Troubles Are Fleeting but God’s Word Remains

Since the downfall of humankind when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, of good and evil, humanity has been on a downward spiral of sin and turmoil. Turmoil and sin that produces troubles and conflicts, and although no one is immune from the sin of and in the world, we certainly can have hope in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, that He came to restore what Adam and Eve had broken and that is our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

“For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” —2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT

This verse is part of a larger passage where Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians encouraging them to persevere through their trials and tribulations. He suggests that the troubles that Christian believers face in this life are only brief considering the eternity of glory that God promises us.

In a practical aspect we should look at our ‘troubles and trials’ as a means of growth. Yes, troubles and trials are painful, yes, we go through so much in this life, however, without pain there would be no growth. On this journey of life, I have discovered that every time something is testing me, and I look at it from a ‘what is this teaching me’ perspective, it helps to grow and shape who I am. It also helps me to trust a little more in what the Lord has for me. However, I know there are certainly times, and you may be going through one now where you are saying ‘but it doesn’t make sense’. During these times we need to lay the burden down at the foot of the cross and trust that the Lord, who is our redeemer will take care of us and the issue.

One of the reasons as to why we need to lay it down, is that there is nothing we can do about whatever ‘it’ is, and we are simply not in control. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 30:5, ‘Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him’.

So how do we lay it down, whatever ‘it’ is? This is not my idea, but I did give it a name in my home and that is, ‘The Christ-Giving Box’. This is a box we use to write down our burdens, issues, anxieties, troubles and trials that we are going through individually and as a family. When then pop it in the box and try our best to leave it there. When we are feeling like we have picked up the ‘thing’ again then we open the box and take out the paper, hold it up and read it and say out loud, ‘Lord I know I have this better than you’. This of course is such a ridiculous notion that we are saying that we are bigger than God, but it helps to put it into perspective and then we place the ‘thing’ back in the box and seal the lid. Sometimes this takes multiple times of putting back in the box and each time we let go a little more.

We also need to follow John 15:4, where Jesus tells us ‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me’. This is why it is so important for believers to be in God’s word, we need to know His promises, so that we can be secure in our times of trouble by the renewing our mind through His word.

In the terms of all eternity, our troubles are fleeting, without struggle and discomfort there is no growth, the glory that awaits us as promised by God is more than we could ever imagine.

‘May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer’ — Psalms 19:14.