Financial Discipleship - the Bible on Crisisনমুনা

GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR ADVERSITY.

The Cecropia moth emerges from its cocoon only after a long, exhausting struggle to free itself. A young boy, wishing to help the moth, carefully slit the exterior of the cocoon. Soon it came out, but its wings were shriveled and couldn’t function. What the young boy didn’t realize was that the moth’s struggle to liberate itself from the cocoon was essential to the development of its wings and its ability to fly.

Much like the cocoon of the moth, adversity has a part to play in our lives. God uses those difficult, sometimes heartbreaking times to mature us in Christ. James 1:2-4 says it this way: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (NIV).

God designs challenging circumstances for our ultimate benefit. Romans 8:28-29 tells us, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. . .” (NIV). The primary good that God works in our lives is to make us more like Christ.

We see this same thought expressed in Hebrews 12:6-11, “For whom the Lord loves He disciplines . . . He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in his holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” God makes no mistakes. He knows exactly what He wants us to become, and He also knows exactly what is necessary to produce that result in our lives.

Bev and I have endured — and benefited — from many storms: from the birth and death of a precious special-needs child to an unwanted career change to Bev’s double mastectomy to rid her of breast cancer that later spread to her bones and liver. Through the crucible of our pain and tears, many of the Bible’s truths grew from wispy theory into rock-solid reality. Although we would never want to repeat these experiences, we are incredibly grateful for how the Lord has used them in our lives.

Author Ron Dunn observed: “If God subtracted one pain, one heartache, one disappointment from my life, I would be less than the person I am now, less the person God wants me to be, and my ministry would be less than He intends.”

Please don’t miss this point. You and I need to recognize difficulties as opportunities to grow into the people God wants us to be. In adversity, we learn things we just couldn’t learn any other way.

You can be comforted knowing that your loving heavenly Father is in absolute control of every situation you will ever face. He intends to use each circumstance for a good purpose. First Thessalonians 5:18 says it well, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Sometimes, even when we fully obey the Lord, we will experience a major crisis because the Lord intends to use it to fulfill His purposes. Luke 8:22-25 records such an example. “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ . . . So they got into the boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples” (NIV).

Consider this: The disciples did exactly what Jesus asked of them. Several of the disciples were seasoned fishermen who surely spent thousands of hours fishing on the lake in all kinds of weather. When the unexpected squall swept the lake, they panicked because they knew all too well that their lives were at risk.

After Jesus calmed the storm, He challenged the disciples about their lack of faith. In fact, His whole agenda had been to increase their faith by placing them in a life-threatening situation that only He could solve. And He solved it by simply commanding the storm to be calm.

(excerpt taken from Building Your Finances God’s Way Study, Howard Dayton, 2021)