When Trials Come

 

Life is full of trials, and troubles, and the current state of society at this point in time, really seems to amplify these situations in our lives. If you have or have had a loved one in the hospital with an illness in the last almost 2 years, you know how difficult it can be to show that individual the love, support, and encouragement they need most in their time of pain and discomfort. Not to mention the trouble of even getting information on the patient without feeling like a burden to someone else. Perhaps you have lost a loved one "too early" in life, or otherwise unexpectedly. Death in any event is a difficult thing to accept, as it seems like such a final, unplanned, and permanent event that we just cannot comprehend.

These, among many other situations, can leave you feeling helpless, or even hopeless. 

 Why do we feel so helpless and lost in these situations? If you are a Christian and you experience this, you may even ask, “Why does God allow such trials in our lives”? The answer to both questions is simple; it's so we turn to God. Whether it be for the first time, or that we are turning to Him for greater hope and strength, we are to surrender to Him in our trials and let Him carry us at our weakest moments. These trials in our lives are meant to draw us closer to God, as well as teach us patience, experience, and hope, as stated in the scripture reference below.

I have recently found myself in the situation of having loved ones in the hospital, and not having the opportunity to be with them. While this is a discouraging place to be, I was reminded that believers are never alone. I found it to be a good illustration/reminder of how we should be approaching these situations, as well as anything and everything else we bring before God. It is not us who bring comfort and healing to others, it is God who does this. We should be taking all things to Him in prayer, knowing that He is in control. If we know the person knows the Lord, we can rest in knowing that person is not alone, for they have the comfort and company of the Holy Spirit. If they don’t know the Lord, this is all the more reason to pray longer and often, that somehow, someone will reach this person and they may find comfort in Him.

 We sometimes lose sight of where our true hope lies: our hope is in the Lord, and not of this world. When we experience these trials in life, our reaction to these events is an indication of what we have invested in for our hope. It is a natural human reaction to feel sorrow for the loss of a loved one, John 11:35 tells us that even Jesus wept for the death of a friend. We learn in this chapter of John, that if we come to God in our moments of weakness, he will meet us there. That he will cry with us, but also give us the strength we need to get through today. We must surrender to Him, and rely on His mercies that are new every day, to keep going. If we look for hope and peace in the here and now, we will be discouraged every time. While we will never fathom the depth and detail of His perfect plan, when we look at these situations with eternity in mind, we begin to see parts of the bigger picture. We may never see the whole picture, but in time, with faith, parts and pieces may be revealed to us and provide us comfort and peace.

None of this is to say that you can’t, or shouldn’t mourn the loss of a loved one, or that if you are struggling with a loss, you are in the wrong. This is simply to state that you are not, and/or don’t have to be alone in it. Jesus provides hope for us all, we just have to call on Him for it. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time and purpose for all things, and everything has a season.

If you are struggling with a loss, or you have a loved one in the hospital you feel you are unable to support the way they need or have any sort of personal struggle in your life, I encourage you to open up to your church, in addition to taking it to the Lord in prayer. We should be more transparent about our trials and troubles with each other, and more open in requesting prayer for the things we need or struggle with. When we show and share our pain, it allows the body of Christ (the church) to display the love of Christ, allowing others to see His work. If everyone is “good” all of the time, not only are we not being honest, but in just saying we are good all the time, the world fails to see His work in and through us. Even if our prayers are not answered the way we would like them to be, it is important to be transparent enough that others see His work, and where our hope lies. When we turn to Him for hope and strength and share our pain with others, we should find that His people are there to comfort and help us, through Him.

