I know of a man who had it all. He was at the top of his profession which granted him financial comfort and the respect of his peers. He was looked up to and honored for the work that he did. Although he had reached a high level of success, his life choices were allowing him to gain even more. He was seemingly at the top but was still climbing. This was all changed with one choice. After making just one decision, his life became one of physical struggle, financial hardship, misunderstanding and rebuke.
This decision was to commit his life to the control of Jesus. He is the Apostle Paul. You can read of his fame and accomplishments in Philippians 3:4-6. Some of his struggles are recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. If you look at this life transition through human eyes, it would be easy to think following Christ is not such a good idea. Why would I want to invite trouble into my life?
Paul answers this question in Philippians 3:7-9, But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
The life principle Paul is revealing is that adversity is a means of a deeper relationship with God. It is a very practical point. When things are progressing well and life is good, it is easy to pat myself on the back and congratulate myself on how well I am doing. However, when the screws start to tighten up a bit, as a Christ follower, I begin to dig a bit deeper in the Word and cling a bit harder to my faith to get me through. At times, God allows trouble to cause us to move our focus from our own accomplishments and look more fully toward him.
God does not cause the problem, but when Satan sees our commitment to Jesus, he attacks through adversity to try and turn us away. This is when God is there to meet us in our difficulty with encouragement and peace if we seek him. God takes what Satan means for evil and uses it to draw us to himself.
We live in a time of hardship. The civil unrest, political rhetoric, and a virus that is disrupting every part of our lives could cause us to throw up our hands in despair. However, if we choose to use these struggles to send us to God for answers, he may not remove the hardship, but he will teach us more about his grace and give us the hope and peace we need to get through them. This life is not about getting all I can or pursuing comfort and happiness. It is a preparation for our eternity. Philippians 3:10-11 reminds us of our target. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Thank God he has found you worthy to deal with adversity. Seek his comfort and know his peace as you pursue him with your whole heart.