I wanted to say a few words about overcoming trials and afflictions.
The more our gaze is turned upon Christ as our first love, the more we value his cross and his gospel as the things of first importance, the more we abide in him by abiding in his word, and especially in sitting underneath a faithful ministry of the preached word together with his people, then the more he heals us, bandages our wounds, and saves us from ourselves. A steady, consistent intake of the word of God into our very souls, both in our personal lives as well as together with the people of God, is what will ultimately most help us in the midst of trials and afflictions and grief. The word of God will reorient us away from ourselves and towards God, who is the physician of our souls.
And the more we are among the people of God, fellowshipping with them, sharing the word of God with one another, encouraging one another in our relationships with one another, lifting up one another in prayer, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, giving thanks always and for everything to God, etc., then the more we will be helped as well. And God, who is the God of all comfort, does not solely comfort us, but he often comforts us so that we might comfort others as well. And when we do comfort others in their trials and afflictions, then we not only comfort them, but God further comforts us in our comforting them. This is a most gracious circle.
Thus, as we abide in Christ and with his people, loving him and his word and his ways and his people, the Holy Spirit will naturally work in us to love all peoples as well. So, the more we love others and hold out Christ and his words of eternal life to others with our lips and our lives, the more we weep with others when they weep, in their pain, in their hurt, in their loss, in their trials, in their afflictions, in their griefs, the more we spend ourselves in love for the lost, then the more we ourselves begin to rejoice in Christ, too.
So the words of Christ prove true: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). This is the cross-centered, Christ-glorifying life, to give ourselves to another. In the midst of trials, our tendency is to focus on ourselves, and that is well and fine and to be expected to a certain extent, but real help and healing comes when we get our eyes off of ourselves and fix them on Christ, and others. By dying, we live. By dying to ourselves, we live to and for Christ. By dying, Christ reaps a glorious harvest through us, and we in turn have abundant life. Thanks be to the Lord our God!
Let us therefore pray that we are made more holy and useful to God for the sake of others and that God is glorified via our lives — and if our undergoing trials is what makes us more holy and what best glorifies God, then let us pray for these things.
In short, dear friends, I know it is a hard saying, but let us not so much pray for peace from trials as we pray for peace in the midst of trials, so that Christ might be glorified in our lives. May we long to see Christ’s glorious, resurrected life in us. Soli Deo gloria!
