Turning Hardship to Joy

A cynic once asked an elderly believer who had endured great physical pain for 20 years, "What do you think of your God now?" The godly sufferer replied, "I think of Him more than ever."

Sorrow can be the means of bringing us heart-to-heart with God. When repeated strokes of adversity have robbed us of health, friends, money, and favorable circumstances, God then becomes the only thing in life for us. We come to love Him for who He is and not merely for what He has to give.

In those times we cry out with the psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You" (Psalm 73:25). The path of sorrow leads us to the place where we can say, "My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (v.26).

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13.

Suffering can become so intense at times that we don’t know how we can take any more pain. It’s in these moments that Jesus reassures us of His presence and sustains us, even though for reasons we do not understand the hurt is not taken away.

Dr. Diane Komp, a pediatric cancer specialist at Yale University, often must perform very painful procedures on children. She tells of a wonderful nurse’s aide named JoAnn who reflects God’s love. During the procedures, JoAnn comes in and holds the child and tells him that she will stay with him. Her hugs along with her loving and reassuring words have carried many children through those difficult times.

That’s a glimpse of what Jesus does for those who trust Him in their suffering. He draws us to Himself and says that He will be with us in our pain, for nothing can separate us from His love (Romans. 8:39).

How often we cry out for release, but no relief comes. The pain persists, but we sense God’s presence. Later, as we look back, we can see how the Lord was with us, caring for us, meeting our deepest needs.

No matter what painful situation you may face today, remember that Jesus is holding you.

In 1931, Jane Whyte felt she was nearing the end of her life. Her husband Alexander, the famous Scottish preacher, had died 10 years earlier. As she looked at the world around her, she was depressed by the moral and political chaos. There seemed to be no reason for her to go on, nothing for her to do.

At dinner one evening, she sat next to a man who sensed her dejection. "What is your greatest concern?" he asked. "I’m preparing to die," said Mrs. Whyte. "Why not prepare to live?" he suggested.

That was the question Mrs. Whyte needed to hear to break the deadlock in her life. She began to see that God wanted her to live and to touch others for Him. Her attitude changed and within a year she led a Christian outreach team on a mission to Geneva, Switzerland. That trip profoundly affected the lives of many people.

Life can seem overwhelming at times, but God offers us hope. Paul wrote, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans. 15:13).

Regardless of your age or circumstances, don’t despair and "prepare to die."

Believers in Christ can prepare to live--filled with hope, joy, and peace, through His love.

1. Jesus knew that God often uses tragedy to cause people to look to heaven for solutions to their problems. The Savior said, "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John. 15:2) Thank the Lord to for His pruning of certain habits, thoughts and dependencies enabling you to be more fruitful.

2. Jesus knew that people need to die to themselves and their desires before God can properly use them. The Lord Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24) Ask the Lord for a greater yielding attitude so you can enjoy greater spiritual success.

3. Jesus knew that sometimes we must step aside in order for God’s greater work to be done. The Lord Jesus said, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John. 16:7) Ask the Lord for the wisdom to know when to step aside to allow God to use whomever He wants to get His will accomplished.

4. Jesus knew that persecution is a part of God’s plan to help us mature in all aspects of life. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are you when they persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of me." (Matt. 5:13-14) Ask the Lord for greater endurance to withstand the tests, trials and hardships that are a part of God’s plans.

5. Jesus knew that adversity often happens to the Godly as a means of greater visibility for God’s kingdom and righteousness. The Lord Jesus said, "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me." (John. 16:1-3) Ask the Lord to help you see the silver lining behind every dark cloud of adversity.

6. Jesus knew that hardship often happens so that we can see how the Lord turns our grief to joy. The great Shepherd said, "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." (John 16:20) Ask the Lord to give you greater faith enabling you to see how God can turn any grief into greater lasting joy.

7. Jesus knew that things often get worse in minor areas so that we can learn how to assume greater responsibilities. The Master said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke. 16:10) Ask the Lord to help you be faithful and effective with your minor duties so God can promote you to greater responsibilities.

8. Jesus knew that the Lord uses difficulties to weed out those who are not fit for leadership. The Lord Jesus said, "They all alike began to make excuses. Please excuse me "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brother and sisters - even his own life - he cannot be my disciple." (Luke. 14:18-26) Ask the Lord to help you not be disqualified because of unwilling to surrender all for God’s will.

9. Jesus knew that adversity is often used to accomplish the greater purposes of God throughout society. The Lord Jesus said, "Neither this blind man sinned nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9:4) Ask the Lord to give you greater insight into how the Lord uses everyone and everything for His sovereign purposes.

10. Jesus knew that God can use politically motivated investigations for greater teaching. The Lord Jesus said, "Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs? So they were divided. The healed man answered, "You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will." (John 9:16-31) Ask the Lord to give you the patience to let the Lord use politically motivated investigations to accent God’s truth.

11. Jesus knew that God could even use the betrayal of Judas Iscariot for His glory. Jesus said, "He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me. I am telling you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. Jesus was troubled in spirit and said, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." (John 13:18) Ask the Lord to give you the grace, wisdom and strength to endure betrayals.

Today, as we look at the words of the Bible, we find there is much wisdom shared with us from 2000 years ago. It’s as if the Bible were written yesterday. That’s because He is the same now as He was then, and the same as He will be tomorrow. But it's important for us to realize on the "Joy" Sunday of the Advent Season, that there is a difference between Joy and Being Happy. Do you think Paul was happy about being in prison? Yet if you read his letters, there is no doubt that he was filled with Joy.

Joy is the ability to stand in the middle of the storm, when our entire world is falling down around us, and remain thankful to God, in the knowledge that all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord. Do you love the Lord? Are you expressing thankfulness for the hard times? Is His light shining through you for others to see? Know that when others see you calm, assured, and steadfast, through the difficulties, they say…”I want some of what they have.”

If you have been failing to give thanks for your difficulties, today is the day to change that. Today is the day to turn it around. If we are joyful, we need to be joyful for both the good times and the bad. I am not trying to say it’s easy, just telling you that it’s necessary!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit. It’s not something we can do in our own power, it’s a gift from God. If you haven’t been feeling joyful, I invite you to experience real joy today.