Don’t be surprised when fellow believers are tested. Instead, be encouraged and strengthened by how they persevere. The Savior paves the way with grace for you to press on, no matter how bitter the trial.
Hi, I’m Joni and Susan is a friend of mine who has enjoyed a pretty good life.
Well, I should say she’s enjoyed a pretty good life for a Christian, even a pretty easy life. I don’t get to cross paths with her as often as I used to, but we keep up with each other, how things are going, what we can pray for each other. Susan has been staying in touch with me about my health problems. She’s been praying for my pain to be relieved, but as she has read my updates and learned that, for me, it’s often, you know, three steps forward and four back, she offered a curious perspective. She said, "Joni, I have to confess something. The Bible says that we strengthen one another by the way we handle our trials, but to watch what you're going through doesn't strengthen my faith; it weakens it. You’re a good Christian. You work hard in ministry. And to watch you go through so much pain, well, it makes me doubt that God knows what he's doing. To be honest, it even makes me a little fearful. If God's plan for someone like you involves so much hardship, then what might He do to me?"
Maybe you can relate to Susan’s perspective, and maybe you feel the same way. If so, take a minute to listen – I mean, really listen to what I have to say here because it’s so true. The Bible does say that we are supposed to be strengthened when we observe the way other Christians persevere through tough times. The problem is, Susan – and modern Christians like her – Susan has forgotten that life is designed to be difficult; it's supposed to be hard; God has wired life to be frustrating and demanding. The Bible tells us so. Acts 14 explains that we must go through many hardships it says, to enter the kingdom of heaven.
That’s not the kind of thing we like reading in the Bible, do we, but it’s there. The problem is, we've become so infected, so numbed by our culture of comfort that we forget that part about “many hardships.” We don’t like that word “many.” But the truth is, no one shares in Christ's crown who doesn't first share in His sufferings. The surprising thing shouldn’t be the fiery ordeal God puts us through, no, the surprise should be that we don’t go through greater problems or go through more ordeals. We have so bought into the devil’s lie that God's purpose in redeeming us is to basically make our lives happy, all so healthy, always free of trouble. Any time we start believing that, believe me, we’re already in trouble because we’re believing a lie! The truth is the core of God's plan is to rescue us from sin. God has redeemed us to first make us more like Christ, and that will take plenty of refining, plenty of testing and trials and no one – certainly not me – is above that awesome and marvelous plan of God's.
Because I'll be the first to tell Susan, to tell anyone that God is so very good and each purpose He has is as good as His wise and wonderful character. His mercies; they’re new every morning, every afternoon, every night. So I pray that God will help Susan – help us all – to remember that our Savior has gone before us, paving the way with grace upon grace for every hardship and may that fact alone enable us to all press on toward the high calling of knowing Him better, no matter how bitter the trial. So please let me hear from you today at joniradio.org where you can share with me yourt houghts on what I’ve said today. By the way, I would love to hear what you’re praying about or, a favorite Bible verse that you are memorizing. Tell me about it; just go to joniradio.org. If the Lord has answered some prayer of yours today, guess what, stop right after we’re done here, and tell Him thanks. This is Joni Eareckson Tada reminding you not to be surprised at that difficult test from God.
© Joni and Friends