Scripture references:

II Corinthians 12:9-10 KJV

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong

Romans 5:3-4 KJV

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope

Ecclesiastes 3:4 KJV

a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

The streaming church

 

It seems now a days that the small portion of the American population that still considers itself to be Christian, is seeking moralistic preaching from the church of YouTube (if they seek anything at all), and are becoming less and less concerned with actual gospel and truth. Especially in the last year and a half, I think we have become too accustomed to our feel good sermons that we can watch from our couch, on our terms, that we don’t open our Bibles anymore, or even have concern for doctrine and/or theology. If you don’t have a local church, and you substitute with the Joel Osteen, Hillsong or other “churches”, they are not going to give you what you need. Not only are they not really churches, they offer an incomplete experience, they are not speaking truth, and they are full of false doctrine.  They will not tell you how to be truly saved, what the consequence of sin is (they seem to ignore sin all together. Truth alert: the consequence of sin is death and eternal life in hell…), or how to actually get to Heaven. They are more concerned with and focused on treasures of the earth and deceiving people into believing they will prosper from participating in their weekly rituals. There is rumor now that Hillsong is even teaming up with Facebook, to broaden their platform and incentivize more churchgoers with an at home experience. One headline reads, “Facebook wants to become your connection to God”… wow… It’s time to wake up!

Anyway….

There are still churches across our country that remain closed, have been limited to a single service a week, or are still completely virtual at this point, etc. With the Delta now spreading, we may even start to see the trend of doors closing again soon. Those churches should remember what the Bible has to say about the church and worship-

Hebrews 10:24-25 KJV

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Matthew 16:18 KJV

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it

We are to assemble together as His church, especially as we get closer to end days, and the government has no authority to stop us. Don’t get me wrong, missing a service for whatever reason, and having the ability to continue to be a part of your local church by live-streaming it from anywhere, is a great thing. But I’m referring to churches and individuals who have taken it up full time. 

Colossians 3:16 KJV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

As we assemble together, we are to build up and encourage one another, praise and worship our one and only God, and learn His Word. We need to be in the pew on Sunday for praise and worship, with time of fellowship. We need to be there on our designated weekday to have a time of prayer and study. We should be active participants in the church body, serving and filling any need we have been given the talent to do, as well as contributing to growing the church. We as Christians NEED this, and we need to be meeting and praying for our church, our country, its leaders, and more importantly right now revival and awakening, on a regular basis. This is important, not only for the church to stay alive and thrive, it’s also critical for our individual spiritual health. We need to love and witness to others and share the Gospel with them, do good works, show and grow our fruit, and ultimately, grow His church. It’s what we have been commanded to do.

I challenge anyone reading this to step out of your comfort zone, and take action. 

    - If your church hasn’t returned to in person service, encourage your pastors, deacons or board to return to assembling. Or maybe it’s time to consider going to a church that will? 

    - If you are watching a mega church on Sundays, please go out and find a good local church that is willing to hold in person services and speak truth.

    - Maybe your church doesn’t have this problem, but you have become a bit comfortable in your “religious routine”. Break the routine and reach out,  demonstrate the love of Christ, and spread the word in new ways.

    - Maybe you don’t even have a church, please pray for wisdom to find the right church to attend.

    - OR, maybe you are reading this and are curious about or have never heard before, or maybe you just need reminded of the gospel.

The gospel in simple terms, is good news. This good news, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice He made on the cross for us. Each and every one of us are born sinners, destined for hell. But God loves us so much, He sent His only son to give his life and pay the price for OUR sins, by dying on the cross, defeating death by being risen three days later, and returning as the Holy Spirit to live within us. All so that whoever truly believes in Him can share the gift of eternal life in His presence. If you truly accept it, believe in Him, and turn from your sinful ways to follow Him, you too can have everlasting life in God’s Kingdom. Repent from your sinful life, take up your cross DAILY, and follow Him. 

If you want this gift, please take a moment and pray, and God will hear you. Admit to Him that you are a sinner and fall short of His glory and that you accept Him as Lord and Savior and welcome Him into your heart and life to dwell within and change you. If you make this prayer, please follow through. Give Him the opportunity to change you, and work in your life. You are guaranteed not to be disappointed. We have been given the incredible gift of life, the more you share it with others, the sooner He will return for His church… It’s been said that one of the most hateful things you can do to another person, is to withhold the truth from them, so please share. 

Know, accept, and share the TRUE gospel…. Seek and speak TRUTH… And remember, actions speak louder than words. Live a life for Christ, and others will see Him through you. 

“…But church if we want to see a change in the world out there, it’s got to start right here…”  -Casting Crowns