When do you sin? When do you struggle? In what situations do you find yourself acting in the wrong way? What makes you depressed, angry, bitter, irritated, or frustrated? When are you prone to temptation? What winds you up? What makes you depressed, angry, or frustrated? Is there a pattern?
Life is tough sometimes. Difficult family relationships, financial challenges, singleness, marriage. Physical sickness, Godless professors, or even people may be irritating you at your job. You may even have peer pressure that pushes you toward sin. We are messed up people living in a messed up world! Ultimately, sin happens when we believe lies about God instead of God’s Word and when we worship idols instead of worshipping God. Yet, amid our brokenness, we have a God who cares. God did not just see our struggle and allow us to continue to suffer from a distance. He "rolled up his sleeves," came down, got involved, and experienced our struggles firsthand. Ultimately God entered our world when the Son of God became human. Jesus knows what it is to be hungry, assaulted, rejected, tired, lonely, tempted, needy, opposed, and busy. He faced poverty, injustice, temptation, and betrayal. More than all that, on the cross he was forsaken by his Father (Mark 15:34). Jesus shared our struggles. Jesus shared in our humanity. Therefore, as he personally suffered when tempted, he can sympathize with our struggles. (Heb 2:14–18, 4:14–16)
So let’s talk about struggles and the God who cares.
Firstly, He uses our struggles. Evil is evil. It’s painful, confusing, and real. Often, behind it is the defiant and deviant mind of Satan. But God uses it for his bigger purposes (Genesis 50:20; Acts 4:27–28). Our past, present, and future experiences of evil will enhance our eternal experience of glory. Additionally, the pain of sin allows God’s grace to shape us presently in marvelous ways.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom. 8:28–29
Romans 8 gives us a glimpse of many passages relating to sanctification that we see in the New Testament. God calls us to rejoice during turmoil.
Secondly, God promises to bring them to an end. He has taken our sufferings on himself to end our sufferings. On the cross Jesus took God’s wrath on himself in our place, freeing us from God’s curse. He promises a new world without sin or pain. His resurrection is the beginning of a new creation, which will come to completion at the end of history—a new creation in which God himself will “wipe away every tear” and in which death shall be no more, neither mourning, crying, nor pain anymore. (Rev. 21:3–4). This is why Peter would encourage the brothers and sisters of the first century by stating: “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” (1 Pet. 1:6)
Be encouraged brothers and sisters! While today might feel hard, devoid of goodness, or vain…God is merciful and gracious. He certainly is THE God who cares!
Sincerely,
Pastor Jordan Kosinski