Hardship prompts us to depend on God

      God's Help for Hard Times - Part 4

God Uses Hardship and Pain to Get us to Depend on Him

     By James L. Morrisson with Maria Kneas


God can use hardship, pain and suffering to get us to depend on him rather than ourselves. Paul refers to the great pressure he was under in the province of Asia, which was so great that he despaired of life, and then says,

"...that we should not trust in ourselves' but in God which raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:9)

Paul asked God to take away his "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians1 2:7-8). God replied,

"My grace is sufficient for thee' for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Paul added,

"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." (2 Corinthians1 2:10)

Paul's weakness made him strong in the sense that it caused him to rely to a greater degree on God's incomparably great strength. God used "this thorn in the flesh" (which evidently bothered Paul quite a bit, whatever it was)' to cause Paul to depend on God at a deeper level.

This is an important principle. We see it illustrated in a number of ways. For example, Jesus said that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:,23-24). One reason is that a rich person tends to rely on his own riches rather than on God. More generally, those who are comfortable and successful by this world's standards often feel that they don't need God.

Those who are in very difficult situations and do not see how they can get through them, are much more likely to turn to God for help. When things are going well, we can easily believe that we are self-sufficient. In the face of hardship and suffering, the myth of self-sufficiency loses credibility.

We see this in another way. In the relatively affluent West, the Christian church has tended to be weak. Not only are its numbers declining, but many individuals and churches seem to be lacking in strong commitment to God.

In other parts of the world, such as Africa, where many people face hardships, the Christian church is strong and growing. In China, where the independent Christian church faces severe persecution, the church has been growing rapidly. The rate of growth has been far greater under Communist persecution than it ever was before.

I have seen this operate in my own life. The experience of having to deal with advanced cancer has not been easy. But I can see that it has done several things for me.

It has increased my faith. I have been put in a position where I had only God to depend on, and I have become more than willing to trust Him. I have identified and gotten rid of a number of things that had been weakening my faith. I have been praying more consistently and more effectively. I have gained a greater appreciation and thankfulness for the many blessings God has given me.

"...count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4

See God's Help for Hard Times

Copyright 2012 by James L. Morrisson, Frances F. Morrisson and Maria M. Kneas

You can dowload a free PDF file of the book at: www.GodsHelpForHardTimes.com