designed to work together for the good of those who are His.
Even though we are often impatient to know the end of the story, we can certainly TRUST THE TIMING OF GOD. He will bring it to pass. He always holds those who are His in His hand and He shelters His own underneath His everlasting wing. This familiar chorus says it beautifully:
In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord please show me every day, As You’re teaching me Your way, That You do just what You say, in Your time.
In Your time, in Your time, You make all things beautiful in Your time.
Lord, my life to You I bring, May each song I have to sing, Be to You a lovely thing, in Your time.
