God puts troubles in our lives to call us to him.

Kayla Laures

“This is the worst day ever!” “I hate my life!” “If God loved me, he wouldn’t let this happen!” Those common phrases are often heard, said, and used by people, including us Christians, to express our feelings about conflicts and troubles in our lives.

A lot of times we forget why God puts troubles in our lives. Instead of confiding in him, we blame him. But look at 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” When we feel like no one understands how we feel, we can look to Jesus because he was tempted just like us when he was on earth. He took on flesh and became like one of us, masking his holy righteousness. He loves us that much. He does put challenges in our lives to call us closer to him and to remind us that he also has been through the same things.

Being in a divorced family caused me many questions late at night. It was a very unpredictable roller-coaster ride. Stability was a challenge. We had to adapt and trust that God knew what he was doing. The nights when family feuds filled the house and my sister needed to get away from it were the nights we would ask God, “Why us? Why this situation?” We would pray to him and ask him to change it.

We kept confiding in him, and he listened. We just hadn’t realized it. He answered by saying, “wait.” Then the most discernible issue was finally settled, and he gave us relief. Now we thank God for those experiences. Looking back, the struggles have helped us. They have also helped shape us into who we are now.

We can take the obstacles placed in our lives and learn from them. We can look at stories from the Bible also. The story most Christians would connect with incomprehensible sorrow and comforting relief is the story of Job. He endured unimaginable losses in his life, and yet, he remained strong in his faith. He trusted God to take care of him, and God did. God puts challenges in our lives to remind us that we do need him and that we don’t have to do the hard things by ourselves.

Just as Job latched onto God’s promises, so do I. I look to God’s comforting words. God promises that he will be with us always (Matthew 28:20). He tells us that he takes care of the birds (Matthew 6:26), so of course he will take care of us. He obviously showed it when he sent his one and only Son to take our places on the cross, which is another comfort we have.

But my two favorite and comforting passages that help me stay strong are Jeremiah 1:9 and Psalm 23:1-3. The Jeremiah passage reminds me that God is my Rock, and he gives me the strength I need. The Psalm verses give me pure comfort.

So often there are many obstacles we have to overcome in this sinful world we live in; we often forget about the one we can always rely on. God gave us his Scripture for a reason. It’s not just a guideline on how to conduct ourselves, but it’s also words of reassurance. There’s always going to be pain, but after this life we gain so much more.

Author: Kayla Laures
Volume 105, Number 2
Issue: February 2018

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