Have you fallen on hard times?
Do grief, struggles and difficulties seem to be waiting to pounce on you around every corner?
Are you sick, do your loved ones suffer and, therefore YOU suffer?
As odd as it seems, you might want to thank God for sending these “Hard Times” to you.
Mark 1:
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Leprosy – everybody’s heard of it, but do you really know what it is?
No, arms don’t fall off! It causes skin sores, nerve damage, limb numbness, pain… and it never quits.
At least not until modern medicine came around.
In the old days it was treated w/ spider bites, snake venom, as well as dismemberment.
Yeah, chop off the arm and maybe it’ll go away!
Due to stigma, lepers were ostracized… nowadays we call it quarantine, but think a little more barbaric.
They were sent to leper colonies that were guarded (against leaving!) and were pretty much dependent on charity for food.
All in all if you had leprosy, your life was as bad as it could get and usually you ended up being executed.
Acts 9:
32 And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.
33 And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.
34 And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.
35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.
This man had an incurable disease (even today it’s incurable, it’s only treatable) he was bedridden for 8 years.
Poof, just like that he was healed.
Luke 9:
37 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.
38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
These people DEFINITELY had Hard Times; they might be similar to yours…
They might even be worse. But…
Sickness and affliction are nothing to God’s majestic power.
He has the power to completely erase these afflictions.
God granted a Shunammite woman a son.
Years later, the child died and the woman called Elijah.
2 Kings 4:
32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
Even death – there is nothing beyond God’s power to heal.
But before you begin wondering why you or anyone else has to go through these trials.
Why God doesn’t heal them all.
Why God doesn’t heal YOURS, let’s look a little deeper.
2Corinthians 12:
5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Hebrews 11:
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
2 Corinthians 1:
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
Philippians 1:
28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
God GIVES us these afflictions.
He ALLOWS us to face adversities and trials.
If you are suffering – sickness, persecutions, afflictions or having “hard times”… turn to the next passage: bookmark it and think about it
1Peter 2
19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
There is no glory when you are punished for doing wrong and accept the responsibility…
Glory is found when you patiently endure the punishment, even when you’ve done nothing to deserve it!
It is THANKWORTHY in God’s eye, to endure grief, to suffer wrongfully.
Which is more inspiring, which receives the most admiration?
A child that always gets straight A’s without even trying, or a child on the verge of flunking a class…. who, by striving and studying, brings home a C+?
Hard working, striving to be better, overcoming life’s hurdles, excelling beyond stigma, and always reaching for a higher goal, regardless of pressures.
This is how we want our children to be… Why would God want less from His children?
There’s an old saying, “Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment”
I was talking to a coworker the other day.
He had gone through some very stressful family and work problems and was finally beyond them.
He said, “but God finally blessed me”.
I told him that he should be careful looking at it that way… maybe he should look back on it.
You see, you can’t climb UP, unless you’re already at the bottom.
You can’t become better, unless you’ve been less.
Well we are less, this life guarantees it.
All of our imperfections, our sins, our doubts, our bodies, our lack of faith.
These are all targets for Satan, and he’s a got a fair aim.
To overcome Satan is to turn to God.
An erring child turning back to his Father.
God knows about the Hard times…
He’s waiting for you to turn back to Him.
Turn your problems over to God.
He will deal with them as he sees fit.
They’re beyond your control anyway.
Thank God for the trials and become that Better Christian because of them.
1Peter 4:
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
Jesus said:
John 16:
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world