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Your Two Options in Times Of Trouble
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
“If I can just get through this problem, I’m sure everything will be okay.” Ever think that? So you grit your teeth and, sure enough, you get through the problem, only to find there are several more on the horizon. It’s something like pedaling a bicycle. Going uphill is so slow and takes so much energy, while the downhill run so quickly turns into another uphill climb.
Jesus said, “In the world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), and in saying that Jesus was merely making a statement of how things are and how they will be until He comes to establish His kingdom.
The Chinese character for crisis is a combination of two characters: danger and opportunity. Interesting! Both are involved when you confront a problem.
“If I can just get through this problem … .” Now, there’s nothing wrong in getting through one problem before you tackle the next one, but getting through the immediate one won’t be the end of the challenge.
The word that we translate “worry” or “anxiety” in the New Testament is an interesting word. Paul used the word when he described his care or concern for the churches—a legitimate area of concern. He also used the word when he talks about not being overwhelmed by the immediate problem—but rather to pray about that and to commit it to the Lord (see Philippians 4:6).
The Greek word for worry, merimna, comes from a verb that means “to be drawn or pulled in different directions,” or to be distracted to the point of being really worked up over something. Do you ever find yourself in that position, where your head and your heart don’t tell you the same things? Your head says, “That problem is a big one that confronts you!” But your heart says, “God is bigger than the problem, and I think that I can trust Him.” You are drawn or pulled two different ways. The end result: worry.
When I’m confronted with a situation such as I have just described, I’ve learned that I generally decide how it’s going to be–whether I give in to what my head says and worry, or I yield to the inner witness of the Spirit in my heart that says, “Trust God!”
Paul Tournier, the Swiss psychiatrist who touched a generation with his common-sense observations, says that the most powerful and unused gift from God is choice. That observation is one that comes from the pages of Scripture, and in this whole matter, it is you—not circumstances, or fate, or the enemies of your soul—who does the choosing. You do! The choice is: worry or trust. Commitment or vacillation. Progress or losing ground. Making decisions or having decisions made for you. Walking with the Lord, or walking alone in the dark.
“In the world,” said Jesus, “you will have trouble.” But He didn’t stop there. He continued, saying, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), and those words tell me that He not only walks with me as I take the upward climb, but He’s on the other side to welcome me as well. He’s been there! “If I can just get through this problem!” Frankly, that’s not the proper point of focus. Rather, concentrate on finding His strength and power and learn from the experience you are walking through.
In his book Why Us? Warren Wiersbe tells of a blind girl who was struggling with some tough issues, who turned to him and said, “Pray that I won’t waste all of this suffering!” That was a woman who saw God’s purpose in the upward climb. So can you, friend, no matter where you are on the incline of life. Yes, God, please don’t let us waste all of this suffering.
Resource reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13.

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