We are looking at things Jesus never said to better understand what He did say. When we look at what Jesus said in very specific situations during his life it helps us understand how we need to live our lives. When Jesus was getting ready to leave this world, he never promised his followers that life would be easy and trouble free, he did say, Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. John 16:20. And He said, in this world you will have trouble. John 16:33
Jesus never said that if we follow Him our business will always prosper, our investments will always increase, our relationships will always be strong, and our bodies will always be healthy. He never said that if we trust Him we will always get promoted at work, always be popular on social media, and always get good cell reception and free wifi. To quote a hit song from the 1970’s, Jesus never promised us a rose garden.
Jesus did say, you will weep and mourn. He did say, you will have trouble, and the Bible is clear that trials and hardships will be part of our lives. In the OT, the prophet Isaiah said, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2. God doesn’t say if these problems come He will help us, but when they come.
In the NT, the Apostle Paul said it this way, we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
While there are times in life when we do feel pressed in on every side, right now many of us absolutely feel this way. Families are feeling the pressure of how to work full time and homeschool kids if that in person option for school doesn’t last more than a few weeks. People are feeling financially crushed and wondering if they will have enough from week to week, month to month, or enough for the future. Dreams of retirement are being put on hold, weddings are being postponed and downsized, and for some, going away to college now means virtual learning in our parent’s basement. Life isn’t at all what we thought it would be. We are perplexed and feeling pressed in and persecuted. In our world right now we are facing troubles.
Our community this week was struck down in many ways with the news of the Big 10 cancelling fall sports. Jobs that were once secure in our area are now being lost. An economy that was once booming has come to a halt. Happy Valley, which has come through economic downturns so well in the past, is now facing a huge challenge as hundreds of millions of dollars won’t be coming our way through Penn State Football. In our world right now we are facing troubles.
These are serious hardships we are facing, and during difficult times we often think that somehow God has left us, but instead of thinking that God has abandoned us, or is angry with us, or is just not able to do anything to change our situation, what if we looked for some purpose behind the pain? If Jesus told us there will be bad days, then maybe there is something we can learn from them. What can God teach us as we walk through this challenging season of life?
One clear thing that pain and problems can show us is how strong our faith really is. Problems can Prove Our Faith. I had a friend in college who always said, Jesus won’t be all you need until Jesus is all you have, and for some of us this is absolutely true. When everything is going well, and we have all we need, and the future is secure, and all our days are good, it is easy to think we are trusting God in every way. But when things get difficult, if our trust still isn’t in God, then maybe it wasn’t in God all along.
Peter wrote a letter to encourage Christians who were experiencing some bad days. Some really bad days. Peter wrote to followers of Jesus in Rome during a period of time when the Roman Emperor Nero was persecuting Christians. Those persecutions included sewing followers of Jesus into animal skins and then tossing them into arenas to be torn apart by wild animals. It has also been said that Nero set Christians on fire and used them as torches to light his gardens and grounds.
These Christians were enduring some horrific days and into that situation Peter said, for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7. To be clear, the persecution wasn’t sent by God, but it did become an opportunity for the believers to reveal the power of their faith. It proved their faith. Pain can prove or reveal the depth of our faith.
It is important to have deep roots to our faith so that when we do go through difficult times we won’t be crushed, swept away, or defeated. The more we can trust Jesus in the small problems we face, the more we can trust him when the really bad days come. The stronger our roots are, the steadier and more peaceful we will be when the storms come - and storms do come into all our lives. Problems really can be moments to prove to ourselves just how strong our faith is.
Problems not only prove our faith, they can also Prepare us for our Purpose. What if the problem we are going through today is what will develop us into the person God wants us to be tomorrow? If the pain we are going through today is what is needed to make us stronger, more resilient, and teach us new skills so that we can be more of the person God wants us to be. There are some things that only hardship and struggle can teach us for. The pastor and author Craig Groeschel said recently “the pathways to our greatest potential is often through our greatest fear”, and fear often comes when we face our greatest problems.
