In Times of Struggle

Duane Vander Klok

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4

So often, when something goes wrong in our lives we want to know ‘why.’ In all reality, we even question ‘why’ when something good happens through a random act of kindness. We love to have answers. Good or bad, sometimes it’s something that we can explain. If it was bad: you forgot, they weren’t paying attention, the sickness progressed too much, etc. Yet sometimes, even when we know ‘how’ something happened, we ask an even bigger ‘why’ to God Himself: ‘God, why did you allow this bad thing to happen?’

You see, during our times of struggle, trials, or having to face death and sickness, we want to know ‘why’ something so bad is happening to us and to those we love. After all, Sunday school taught us the fundamental truths that God is all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful, so why is this terrible thing still happening? The Bible tells us in John 10:10 that “The thief (that’s the devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come (that’s Jesus) that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The Enemy wants you to question your faith and answer your pain with more pain: “God doesn’t love you,” “God knew this was going to happen to you,” and “God just doesn’t care.”

What we need to remember in every difficult situation is this: we live in a broken and fallen world, but there is hope and that hope lays in Jesus. There will be a day that He will return to redeem this life and cast the Enemy into hell forever. There will be a day where a new heaven and new earth are brought together, and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Even when we face the trials, we can still rest in the truth that God loves us, God has a plan, and Jesus is coming again.

This week, no matter how bad a situation may seem, let’s give it to God and find comfort in His words through Scripture, specifically Psalm 23:4, “even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.”