Lessons from Adversity (Part Twelve)

He leads me …

We have been reflecting what Charles Stanley has to say about the benefits of adversity based on Paul’s experiences throughout the New Testament. Now we find out the final way in this series that we are better off.

12 LESSONS FROM ADVERSITY - Growing Closer to God Through Trials and Troubles[1]

 Through tribulation and difficulty, Paul learned:

 12.  It is likely you are experiencing some type of adversity today. You can try to handle it using your own resources—turning to your friends for advice, doing the best you can, or escaping into hobbies or addictions. But I guarantee that when it comes to life-changing hardship, such coping mechanisms will ultimately fail. Your adversity will become an overwhelming burden.

 Adversity can be a burden or a bridge. Paul’s life is one of the best biblical examples of how adversity can be a bridge to a deeper relationship with God. Paul’s deep relationship with God was a result of the trials that he went through. Paul learned that even in the tough times he could be at peace because it was God who was his source of strength and joy.[2]

 Joy in adversity? As Christians, we should be the most hopeful and joyful people on Earth because of the amazing God we serve. But what is joy? Here is one definition - Joy is a deep sense of peace and confidence in the Lord, where we trust in Him no matter what our circumstances and He produces a settled contentment in our hearts that rests in His sovereignty and love.

 We see in the definition that joy comes from a deep confidence and sense of peace in Christ alone. Then we see that because of the confidence and peace in Christ, joy is not dependent upon our circumstances. We can be joyful in times of trials and sufferings and we can be joyful in times of great blessing. Finally, this incredible joy that comes from the Lord is solely based upon His absolute love.

 As Christians, we should not walk around despondent, sad, depressed, and defeated without the joy of the Lord. Psalm 42:5 says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.” (ESV)[3]

 Have we put our hope in the almighty God who is perfect love? The Lord is refining the fruit of the Spirit in our lives - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is called sanctification and is the process of making us Christ like. It involves adversity to bring out the things in our lives that need to be dealt with so that they can be defeated, and then we become a bit more like Jesus.

 Adversity also highlights that the same issues are not the sorts of things that we can deal with completely on our own. We need our Lord to help us, and this is what He wants. As He helps us, a deepening relationship develops between us and the Lord as we work together to overcome the adversity.

 We should remember that God is with us, and that He is a God of perfect love. It would help for us to reflect on Bible verses like –

 We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. (Romans 8:28 NLV)

 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. And He saves those who are broken in spirit. (Psalm 34:18 NLV)

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 NLV)

 The Lord is the One Who goes before you. He will be with you. He will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone. Do not be afraid or troubled. (Deuteronomy 31:8 NLV)

 If we still doubt that the Lord is with us in our adversity, we just need to look back at our Christian journey at the times when He has shown His wonderful acts at those times sometimes called a “God event” when something extra ordinary happened that had to be God. It might have been a financial breakthrough, or a job that exceeded expectations. It could have been one of those times when you were in the right place at the right time and events came together and you just knew that it had to be God, but what others would call coincidence or good luck.

 We should note these events because they are what we need to look back to and remember God’s goodness and faithfulness. Then we have faith and assurance of God’s love, truth and faithfulness for the present and the future.

[1] https://www.intouch.org/Read/Blog/12-lessons-from-adveristy

[2] http://www.raphaministriesworld.com/news-discipleship/adversity-burden-or-a-bridge/

[3] https://www.southplattesentinel.com/2020/01/21/make-the-joy-of-the-lord-your-strength/