God Wants to Help You, Not Hurt You, Through Hard Times

When you go into a jewelry store, the lighting is perfect, and when they present a diamond to you, they do so on a black velvet cloth. The backdrop is to reveal the glory of the diamond in its brilliance.

In the same way, the problems that we go through are the backdrop to God’s glory. Sometimes the darker the trial, the more we resist or question God. But then we meet someone who has gone through something much worse than us, and they are resting in God’s goodness. How do they do that?

The difference is at least twofold: they are focusing upon Christ, not the backdrop, and they are accepting God’s grace, not fighting against it.

Paul’s thorn in the flesh

So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.

So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10, NLT)

While we don’t know the specifics of Paul’s thorn in the flesh, we know that God allowed it and that it was a messenger of Satan. So, yes, God allowed this trial in Paul’s life, and God sought to use it for Paul’s good, while Satan sought to beat Paul up with it physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Satan had one purpose in mind, while God had another goal. God always seeks to build us up, while Satan wants to tear us down.

It protected him from pride

Paul was prone to pride, and God wanted him to remain humble. This trial would do the trick. You see, God wants all of us to realize that we can do nothing of any lasting value without Him.

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5, NLT)

How did Paul respond to his trial? Like the rest of us. He begged God to remove it. He begged God three times. God’s response was “No,” but he explained why.

It came with grace

God’s reply was, “My grace is sufficient.” He explained to Paul that He would give him the ability to handle this pain. He told him that something beautiful would come through it.

It endued him with strength

God explained to Paul that His strength would be made perfect in Paul’s weakness. The same is true for all of God’s children.

Remember that James tells us that trials are there to produce spiritual maturity.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.?So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2–4, NLT)

Paul had previously told the Corinthian believers that our suffering, and the way that we handle it, gives us an opportunity to share in the suffering of Christ.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:8–10, NLT)

What about you and me?

We must realize that God never promised to give you good health, a good job, a healthy bank account, homes free from strife, or anything else that we might like to think ought to be ours.

God might send some of those things our way when He knows He can trust us with them AND when it will not interfere with His plan, but they are not the results of a godly life. Don’t forget that there are some evil people who are healthy, wealthy, and powerful. They are not being blessed by God.

God’s plan for us is to demonstrate His extraordinary and sufficient grace through trials. He delights when we realize how weak we are and how great He is, and we then rest in Him to carry us where He wants us to go.

Paul was human, and he fought against God’s plan in his life. He begged God to change His plan, and he refused to be content with what God had done in his life. I have been there, and so have you. We will be there again one day.

Life often tends to stink. Our bodies groan for a better experience. One day that will come for the child of God, but until then, God encourages us to rest in His good grace that is sufficient for every trial that we face.

Remember the jewelry store analogy when you go through your subsequent trial. The backdrop will be very dark, and the lighting may be low, but don’t focus upon your circumstances; instead, focus upon the brilliance of God’s glorious character.