Handling Adversity God's Way

"Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant?  Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God" (Isaiah 50:10).

Handling Adversity God’s Way

            Throughout our years, as a child, then a young adult, even into adulthood; no one has taught us how to act or what to say when ourselves or someone we know is going through adversity.  We have no training as to what it feels like to grieve.  We do not know how to heal the hurt created by our loss, our grieving and furthermore we do not know how to live with it.

            This is what we do know.  Our grief, our loss is much like an open wound that is bleeding, raw, and terribly painful.  In time we find our wound less painful, a healing begins to take place.  The pain subsides for a while, then comes rushing in like waves on the ocean shore, a tsunami, and then fades away again, coming less often.  Like a healing wound, a scar begins to form.  We will never be the same again.  Yet inside us is a deep desire for things to be as they were before the adversity came; our lives disrupted. 

            Our life is different and we have become different as well.  Change has been forced upon us, anger, frustration, we are alone and the person we care about is no longer here; they are gone.  Who to blame, myself, them, others, questions flood into our minds.  We are upset, are not Christians supposed to face trials and adversity with joy?  (James 1:2).  Mistakenly many understand the word joy as happiness.  This is not the case; joy is a deep calm cheerfulness.  Not a removal of the grief, the sadness for that is not how we are made. Listen to the Psalmist King David:

Hear my cry, O God;

Listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to

 you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

 lead me to the rock that is higher

Than I.  

(Psalm 61:1-2

 Anger is natural, accept it, there is no “sin” in anger, it must be settled; however we do not know how?  Job was angry, angry at times with God.  Maybe you find yourself in this same position;

I loathe my very life;

therefore I will give free rein to my complaint

and speak out in the bitterness of my soul…

Does it please you to oppress me,….

(Job 10:1, 3a)

Job was angry, frustrated, and God did not hold that against him.  For God gave us emotions, we are real, human, and even God gets angry, so do not beat yourself over being angry for God does understand and will help us through all adversity.  King David often came before the LORD angry, crying out to Him only to remember that His/Our Great God is always present, waiting for us to come to Him.  There is where our help comes:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—

Where does my help come from”

My help comes from the LORD,

The Maker of heaven and earth.

(Psalm 121:1-2)

“Come to me, all you who are

weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

For I am gentle and humble in heart,

And you will find

Rest for your souls.

For my yoke

Is easy and

My burden light.”

(Matthew 11:29-30)

            When we cry out to God, we show our faith in Him, that He does care and that we know that He will help.  He may not remove the pain, the adversity in the now, He may allow time to pass.  Remember this God wants to remold us into the image of Christ who knows our pain and suffering, being rejected, not only from His enemies but at times by those He called friend.  We will never know in a personal ay the faithfulness of Christ apart from adversity.  As a result, our faith in Him would never increase.  One of the primary reasons God allows us to face adversity is so that he can demonstrate His faithfulness and in turn increase our faith.  It is will that you experience it now.  God’s faithfulness through adversity is usually the catalyst for praise.  And in the process, faith is stretched and strengthened.

“I cry tears

to you Lord

tears

because I cannot speak.

Words are lost

Among my fears

Pain

Sorrows’

Losses

Hurts

But tears

You understand

My wordless prayer

You hear.

Lord

Wipe away my tears

All tears

not in distant day

but now

here.”

--Joseph Bayly

 

            An early Greek hymn that dates back as the eighth century gives me peace as many of the hymns do.  I find that if I meditate on God’s word and hum a song, peace is restored and my spiritual fatigue is relieved.  I offer only this advice for only you the one going through the pain, and from one who has gone and is going through similar pains, it is prayer, God’s Word, being around my Christian buddies, and singing to my Lord for there God is present.

Art thou weary, art thou languid,

Art thou sore distressed?

“Come to me,” saith One, “And coming

Be at rest.”

Hath He marks to lead me to Him

If He be my Guide?

In His feet and hands are wound-prints,

And His side.

Finding, following, keeping, struggling,

Is He sure to bless?

Saints, apostles, prophet, martyrs,

Answer, “Yes.”

            Here is my story, and what I have found to be true.  If I will let Him, He will provide grace and strength in my time of need. Through all of my struggles, I have emerged with a greater sense of who God is.  I understand in a much deeper way His commitment to His children. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we serve a faithful god, a God who can be trusted in even the darkest valleys, one whose grace is always sufficient and always on time.  It has taken some time for me to be able to write and speak of this by He has provided me with mercy and grace in my time of need.

I sought the LORD, and he answered

me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

This poor man called, and the LORD

heard him;

he saved him out of all his

troubles.

Taste and see that the LORD is

good;

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

(Psalm 34:1,6,8)

            Remember this: it is your brothers and sisters in Christ who will help, seek out those who do not give Christianese advice, only those who are willing to listen and pray, and point the way, God’s Word. 

Daily Prayer:

Thank You Father, for your faithfulness does reach to the sky.  Lead through the dark times in my life and may Your light shine through my darkness to light my world so that others will find their way to You.  Amen