Strength in Struggles

Are you having a good day? I surely hope you are! Nobody in their right mind would want to trade a good day for a bad day…….or would we??

As we look back over our lives, we can see how it was during our struggles that we were drawn closer to God. It is a time when what we have heard with our ears, we now see with our eyes, through our misery, as we cry out to God. (Job 42:5 paraphrased) Be our struggles physical, emotional or spiritual God does not abandon us.

My favorite book of the Bible is The Book of Job. It is the oldest book of the Bible, written about the time of Abraham. Job was a faithful servant of the Lord who lost his family, his possessions and his health.

His wife and friends tried to convince Job to turn away from God, saying God was punishing him for his sins. However, Job remained steadfast, trusting in God. In the end God gave him a new family, twice as many possessions, and a long life.

There are so many lessons in the Book of Job. However, the one that stands out most in my mind is that just because we are going through struggles, it doesn’t mean that God is mad at us or punishing us or doesn’t love us. Quite to the contrary! It is through our struggles that God is holding us closest and equipping us in our weakness to be strong in Him. It is the time God is trusting us to trust Him.

As Christians, we naturally pray that God will heal us or someone else of concern, remove the struggle we are enduring, or heal a broken heart. However, we would also be wise to see what lessons we might learn through our suffering. Are we better equipped to help others in the future? Are we more compassionate, or maybe more patient?

Are we more appreciative of friends and family for their prayers and loving care? Did we come to better know our loving Father, who shares the joys of our good days and hold us close in our bad days? As we ponder these questions, let us also give out a shout of praise!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Jan Knicely, Associate in Ministry emeritus