Abba, Father, He cried out, everything is possible for you. Being betrayed by a friend or having a partner end your romantic relationship are sources of heartache that can have a lasting effect on future relationships. Dont let them rejoice at my downfall. Theres no denying these eternal and fundamental truths. Nowhere in the bible does it say life will be free of hardship and struggle. Find out more about how you can know God personally. Suffering can be the result of someone else choosing to sin or harm you personally in some way. For when I am weak, then I am strong. One of the best men to look at when seeking to answer this question is the Apostle Paul. "'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned . Concern for eternal things, the things of God, puts everything else into a different perspective. Why Does God Give Us Struggles? - The Odyssey Online But growing in grace often means growing in our awareness of our need for grace. God is the master of redeeming bad situations. The book of Genesis tells the story of this first rebellion. During the interview, Mr. Biden, who is 80 and running for re-election, also addressed concerns about his age. There are answers to these questions, but not surprisingly, they can feel complex. When God comforts you in your suffering, you will be able to comfort others in the same way. It could be something more challenging, such as donating an organ to save someones life. The 73rd Psalm is our answer to the very same questions that also tormented the psalmist. Its hard to even imagine turning on the news without hearing about something terrible that has happened. God loves us, but because of our sinful nature, He allows these things to. This makes his strange analogy in Romans 7:16 (about a woman and her dead husband) such a brilliant illustration, because it shows us how we can learn to love Gods law again. C.S. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 Without Your intervention in my life, my pride would have destroyed me. Greear Ministries. God can never be the author of evil ( James 1:13-17 ). I will sing to the Lord So why does God allow problems in your life? Following Jesus is not easy or comfortable, but it is worthwhile because the suffering you experience in this life is nothing compared to the joys of spending eternity with God (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). King David was the second king of Israel. One of the great things about Christian community is the love and support available to you during both the highs and lows of life. There will be times where it seems the undeserving needlessly suffer through no fault or doing of their own. Jesus chose to become a human and suffer and die so you could be forgiven and live forever with God. They focused on Christ as someone who could serve their physical needs, but they had no interest in Him spiritually. Stick around to better understand!_My name is Stev. Even better, this time we will be unable to spoil Gods perfect creation. Type in your email address and a copy will be sent right to your inbox. God does not tempt humans (James 1:13). For the time has come for judgment to begin with God's household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? Throughout his ministry, he often wrote other believers letters of encouragement. They were seeking a political leader with power who could lead them against the oppressive Roman government. Where is God during our challenges? Receiving his love in the gospel is what produces love in our hearts. New! In Genesis, God put Adam and Eve in the garden and gave them a choice to obey him or follow themselves. special july new month prophetic prayers and declarations || nsppd || 3rd july 2023 A law dog always has its tail tucked. He writes, For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. (Philippians 1:29). depression, loneliness or porn use? God raised up the Persian king Cyrus in order to accomplish all that God pleased ( Isaiah 44:28 ). Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). How did 230,000 people die in a matter of seconds in Haiti? Yet, Jesus and his disciples were poor. Sometimes, God uses suffering to bring you closer to Him. As humans we have a tendency to take the credit that belongs to God and we try to give God the blame that belongs to us. Do hurts and struggles drag you down? Before we met Christ in the gospel, Paul said, we were married to the law. The Bible shows us very clearly that God is good and ultimately does not want people to suffer but that suffering is nevertheless a reality in this life. Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. The Bible says we can even "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope" (Romans 5:3-4). Everyone has opportunities to choose to suffer for the good of others. Real Answers. When hard times come to you, turn to Christ (who suffered and died for you), and ask God to use them to strengthen your faith. God experienced this pain first. If you choose to cheat on a test, you may suffer the consequence of failing that test or the class, and there may even be consequences to your standing as a student. The world is broken, and pain exists because humanity has chosen evil. God does not want people to suffer, and He will end suffering. This is true not only because it forges our character to become more like Christ, but also because it allows us to be witnesses of Christ to those who do not know Him. