When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Deuteronomy 4:30-31 KJV

Navigating through this world, through this life is difficult. As believers we are uniquely equipped with gifts and talents to make it through any and every thing that comes up. We need to always stay at the ready to confront those things properly and to walk into the opportunity God has on the other side. A myth we tend to fall into when we become believers is that everything will be sun and roses when we come into the faith. That’s not so!

John 16:33 (KJV) says These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. We are going to have troubles. It’s a part of life. In fact, two things are clear: trouble comes to the believer and non-believer alike and trouble is inevitable. As long as we draw breath there will be times of trouble. It is because the Word of God goes against everything the world stands for. Jesus said it in John 7:7. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. (KJV) Since we follow and lean on the Word of God, we will experience friction and opposition from the world.

We need to take trouble in stride. What I mean is that since we know that trouble will come at one time or another, we shouldn’t fall apart and cry out about how difficult things are or how unfair this thing is. Turn to God. He will deliver us in times of trouble. It says so in Deuteronomy. We need to stand and say God, I’m in this thing now show me how to get through it. Psalm 23:4 says we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It doesn’t say we saw the valley and walked around it to get to the other side. We walk through it. We walk through it with God. So we need to stay in prayer. Stay in communion with God. Close to God.

Remember that God is greater than anything that comes against us. Jesus says in John’s account that we need to be of good cheer for Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus is on our side and as we read in Revelation, we win! Trouble is the first step to hope. Romans 5:3-5 (KJV) says And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. The hope that our trouble leads to is what beckons us to the Holy Spirit and emboldens our faith.

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) says Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Trouble gives our hope legs. The hope our faith is giving substance to forms. When we pray in faith, what we are hoping for will manifest. Our problems and troubles cannot separate us from God. Romans 8:35 (KJV) says Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Paul said this because he knew Isaiah 49:16. It says Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (KJV) Like Isaiah, our names are tattooed on the palms of God’s hands.

Because God walks with us, He gives us comfort as we go through whatever it is that we are experiencing. He will also repay anyone who troubles you with trouble of their own. Second Thessalonians says it is a righteous thing that He does this. Take joy in your trouble. It is how we grow. ~ Selah