As a mom of three who has given birth through C-Section, I had to go
through procedures that could be a bit scary and painful, yet
absolutely necessary for a safe delivery. The regular blood
extractions during prenatal check-ups, the IV insertion, the
administration of anaesthesia, the anxiety-inducing surgery itself,
and then post-op catheter removal.
Since the procedures I have mentioned are all terrifying for me (yes,
even on my third time), I always ask the nurse, or the med tech if the
procedure will hurt. Usually they would say it will hurt a bit so I
should breathe in deeply as they commence the procedure.
Then there is one nurse who told me he will not sugarcoat it, it will
hurt, but the pain will be bearable. Which now made me think, isn’t it
really like that in life? The inevitable hardships that we go through
will really cause us pain, but we can overcome it if we anchor our
lives in Christ?
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and
reliable and one which enters within the veil,” Hebrews 6:19
One of the truths of following Jesus is that we will never be exempt
from hardships and difficulties. We should never think that just
because we have surrendered our life to Him, He will spare us from
trouble. Absolutely not! And Jesus did not sugarcoat it for us. He
told us the truth that we will still experience pain, we will still go
through inevitable problems, and we might even be persecuted because
we dare follow Him.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome
the world.” John 16:33
And so, whenever we feel like hardships beat us down even if we try
our best to follow God’s will, we should remain steadfast in faith. We
should continue seeking the Lord, and build our lives upon His
teachings, His words, His wisdom and His divine will. We can do this
by still continuing our quiet time, being even more intentional with
our daily bible reading and reflection, and going on with living a
life of worship amidst our struggles.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain
came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain
came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27
No matter how bad things turn out, we should hold on to our faith, and
continue to believe that God has great plans for us (Jeremeiah 29:11),
that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8), and
that everything that we are going through is meant to refine us so
that we can grow more into Christ-likeness.
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has
stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has
promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
And when we do just that, and faithfully wait upon the Lord, He will
restore us. Our God is compassionate, and whatever we have lost along
the way, He will give it back to us, if we will continue to be
faithful to Him amid all our troubles. This is true whether we have
experienced pain emotionally, physically, and even financially.
One biblical story that comes to mind is the story of a righteous man
named Job. After going through all the pain of losing all his
children, his health, and his wealth in just one day, God restored
everything to Job because He remained faithful to Him.
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes
and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and
sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in
his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the
LORD had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a
gold ring. The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than
the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels,
a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven
sons and three daughters.” Job 42:10-13
And so as we wait on the Lord to rescue us from all our troubles, to
lighten our load, and to ease our pain, let us help ourselves by doing
what He wants us to do. To focus on what is positive about our
situation, and remember how He has delivered us in the past:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy
of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8
We also have to help ourselves by keeping our eyes on our goal of
spending eternity with Jesus. If a mom can go through all the birth
pains with the thought of holding her baby in her arms, so should we
courageously and faithfully face adversity with the end goal of being
in Heaven with Jesus. And so we hold on to Him, envelop ourselves in
His presence, remain obedient, and keep the faith.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal
glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on James 1:2-8 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you in the middle of an inevitable hardship
or difficulty? Where do you draw the strength to endure it?
Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for being the
anchor of my soul. I know that if I build my life on you, I will not
be shaken. Give me the grace to continue trusting in you as I face
inevitable hardships in life. Give me the confidence to hold on to the
hope that is in you. Amen.