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 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The paperback version is available for $12.99. 3 Reasons God Is Allowing You to Struggle by Mark Ballenger Philippians 3:7-11 Why does God allow us to struggle? God himself will be with them. To understand the depths of what God suffered on your behalf, its important to understand Gods nature. This is often referred to as original sin. The Bible teaches that much of humanitys suffering is a result of this breaking of humankinds relationship with God and spoiling of His perfect world. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed (Psalm 34:17-18). Now that Christ is our life, He wants us to take Him as our life and live by Him in all the circumstances of our daily life. Once humankind severed that relationship, death was the natural and inevitable consequence. However, the apostle Paul would not agree with this conclusion. People often choose to hold God responsible for things they have chosen to do that result in one kind of suffering or another. Before Jesus went to meet Martha and Mary, He told His disciples that He was going to awaken Lazarus from the dead. God allows struggles in our lives to keep us from thinking to highly of ourselves. How long will my enemy have the upper hand? God raised up the Babylonians, a "ruthless and impetuous people" for a reason ( Habakkuk 1:6; cf. God knows exactly when to bring those people into your life and remind you whom you should reach out to. The other evening, I had the privilege to minister two fellow deputies going through difficult times and changes in their lives. You have asked the Lord to take it away, but He has chosen not to and it may be because this ailment keeps you from becoming arrogant and self-sufficient. Greear Ministries. But be brave! Jesus knew He would die unjustly. From personal experience, any Christian knows who has walked with Christ for any significant period of time that God often brings the most growth in our lives through our hardest seasons. Here Paul is pointing out that when we become Christians sin does not die within us but we are to die to sin. My passion is to help others apply God's truth to every aspect of life for his glory and our enjoyment of him. What about you? I am so glad I have You in my life. While these trials are not enjoyable, God can and does use our weaknesses to bring hope to others. Why Does God Allow Us to Go Through Struggle if He Loves Us So - Medium God loves you anyway. The truth is that God hates to see people suffer. When you or someone you love has been a victim of a crime, for instance, it can change the way you look at people around you and your feelings of general security. (Deu 31:6 CSB). Some of those storms were much worse than others because of my prideful resistance to Your leading. Many men and women struggle to find victory over pornography. Suffering can be the result of different types of sin. In God's Word, we find hope for stormy times. By studying what Paul wrote in the Bible, we can discover at least three reasons God allows us to struggle. Its like he collapses in worship as he cries out, What a wretched man I am! He just has not done it yet. God certainly allows suffering; ultimately, He does so for His good purposes ( Romans 1:18-32; 8:18-39 ). In the same way, you dont produce righteousness by thinking, Ive got to have more love; Ive got to have more joy. Noyou just get swept up in this moment of loving intimacy with God. The struggles we go through are purposeful and are made to perfect us to fulfill why God created us. Privacy In Romans 8:18 Paul wrote, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present . We have the gift of free will, and because of it, we are free to make decisions; both good and bad. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. God called David a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) because David had an uncommon desire to live in close relationship with Him. He actually became a human in the person of Jesus and went through profound relational, physical and mental suffering. Then spontaneously, we express Him to everyone around us. God allows us to struggle and fail to bring humility and realization we need Him in our lives all day, every day. This is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Jesus is Himself the source of hope you need to persevere through the hardest things in life. But God uses even those sufferings to mold and shape us for His purposes and our ultimate good. There are many factors to consider, but the bottom line is: The Bible shows us that suffering, rather than disproving it, actually points to the existence of a good God who cares about people. Sometimes you will struggle so that you can only fall down in worship like Paul. (2 Peter 3:8-9). Jesus sent them into the storm. Suffering is a direct result of sin running rampant. Jesus actually chose to suffer so that He could one day bring an end to suffering for the rest of us and offer us comfort right now. No. Wherever you look, it's because we as human beings have lost the capacity and wisdom to know how to steward God's creation in a way that is safe - and it can be stewarded safely. Jesus was not tempted to yield to the crowds desire to make Him King, but the disciples may have been tempted. People often think of God as distant and immune to suffering. God wants you to pour out your heart to