Can’t we just skip the hardship, get the lesson learned and over with, and move on?
Yep – that has been my prayer (often). ‘Fess up – have you done the same?
I know that “godliness” and “persecution” have not paired up easily in my way of thinking. Actually, Henry Blackaby in his devotional laid it out for me – “Living a godly life will not insulate you from hardship.” Oh, darn!
Where did we get that notion that being a good Christian person would lead us through a lovely life? And how did we define a “lovely life”? If you are like me, it’s no pain, no hardship, no struggles, and lots of peaceful, fun, happy times. Even if I didn’t say it out loud, I know it is lurking around in the deepest part of my heart.
And then Blackaby had to go and point out Paul’s teaching that the more blameless your life, the more likely you will be persecuted. What? That just goes against my grain. And yes, I have seen it in my life and I cannot say I enjoyed it one bit!!
What was Paul’s thinking? In 2 Timothy 3:13, he says that “evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived”. How did Paul know what 2024 would look like since he lived some 2,000 years ago in Christ’s time?
Blackaby is all too accurate in describing today, in my opinion:
As the world increasingly embraces sin, worldly people are becoming increasingly intolerant of godliness. Darkness cannot tolerate light; the more your life illuminates the presence of Christ, the more you should expect opposition from the forces of darkness. Your Christlike nature will be offensive to those in rebellion against Christ’s lordship.
And Blackaby wrote this in his devotional book in 1998 with an update in 2006. When that panic arises in me that our world is going off the deep end and Christians are being sidelined and persecuted, I have to take a deep breath and remember Paul and Blackaby.
And yes, sadly, the persecution can sometimes come from other Christians who misunderstand our motives. But nothing is more discouraging than having just taken a step of obedience to God, or have repented of a sin and made good on an apology — just having done the right thing according to scripture. And then have opposition, persecution, punishing responses come instead. Or being vilified and made to be the “bad guy”.
Blackaby encourages us to check in first whether we are sincerely following the Lord’s direction – if so, then we are not to be discouraged. Paul warned us that people living godly lives will suffer persecution so we should not be “surprised”. I am thinking I need to clean out some not-so-logical thinking that I have had lingering around in the back of my mind whispering “this isn’t right, they shouldn’t do that to you, this shouldn’t be happening to you”, etc. As Blackaby reminds us, the world crucified the Son of God, so why would we think the world won’t be hostile to anyone who lives by the power of the Holy Spirit?
He offered a thought I need to tuck away, memorize, and bring up when helpful – “persecution may be the best evidence that your life is like that of Christ.” Jesus warned us that the world hated Him, our Savior, so it would certainly misunderstand and mistreat His disciples (John 15:18) I should not be surprised.
Brian Noble, past CEO of Peacemaker Ministries, published a devotional I truly love – Daily Wisdom for Peacemaking. In the situation outlined above, he points us to Psalm 116:1-7. Well worth reading:
I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me: I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord; “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low; he saved me. Return, O my soul to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
As Brian points out, the psalmist had problems, but he didn’t let them dictate his life. (let that sink in for a bit)
And the psalmist didn’t let those trials keep him from calling out to the Lord. (great idea I need to remember – seek Him first)
As Brian noted, the psalmist asked for deliverance of his soul which could be thoughts, desires, or emotions. I am right there with him – I ask God to set me free from the internal struggles of my mind and emotions and desires, and it at times includes physical issues.
But as Brian points out, I need to continue my journey as did the psalmist – immediately after asking God for his deliverance, he begins to praise God with “the Lord is” statements.
That’s a different direction than I usually go. In fact, the whining goes quite longer than it should, I know. But do I want the Lord to return my soul to rest? Absolutely!
And have I learned this in my work on Christian conflict resolution? Absolutely! When my first trainings in 1996 had the trainer saying “Conflict is an opportunity” – I gagged and pushed back and said “no way” in my mind. I pictured conflict as ugly, painful, totally undesired. Never thought of it as an opportunity.
Over the last 28 years of doing conflict work, I can tell you how that has changed. I have seen God show up in mighty ways, resolve what I thought was impossibly separated, and even when results were not visible or immediate, He showed me the way in which He was working according to His plan. I learned that not only was conflict an opportunity, I now see it differently. I see conflict as God knocking on hearts wanting to come in and ‘do business’ with us or others – all to His glory and according to His plan.
So, yes, when life is hard, I need rest for my soul. I suspect you do, too. First, I need to remember Psalm 116:1-7 and wring my hands along with the psalmist, and then call on the name of the Lord asking for deliverance of my soul. I want that rest. And God has promised it! (Matthew 11:29) I just need to claim it – and may you find it, also!
