Solitude Baptist Church, Albertville
When personal struggles, health problems or financial issues challenge our lives, we are prone to ask the inevitable question: “Why?” For those of us who are people of faith, we fear that God is mad at us, that we’ve done something wrong, that we have brought these travails upon ourselves. This kind of thinking evolves from an ingrained sense that if we are believers in Christ, everything in our lives will be good; life will be nice and easy. We cling to the hope that we can control the situation, that if we know why it is happening, we can find a way to make it stop.
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul told the church they were going to suffer various kinds of afflictions. As the afflictions came, the Thessalonian church members grew discouraged and reached out to Paul for help and comfort. Paul responded, “for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this” (1 Thess. 3:3). Trials and tribulations are an integral part of life, some are worse than others, some people seem to have more than others, but for all of us, one day they will come.
When suffering comes to our lives, we can be sure God has not abandoned us. This is simply another part of our spiritual pilgrimage on this earth, providing us with an opportunity to strengthen and develop our faith. I witnessed just such an experience in our church when members were killed in a tragic van accident in 2002 while returning from a missions trip. Despite the loss, the suffering and the pain of that tragedy, I witnessed God’s amazing grace as it brought new opportunities and renewed faith to other church members.
If you are facing a time of suffering and affliction in your life, be sure that God has not abandoned you, is not mad at you or punishing you. The results of this experience may provide the greatest opportunity for God to work in and through your life. God desires that we stand strong, so that others may see our faith and come to know Him. May God use our suffering to be a source of goodness, to bring better days ahead in life and to draw us even closer to His boundless love.
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