It’s a fair question.
Why do difficult things happen to us even, in the midst of God’s presence?
Many an unbeliever has considered themselves on firm ground with this question. And they like to stoke up others into agreement. It’s a perplexing dilemma which gives pause to even the most faithful follower of Jesus.
John the Baptist, sitting in a dungy cell, went from pointing out Jesus as the Lamb of God, to wondering if another should be expected.
Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” (Matthew 11:2-3 NASB).
Jesus responded, telling John’s disciples to report to him that blind folks were seeing, the lame were walking, lepers were being cleansed, the dead were being raised, and the good news of the gospel was being preached to the poor. [1]
Then He said, “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me” (Matthew 11:6 NASB).
Offense. From the Greek – to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, to entice to sin, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey, to cause to fall away.
Jesus goes on to praise John and to say, Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Matthew 11:11 NASB).
Jesus calls John the greatest among those born of women, yet He realized offense can be taken when circumstances don’t turn out as expected.
Others have had similar confusion.
After the angel of the Lord said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” [2] He asked, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13b NASB)
Since God is good and powerful, it seems natural to expect His presence to produce pleasant times. Like John and Gideon we can become disillusioned by how difficult our lives become, especially when we believe the Lord has the power to work things out.
In the midst of our hard times, how do we keep from stumbling and keep on trusting? How do keep on obeying and not become discouraged?
Jesus’ early disciples, who lived lives which were anything but smooth, had to learn to look at life from a higher perspective in order to begin to understand this dilemma.
And so do we.
What can keep us from taking offense when our lives get hard?
Blessed Are Those Who Don’t Take Offense.
Jesus’ message to John the Baptist about folks being blessed when they don’t take offense at Him, let’s us know it’s possible to see things in a different way.
But how?
We get some ideas by reading what a couple of Jesus’ disciples wrote after years of following Him.
Peter
The early life of Peter is widely known. Most have heard about how he denied Christ three times, even with a curse. [3] At that point in his life, though he was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, he hadn’t grasped how God can use hard times to achieve something far greater than carefree days. He was afraid that being truthful about knowing Jesus would be very dangerous to him.
Later, scholars think between 35 to 40 years after his denial, he wrote the following verses: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (I Peter 1:3-9 NASB).
Through these years, God had been at work, through Peter’s own trials, to give him a view of God’s eternal ways.
Here’s what he learned about God’s children:.
- We will eventually earn an imperishable inheritance
- We are being protected by the power of Christ for a salvation yet to be revealed
- Various trials may be required to prove our faith, and deepen our trust in God.
- Eventually these trials will result in praise, glory and honor
- Even in the midst of trials, there’s great reason for us to rejoice and have expressible joy
Peter’s transformation is a miracle. And God is at work in us to achieve something similar.
What we learn through trials is better than life itself.
Paul
Paul’s early years are also well known. Until Jesus radically called him, he thought he was doing God’s bidding by killing Christians. He was on the wrong team.
But, like Peter, years of walking with Christ taught him how hard times can deepen his trust and build his relationship with God.
Take a look at some of the difficulties he faced for the sake of Christ recorded in 2nd Corinthians 11:23-28:
- labors
- imprisonments
- beaten times without number
- often in danger of death
- five times he received thirty-nine lashes
- three times beaten with rods
- stoned
- three times shipwrecked
- spent a night and a day in the deep
- dangers from rivers and robbers
- many sleepless nights
- in hunger and thirst, often without food
- in cold and exposure
He knew personally what Jesus meant when He wrote, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NASB)
Like Peter, Paul learned to see things from a much larger perspective. See his personal testimony, written for us:
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction which occurred in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (II Corinthians 1:8-9 NASB).
It’s not easy to see the good when things are really hard, but Paul saw that it took utter despair for him to learn to stop trusting in himself. The situation was so dire, he could only cry out to God. And, in the process, his faith grew.
The Greater Story
Like John the Baptizer, Gideon, Peter and Paul, we have and will face circumstances which are beyond our abilities to endure. During these times, we need to be aware of God’s greater purpose for us.
God wants more for us than happy circumstances. When Paul tells us that God is working in all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, he’s referring to something better than an easy life. God’s purposes are to give us the freedom and joy of being conformed into the image of Christ. [4]
There are profoundly sanctifying forces at work when we cling to Jesus in the midst of our pain. In our trials, our grip on lesser loves is loosened, freeing us to fully enjoy Jesus.
See what James wrote about the redeeming qualities of our afflictions and trials:
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4 NASB).
Trials can bring us joy because they develop endurance which lead us to becoming complete, lacking nothing. Nothing means nothing. Trials can show us we don’t need a life of ease to be joyful.
Prayer
Lord, I’m sorry for ever assuming that being with You meant my life would be easy.
With Aspaph, I cry, “For me, the nearness of God is my good.” (Psalm 73:28)
You and You alone are my good, the source of all my joy [5] and my very great reward. [6]
I know You love me and that You want me to enjoy the moments of my life with You. But I also know, like Paul, from first hand experience, that You’ve used some really hard things to show me that I can’t depend upon anything in this world for my “okayness.”
Though I would have never chosen these particular trials in my life, I’m amazed at how I love you with greater ferocity because You use them to dislodge idols from my heart.
Please continue to show me anything and anyone I’ve chosen instead of You. Free me of these I pray.
I love you.
Amen
Journal Time
With your journal in hand, write about a hard situation in your life or in the life of someone you love. You may have more than one.
Write a prayer to God honestly telling Him how you are doing, in light of what’s going on. Don’t be afraid to express anger and disappointment, if that’s what you’re feeling. God can handle it. He wants us to come to Him in honesty. The real us coming before the God of all truth.
Consider ways He might have already been at work in these trials to conform you into the image of Christ. Write these things down.
Ask Him to give you the courage of His presence as you face life’s challenges.
Write about your willingness to face God’s will, even if it’s not what you might want.
If you were around when Gideon asked, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13b NASB)
Do you have a response to his question? If so, write it out.
Come back to this journal entry often.
[1] Matthew 11:2-5
[2] Judges 6:12
[3] Matthew 26:74
[4] Romans 8:28-29
[5] Psalm 16:11
[6] Genesis 15:1
Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:
Joy is important because it’s an experience of God
The amazing connection between grace and joy
Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged
Please Check out the Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.
Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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