I have seen many comments during this global pandemic reminding us that God is with us in difficult times. Psalm 91 is an important passage of Scripture as it reminds us to cling to God as our shelter and refuge. These and many other words of encouragement are important, particularly in times of difficulty. One of the very first verses of Scripture I memorized was Isaiah 41:10, which says, “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious (or righteous) right hand.” This verse has been a great help to me throughout my life, as it reminds me of the basic truth that God is with us, and will help us in times of trouble.
When we are in the middle of difficult circumstances, we generally act in survival mode. It is all we can do to simply get through the current situations. We are comforted during these times that Jesus is called Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” We are reminded in Isaiah 43 that God is with us as we pass through the waters or the fire, and we take heart in the words of Jesus when He said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). In hard times, we are focused on going through deep waters or the fires, yet we can be encouraged to know that God is going through it with us.
When we stop and explore that thought however, we will realize that God is not only going through the circumstance with us, but He will actually use the circumstance for benefit in our lives. We not only go through hard times, but we grow through hard times, or at least we will if we are open to the work of God in our lives.
Consider James 1:2-4 which says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Or Romans 5:3-4 which tells us, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” These passages tell us not only that we should have a positive attitude in difficult times, but they also share why we can. God will use the difficult circumstances we face to perfect us in many ways. We not only go through difficult times, we can grow through difficult times! We can develop an enduring faith that enables us to persevere in any situation. Our character is shaped in profound ways, and we find hope when others see hopelessness. Peter speaks of suffering having the result in us of being “perfected, confirmed, strengthened, and established” (1 Peter 5:10). God will not waste our difficulties!
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.