Think about Joseph in the OT. He rose to be one of the top leaders in all of Egypt and his position helped save a nation and his family during a severe drought, but that position only came through great pain and heartache. Joseph was betrayed by his family, falsely accused of a crime, sent to prison, and then spent years working in prison to a place of authority before he was released from captivity to work for Pharaoh. Those struggles prepared Joseph to be a leader.
Peter failed Jesus on several occasions and it was those difficult times of failure that helped him become the Rock, the leader, Jesus said he would be. Peter would never have been able to stand up and preach to thousands of people if he had not first failed and learned from those struggles how to trust God. His faith had to be proven and strengthened through difficult and painful days.
What makes us stronger isn’t comfort and ease but struggle and pain, all athletes will tell you that. And what helps us deal with rejection isn’t always praise, as much as we need praise, but what helps us deal with rejection is rejection and learning how to fail. I kind of joke about it, but one reason I took a job as a door to door salesperson was to learn how to deal with rejection. None of us like it, but it does strengthen us.
In many ways, everything that we go through in life, good and bad, helps prepare us for the future. So the bad days are just as important and have just as much to teach us as the good days, so don’t ignore the bad days, don’t hide from them, or run from them, learn from them. Endure through them. In Romans 5:3-4 it says, we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Pain can lead to positive things.
And in James 1:2-4 it says, consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
And then in verse 12, Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him
There are times we cannot be the person we want to be, or God wants us to be, or have the kind of faith we want to have without going through challenging and difficult days. Our purpose in life may never be found without some pain, so the pain you are experiencing today, the struggles, hardships, and disappointments might all be the road that will take you where God wants you to be.
We also need to remember that we were never meant to go through difficult times alone. Yes, God has promised to walk with us through the rising waters and flaming fire, but we are also called to walk with one another. Galatians 6:2 calls us to carry each other’s burdens. This not only tells us that we will have burdens in life, but it tells us not to go through it alone. We need to help one another along the way. Carrying the burden lightens the load for those who are overwhelmed but it also strengthens the faith of those who are helping. We all win.
The last thing Jesus said about those bad days is that they will not last. Jesus said, you will experience grief, but your grief will be turned to joy. He said, in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. Because of the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death, we know that the problems we face and the pain we feel will not last forever. Sometimes the victory is found here as we find the purpose and plan God has for us, and sometimes the victory is not found in this world, but in the world to come.
In Revelation 21:4-5 we get a glimpse of what the kingdom of heaven is like and it says, “God 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. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
Bad days come, but they don’t last forever. Seasons of hardships come, but the Bible says there is a season for everything, a season of hardships and a season of victory. Jesus never said there would be no bad days, so when they come, or as we are walking through them today, let them prove our faith, let them draw us deeper into a relationship with God and deepen our spiritual roots, and let them lead us to a greater God given purpose. And let us always remember that while Jesus DID say, In this world you will have trouble, BUT, take heart! I have overcome the world.
Next Steps
Jesus Never Said - You won’t have any bad days
What are some reasons God might have for not shielding us from all pain and suffering?
What are some benefits of a faith that’s been tested? What did you learned from times when your faith was tested?
Read: Romans 5:3-4, James 1:2-4, 12, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Isaiah 43:2
How can these scriptures help us look at our pain and struggles differently?
What problems and trials are you going through today?
What are some ways you can start seeing these trials as opportunities to strengthen your faith? What purpose might they be preparing you for?
Read Galatians 6:2
How can we help carry each other’s burdens and help people find peace in the midst of their pain?
● Who can you encourage this week?
● What is one thing can you do to help?
Prayer for the bad days:
Father, Thank You for all the ways in which You push us and stretch us to become more like Your Son. Thank You for giving purpose to everything we experience—even times of struggle and hardship. Help us to find peace in Christ no matter what we face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
