“But Job replied, ‘You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?’ So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.” ~ Job 2:10 NLT
Here’s where our growth as Christians comes in, we only want comfort not hardships, joy not sadness, or laughter and not pain. But in this life, we will have hardships, troubles of many kinds, because the prince of this world is Satan and not God. Oh yes, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers” (Psalms 24:1-2).
Everything you see belongs to God because He has created everything and everything is in subjection to Him even though we do not see it at present, just like the writer of the book of Hebrews taught. But the Earth is ruled under the enemy, Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Jesus states this same idea earlier, John records it in John 12:31, “31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”
So make no mistake, trials and temptations are going to come but remember this: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
No one gets stronger without working out, and no one develops without practice. The same is true in the spiritual, you won’t grow if you are always on the mountain top. We need mountain tops and the valleys, we need sunshine and rain, we need good and bad in order to grow and develop.
Heavenly Father, teach us to be faithful in bad times and the good. Help us to praise on the mountain top as well as in the valley. May we never get too comfortable where we are that it stunts our spiritual growth. And may we never complain in times of trouble or times of discipline.
In Jesus name, Amen.
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