Dealing with Trouble (Pt 2)

I began yesterday’s blog with these words: “Psalm 23:4 reads, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. . .’ One of the undeniable truths of this world in which we live is the certainty of trouble.” In responding to grief and trouble in life we need understand how to respond to trouble by being patient in the midst of trouble. Additionally, we need to understand the value of trouble.

Romans 12.9-13 calls us to be patient in trouble by learning to rejoice in our hope in Christ, being constant in prayer, and seeking to serve others however we are able. Romans 5:1-5 tells us why this is so important.

[1] Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

“We rejoice in our sufferings” for one simple reason that has four clear benefits in our lives. The reason is that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). This is a sermon in itself, but because God’s love has been poured into us. Because the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer is the one who has poured God’s love into us, we recognize that there is value in suffering.

The first value to suffering is endurance. Every athlete knows this. Endurance is not built up by sitting on the couch eating donuts. It is built up by hard, sweaty work. The heart is made stronger when we force it to beat faster during exercise. The legs and arms are made stronger when they are used and pushed beyond normal use. Exercise is not done for the sake of exercise. It is done to build endurance. Similarly, God knows that for us to build endurance as believers we need to be tested, stretched, and pushed. The process is not fun, but it is a vital part of our growth.

The second value of suffering is character.” Endurance produces character” (Rom 5:4). Everyone is trustworthy if they never actually have to be trusted. Everyone is moral if they are never tempted. But it is in the difficult times of life as God builds endurance in us that character is fashioned. Character is formed and developed as we go through trials and difficulties.

The third value of suffering is hope. As God builds character in us through developing endurance in the face of difficulty, our eyes begin to look upward. When we are comfortable, when everything is going well and life is on cruise-control, we tend to think of now as forever. We lose our eternal perspective. Our hope and expectation of Jesus’ return loses its power. We want to go to Heaven, but not just yet. Country-Western artist George Strait sang, “Everybody wanna go to heaven, But nobody wanna go now.” Too often that is how we live. Suffering develops hope.

The fourth value of suffering is that “hope does not put us to shame” (Rom 5:5). I have to be honest, I do not appreciate those Facebook posts where somebody says, “I’m not ashamed of Jesus so I posted this. Let’s see how many others are not ashamed.” That is coercion. If I don’t repost it, then it is assumed that I am ashamed. If I do post it, then I am forcing others into the same dilemma. I am not ashamed of Jesus, but not because I post something on Facebook where people I don’t know will see it. I am not ashamed of Jesus because he has seen me through difficult times. I am not ashamed of Jesus because he has never failed me. I am not ashamed of Jesus because he was not ashamed of me (see Heb 2:11). It is when we have walked through the fire with Jesus that we come out unashamed.

We need to be patient in suffering because there is value in suffering. Grief affects every aspect of our lives, and right now we are a grieving people. If nothing else, we are grieving the loss of our normal routine. But many are grieving much more than that. Grief and pain are not comfortable, that is why they are called grief and pain. But God has a way of turning ashes into beauty (see Isa 61:3). He has a way of turning grief and pain into endurance, character, and hope that leaves us unashamed of Christ and looking longingly for his return. There is value in the pain if we will trust God in the dark.