Every person experiences some kind of hardship. For most, it's a daily struggle. We all have bad days and hard situations weighing on our hearts. A big part of being a Christian, one of the parts that I find most comforting, is the promise that God makes to us that every single thing we as His followers experience all works ultimately for good. It's definitely a hard thought to comprehend; our first instinct when something bad happens to us is to think, "Why me, God? What did I do to deserve this? How can something so horrible be for good?"
We can rest easy in the fact that God answers these questions for us. While we can never fully comprehend the "why" behind His reasoning, we have the opportunity to just let go of all our burdens, and let God handle our struggles and woes. It's hard to believe, but once we just trust in His promises, our souls can remain more at peace and more content. In Romans 8, my go-to favorite chapter of the whole Bible, Paul deciphers the promises of God as he discusses life in the Spirit--what it means to be a Christian and all the graces God blesses His people with.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."(Romans 8:28-30).
Recently I've been reflecting on my life over the past few years. I've definitely had ups, downs, times I questioned God, and times I was at peace with his plan. Sickness, war, death and persecution are of course horrible things to have to endure, whether it be you experiencing it or someone you love.
We can live in the certainty of the promises that He gives us. Paul writes in his letter, "We know that in all things God works for the good ..." He predestines us to be in the form of His son, the perfect son who encountered every temptation imaginable, but never sinned. It's truly the most beautiful thought, that we as unworthy sinners are formed in His sight to be nowhere near perfect, but are loved as much as His perfect son. Often hard times come our way because the Lord is testing us. He wants us to trust Him with our whole being.
One day during his ministry on Earth, Jesus was preaching to a crowd, and told his disciples to go ahead of him onto the boat. As they waited for him, the boat drifted more and more out to sea. Right before dawn the disciples looked out across the water and saw Jesus walking on the water towards them, of course, they freaked out thinking he was a ghost, but Jesus calmly told them, "Take courage! It is me. Do not be afraid" (Matthew 14:27). Peter, when he saw this, walked with trust and courage towards Jesus on the water, but the more he began to doubt what was happening the more he began to sink. He cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" (14:30), and Jesus grabbed him, asking why he ever doubted.
This story reminds us of our conviction as sinners and followers of Jesus as well. We may trust in his plan, but we also may start to doubt; either way, he is there to catch us and hold us up regardless. We need faith; we are saved by it. It is the only thing that will ultimately solve all our problems. When we face trials, we just have to have the faith to trust that His plan is good and His plan is perfect.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-38)
Who then should we fear? What could possibly come our way that He didn't know would work for our ultimate good? He loves us, and He wants us to feel loved. We are His beloved children. We are transformed, and grow through our hardships, and from the strength we gain from them we bear spiritual fruit. You are redeemed, you are saved, and nothing that comes your way will be impossible to bear.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19).
