Not all of God's promises are for great and wonderful-sounding things. Ya know that promise that says "…take heart; I have overcome the world"? It sounds so victorious! But it also comes right after a promise of troubles. John 16:33 says "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (emphasis mine). In fact, The New Living Translation describes it as "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." Oh GOODY! Sign me up for THAT promise!!!
Or not.
What do we do with promises like that? What do we do when it feels like that's the ONLY promise he's keeping?
Ya know how you don't ask for patience, unless you want trials? Don't ask to trust God in the tribulations unless you're ready for some tribulations! Even this week, as I knew this was a topic I wanted to tackle, there were some things that came up at work that felt like tribulations – the enemy shaking his fist at what we do to make sure boys and girls get to hear the Gospel message. In the scheme of things, it's quite trivial. I haven't had to know the pain of losing a child, or walked through an excruciating divorce, or survived the abuse of someone who was supposed to love me. And maybe some of you can join me in that status. But not one of us has survived (or will survive) life without trouble. It's promised. Sometimes I wish He'd have kept that promise out of the Bible. Even a "MAYBE you'll have tribulation" would have been better. Instead, we live in this world fraught with evil and, as a result, rampant pain. So let me say here, this promise is true, no matter the degree of your tribulation that you're going through right now. There is hope to come, in connection with this promise, so don't shut IT out, even if your tribulation is a hang-nail. Okay, well, if a hang-nail is stressing you out, we may need to sit down and have a DIFFERENT conversation, but hey…
There are some basic truths that we can know about God… things that we USUALLY learn first in the middle of a trial that is more akin to a hang-nail than the loss of a spouse. Things that God teaches us through the first few trials that we can start to realize will apply to more difficult trials at a deeper level. As I remember going through one of the trials I've been through, I was seeking the counsel of my good friend. She's the kind of friend that will tell me what I NEED to hear, even if it isn't what I WANT to hear. She told me that this trial was helping to mature and grow me for the future. I remember telling her "if THIS is preparing me for what comes next, I don't WANT what comes next!" But her comment challenged me. I could either embrace the training that God was providing for me, or I could simply survive the experience. I chose to embrace it, despite the pain. Any bitterness or efforts to "demand" to understand WHY God would let this happen to me faded away, and I chose to draw closer to my God. There have even been some tangible evidences later of how God chose to use that trial in my life. But we don't always get to see that evidence this side of heaven. And that's where we have to believe his promise. Both the promise that there will be trouble, AND the promise that He has overcome the World.
Have you ever thought about the story of Esther as anything other than a sweet story about a princess being brave and God rescuing his people? I've been listening lately to Alistair Begg's sermon series on Esther, and there have been some mind-blowing things to learn in the process. First, though, if you really put yourself in the sandals of Mordecai, or the slippers of Esther, you can see how they might relate to this promise from John 16:33. Knowing that they were facing the annihilation of their entire race on the appointed day, knowing that they were facing death at varying times for honoring their commitment as God's people more than their allegiance to the king, they had an idea of what it meant to be facing tribulation. Begg said "The providences of God are seldom self-interpreting and it's usually wrong for us to try and understand what's going on in the immediacy of the moment." We often feel that all we have is the immediacy of the moment. We try and figure out what God might be doing through this time, as a small comfort to WHY he would "MAKE US" go through this trial. We don't have God's eternal perspective, we don't understand His purposes. And we might NOT ever understand that. But it doesn't change the fact that He IS God, He IS Sovereign, and it's his right to deal with us frail sinners, saved only by his mercy in the first place. But another quote that grabbed my attention is this: "God is sovereign in all of those details, and most of our understanding will be seen by looking in the rear-view mirror rather than looking through the windscreen."
I DON'T understand. I DON'T have the rear-view mirror perspective YET. But I can trust the God who promised there would be troubles. Because He is ALSO the God who said the REST of that verse: "But take heart; I have overcome the world". TAKE HEART! The Amplified Bible says "but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]!" Why can we have that courage and confidence? Because he has "deprived it of power to harm you and [has] conquered it for you." I read the back of the book, and HE WINS! Does that mean I won't have any problems in the here and now, since, of course, He won the battle already? Nope. He JUST made the promise that you WILL have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration. But in the end HE WINS!
So what does that mean for me right now, in the middle of my trial? I cling to his promises. I remember that this won't last forever, because He HAS won. I remember that My God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory. I remember that I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength (if you want a good place to find a few promises, check out Philippians 4!).
I love this meme that came across my screen a few weeks back:
So I come to the question we must face whether it's a nightmare situation, or just getting slightly uncomfortable. Am I going to embrace God, and value this training he is bringing me through? Or am I going to waste all my time begging him to take away this trial that he already promised would come? How about you? Don't worry, it's still okay to ask God to take it away, as Jesus did in the garden, but we usually get stuck at that spot, and keep kicking and screaming all through the trial, when all the time He wants to draw us close.
This is such a deep topic that has taken VOLUMES for others to fully develop: I would love to explore this even more in your comments. For now though, let's "bring it home" with one last passage to dwell on.
James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
* For comforting music during trials explore Sovereign Grace's album "Come Weary Saints". Most of the songs are available on youtube as well.
