Tribulation

There I am at a wedding, sitting with people I have never met before, but do have something in common with; Jesus. A brother in Christ, who moved to Colorado from Ethiopia, via Chicago, strikes up a conversation with me. He asks, “So, are you married?” I reply, “No, I am not. Are you married?” He answers, “No, my wife was killed in a car accident 18 months ago.” All I could say was, “Oh man, I’m sorry.” Everybody at the table has this uncomfortable feeling and offers whatever condolences they can offer. The two of us continued talking the rest of our time there at the wedding. If you didn’t know he had lost his wife, you’d never know he suffered such loss in his life. He admitted that the last year has been rough on him, but that he has gotten through it because of, and gotten closer to, Jesus. We both agreed that we do not know how people get through the hard times in life without Jesus or apart from coming to a saving faith in Him because of their trials. As Christians it is hard to admit sometimes, but it is the sufferings of life that truly test and reveal our faith. Quite honestly, that is the way it should be. “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4).” Our faith has an object. The object of our faith is Jesus Christ. The one thing that tribulation does is strip us clean of all that we hold dear in life. It reveals if what we put our trust and hope in is real or not. Our friends and our families are important in getting us through tough times. But, when the lights are out and we are alone, what truly remains to hold on to? It is Jesus Christ. 

We must never forget that God created us to have needs. We have the need to know our God. The deepest desires of our heart for unconditional love and total acceptance are only met in Christ. That is how God created it to be. Tribulations lead to hope. And our hope is Jesus Christ. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that helps us persevere. Perseverance is a steady persistence in a course of action in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement. Perseverance leads to character. Character is the quality of honesty, courage and integrity. Character leads to hope. Again, Jesus Christ is our hope because it is He in which are expectations are centered. Everything is geared towards getting our eyes off our circumstances and squarely on Him. Unfortunately, the trauma of experiencing tribulation is often what it takes to center our attention on Jesus. When it feels like our world is crumbling and we realize that nothing of this world is truly helping with that inner turmoil, fear and desperation, all which is left is the divine intervention of Jesus Christ. After the Lord brings us through, we are then able to understand that He is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).” God brings us through our tribulations so, in turn, we can bring others through their tribulation and to a deeper knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ.