Standing Firm Through Adversity

Hello to you all once again, I apologize for the lack of post these last few months. I will hopefully be able to post once a week again starting now.

So the last month or so I have really been feeling adversity, not only adversity spiritually, but also on a emotional level. I have been challenged and stressed a lot through the course of the summer, as well as my first week here again at Peace River Bible Institute.

Adversity is not something new for us as human beings let alone as believers, and followers of the lord Jesus Christ. Everyone faces adversity, everyone struggles, but us as believers face far more adversity than your typical everyday average Joe. We face the adversity of Satan, the adversity of sin, the adversity of fellow man, and the adversity of this world, a world fallen and broken by the effects of sin.

I have often struggled with thinking that I am the only one struggling with a certain issue, I have so often thought I was alone in this struggle. When that is most certainly not the case, every believer struggles with, or has struggled with the same things as I have, and am struggling with. Not only that but since the fall all men and women have struggled with the same things as me. Most of all, Christ himself was tempted in every way possible. How encouraging is it to know that others both past and present, have struggled with the same things, and that our lord Jesus was tempted with all things.

One amazing account of adversity in the Bible would have to be the story of Job. I will be focusing on Job chapters 1 and 2 in this post.

In the first section of Job chapter 1 we are shown both Job’s character and his wealth. Let’s take a look at Job’s life as it was at this point in time. “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.”

Job was very wealthy, he was a blessed man, yet even though he had everything that a man at the time longed for; he still feared God. This shows us that Job was a Godly man, he was a great man of God, he turned from evil. Job was blameless and upright.

We may think to ourselves after reading this that Job did not have any adversity, I mean look at his life thus far; he was rich and had seven sons and three daughters, and all the while he was a blameless, upright, God fearing man. But in order to see the adversity that Job faced we must continue to read.

Job 1:6-12 states:
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ Then Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.’ The LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.’ Then Satan answered the LORD, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ ‘Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.’ ‘But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.’ Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not put forth you hand on him.’ So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.

This shows that Job was not facing adversity but it also sheds a little light unto the fact that there will be hard times ahead for Job. But there is also one thing to learn form this section of Job chapter 1; take notice that Satan had to receive God’s permission to do anything, this shows that God is in complete control. With this in mind we know that Satan’s powers are limited, limited to what God will allow, and with Christ on our side; we can feel safe and assured that when we place our trust in Him that there is nothing that we will face that God cannot lead us through.

We can now see the adversity in which Job was faced with unfold. Job 1:12-22 states the following:
“Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, ‘The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was still speaking another also came and said, ‘The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ While he was still speaking another also came and said, ‘Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and behold a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.’ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell to the ground and worshipped. He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.’ Through all of this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

This is so powerful, Job lost all of his possessions, all of his servants, and all of his children. I cannot even begin to comprehend the amount of anguish and pain that Job must have felt. Yet through all the fierce adversity that Job faced so far we read that “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” And not only that but we also read “The Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and fell to the ground and worshiped.”

That really makes me think, do I worship God when I am faced with adversity, whether it be small or big? Do I often sin or blame God for things that have happened in my life, or things that are happening? You may be asking yourselves the same questions, but I encourage you not to feel downhearted because of this. Take this as a lesson, learn from Job, learn that no matter what adversity we face that it is not something to blame God for, and in our adversity let us not sin, but worship the LORD our God.

As if this was not enough for Job to be faced with, in chapter 2 we read about yet even more adversity that Job was faced with. But again we read that Satan had to receive God’s permission.

Job 2:7-10 states:

“Then Satan went out form the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept the good from God and not accept adversity?’ In all of this Job did not sin with his lips.”

How powerful is that story, a man losing all he had and his children, and yet still worship God. Then his health is struck and he is faced with great pain, and yet he will still not curse God’s name. Job was faced with a lot of adversity and yet he was able to come through, not through his strength but by trusting in the LORD. With God on our side nothing is impossible, there is nothing that God cannot handle, He is in control of everything.

A good question to ask ourselves would be a question Job asked his wife “‘Shall we indeed accept the good from God and not accept adversity?’” We cannot always expect life to be peachy keen, we cannot expect life to be easy. Life is hard, and for us as believers it is even more difficult, the world is against us.

We need to learn from Job’s situation and learn that God is truly in control. We must cast our cares upon Him and trust that He is greater than everything. We can and should learn to praise and worship our God even when facing adversity whatever it could be. So I encourage you be like Job, trust in the LORD for our God is worthy to be praised.

Until Next Time
God bless you all