Him. View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages. Why does God allow good things to happen to bad people? Do you want to love and know God better and better every day? Verse 11 says, This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed His glory.. Remember, there is an important difference between what God causes and what He allows. A tree that grows in the absence of wind will quickly reach a point where it can no longer stand upright, and it will fall over and perish; lacking the strength to even support its weight, let alone the wind of struggle. Christ Community Church Messages: Why Does God Allow Suffering? on When Christians describe this truth about God, they call God the Trinity. Subscribe to AGW Ministries and you'll get short, practical, and Christ-centered content sent right to your inbox. Instead, be very glad for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world. Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact. Some get angry at God and turn against Him which is tragic, because theyre cutting themselves off from their only source of lasting help. We see this in the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50. God opposes the proud but he is close to the humble (Isaiah 57:15. He knows that by allowing us to experience failure, pain, and struggle, we will grow stronger in our faith and to become closer to Him and moving away from sin. He is your loving Father, ready to embrace you right where you are. We may attempt to see the positive outcome achievable through experiencing struggle, hardship, and pain, but we only see it for the pain and struggle. In Romans 7, Paul describes himself as a religious person, whose conscience submitted to the law of God but whose heart chafed against it. He said, God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil (Genesis 3:5). Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. Gods profound sacrifice shows how deeply He loves you and how much He cares about you. Failures happen throughout life. Seek Truth in Scripture. When we became Christians, we died to the law and used it as a means to elevate ourselves in the eyes of God and others. Learn about Cru's global leadership team. God allows struggle and difficult times because we are sinners and we all come short of the glory of God. By remembering what Jesus told us: Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. Adam and Eve lived in harmony with God, who is the source of life. If we are to be obedient to His will, then prayer must be part of our life in Him. because He is good to me. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. Matthew tells us, Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. (Matthew 14:22). Causing Suffering Versus Allowing Suffering, God Has Experienced Suffering and Understands Your Pain, How God Shows His Goodness Amid Suffering, Its OK to Ask God to Take Away Your Suffering, Jesus Suffered, and His Followers Will Too, hope in a world that sometimes feels hopeless, God can rescue anyone from the dark forces at work in the world, ability to care for others who are suffering. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. God allows struggle and difficult times because we are sinners and we all come short of the glory of God. Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I look back on my life, I see Your gentle and thoughtful orchestration of many storms in my life that were intended to take me deeper in my relationship with You. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). He wants us not just to know that He lives in us but to subjectively experience Him as our life. For the Lord works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). 3. Whatever youre experiencing, you can turn to God for comfort. We feel that our world should be different. The Bible says we can even rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope (Romans 5:3-4). Lewis said that sometimes God will let you struggle with a smaller sin to keep you from a bigger one: pride. If you're looking for the best Christian jobs and careers, check out Cru's ministry job openings for full- and part-time missionaries and professionals. No, He is being patient for your sake. This is the . Until then, the world will remain in its imperfect state. God shows us the end of the story in the Bible, although its really only the beginning of our next chapter. Why does God allow us to struggle? He only gave them one rule: You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So, if you are going through something difficult or painful, turn to God in prayer. Thank You for sending me into those storms which eventually removed my pride and brought me closer to You. You can also ask people to pray for you both for the situation that is causing the suffering and for how you respond to it. But the God of the Bible is not above suffering Himself. For I do not understand my own actions. Here are seven practical ways to trust God in your everyday life: 1. How long will You look the other way? These answers don't comfort and often aren't even true. They just make the suffering worse. Romans 15:13 is a great example of an encouraging prayer. Charles Spurgeon, one of the most powerful preachers in the Victoria Era, had a lifelong battle with depression. Selling someone into slavery is not good, even though God was able to use that to bring something good about in Josephs case.
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