Have you ever been so frustrated with your current situation you’ve asked God why He would bring these things your way? Asking what kind of lesson is He trying to teach you and believing once you learned the lesson this struggle would go away? And, if you didn’t then you haven’t learned all you were supposed to?
I’ve had those kinds of conversations with God over the years, more times than I care to admit. I thought any bad in my life was part of His grand plan. I would wrestle over every single detail and process it over and over again to ensure I wasn’t missing something. I wanted to guarantee I learned whatever it was God wanted me to so I could finally move on.
Unfortunately, my heart saw God as the giver of the valley seasons. I falsely believed His divine intervention would not occur until I was full of lessons learned. This way of thinking never left me hopeful or joyful instead it left me hurting, depressed, and full of guilt.
Until one Sunday I was sitting in a new church and heard a pastor teaching a completely different viewpoint. One that explained, through scripture, how the enemy is the one to bring destruction and Jesus was our savior, our white flag, our helper. I started reading more on this subject, searched for other teachings from other pastors, talked with trusted pastors and mentors and my heart was changed. I no longer saw Jesus as the one bringing the bad to teach me a lesson. I saw Him as a loving father and more clearly understood how intricate the enemy’s work was.
Jesus does good, He says good, He is good. Jesus is the definition of good and only and all good comes from Him.
It’s important to know, God does teach us. He wants us to be righteous, holy, pure, and ultimately like Him. Through scripture, you will see three different ways God teaches and instructs His children and I pray it gives you peace, hope, and joy during your trials.
- Through His Word– If we want to know God, His character, His plans, and promises there is no better place than the Bible. 2 Timothy shares how all scripture is inspired by God, is used to teach us what is true, used to show us what is wrong, corrects that wrong, and teaches us to do what is right. It also says God uses the Bible to prepare and equip His children to do every good work. He only wants us to do good by showing us what is good. Scripture is the immediate way to learn, no matter your age, gender, race, or the length of time you’ve been reading scripture. When facing trials or struggles, going to the Word is the key to gain strength, wisdom, and endurance.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
- Direct Experiences- The enemy is very real. Scripture states Satan is like a lion, waiting to pounce and devour you (I Peter 5:8). The Bible also says the devil’s mission is to steal, kill, and destroy… you. (John 10:10). He is actively working against you, always. His mission is to bring you down. We also live in a world with broken and hurting people, the combo of those two bring a lot of trials. These trials are opportunities to allow God to work in us and through our situations. Scripture is full of stories of people walking through tough valleys and learning valuable lessons (Joseph, Moses, Peter, Paul). We also see people in scripture who don’t learn and the consequences that follow (The Kings of Israel). The book of Job tells us that wisdom and understanding come with age. Time and experiences can be a tool God uses in our life to point us back to scripture and teach us. Be encouraged knowing Jesus already defeated your enemy and you already have victory (Ephesians 6).
Job 12:12 says, “Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding the old.”
Romans 5:3 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”
- Indirect Experiences– Being taught through other people is an undervalued asset. Jesus taught the disciples through the life He lived and the lessons He taught. The author of Proverbs wrote lessons on how he was teaching his son. Jethro, a priest, was able to give counsel to Moses. Pricilla taught Apollos the correct teachings of Jesus. We can take the wisdom of other people who have already learned lessons and apply it to our own life. When we value their wisdom, we avoid having to learn the hard way.
Philippians 4:9 says, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”
Friend, scripture says God is our heavenly father. A Father. The one who gave you breath and created you from nothing. A father who loves you, provides for you, protects you, heals you, and died for you.
A loving and healthy father doesn’t purposely throw their child into harm’s way to be taught a lesson. A father jumps at the chance to pull their child to safety and then uses that as the tool to teach. While a father may have to make hard choices to not enable poor behavior, a good father prevents enabling which then allows for hope for the child to change.
A loving and healthy father doesn’t give their child pain, struggles, and sickness to teach a lesson. That’s manipulative and abusive and not the Jesus I serve nor see in scripture.
Friend, while you will never experience a struggle-free life before Heaven, you can experience struggle with hope and joy. You will still hurt, cry, and have frustration and anger. You will still have seasons of laying face down on the floor praying and crying out to God. You will still be very human in your emotions through everything life throws at you. But, in the midst of it all, hope and joy can be ever-present. Hope knowing God is near, He cares, He will help and provide a way even when you don’t see one. You can have hope knowing through Christ no struggle is forever, nothing can break you, and everything will be OK. You can have hope and joy in the midst of it all.
Joy is not an emotion. Scripture says the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). Joy is a tool and when your spirit yields to it, you will see past your temporary battle and that is where your hope and confidence in Christ comes from.
I’ve shared this with you before and I want to share it again…
God did not place a financial burden on you to teach you a lesson.
God did not give you cancer to teach you a lesson.
God did not give you ‘fill in the blank” sickness to teach you a lesson.
God did not give you a cheating spouse to teach you a lesson.
God did not take a family member away from you to teach you a lesson.
God did not take your job away to teach you a lesson.
God did not give you difficult relationships to teach you a lesson.
God did not give you depression, anxiety, or any other mental health struggle to teach you a lesson.
What God did do was…
He died on the cross so that you may live and to live a life full of generosity.
He died on the cross so you may walk in health.
He died on the cross so you can be healed from all earthy hurts and wrongdoings.
He died on the cross and that same spirit that rose Jesus from the grave lives in you so that in the midst of your valleys He is there being the source of your hope and joy. And leading you out of that valley.
The next time you’re facing a struggle or walking through a valley, I want you to see Jesus as your loving heavenly father who gives you more than you could ever ask for. Who is always for you and will work good through you. I don’t want you falsely believing He gave you your valley to teach you. He gave His son so you can live and He gave us His Word so we can learn to be more like Him.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
Here are just a few more scriptures to reflect on:
Genesis 1:31 says “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”
1 Chronicles 16:34 says “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Psalm 16:2 says, “Every good thing I have comes from you.”
Psalm 31:19 says, “Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!”
Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Psalm 119:68 says, “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.”
Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Psalm 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.”
1 Chronicles 16:34 says “O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting.”
Beautiful, as always.
Thank you Heather.
Aww, Thanks, friend!