Proverbs 17.3
“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.”
Authentic Christianity doesn’t complain. It doesn’t engage in BCD. However, a significant number of professing Christians today seem to have the misguided expectation that when a person believes in Jesus, life will get easier and more comfortable, and God will protect them from the hassles and difficulties that happen in the course of life.
This, of course, is not the gospel. The Lord makes no such promises in scripture. When bad things happen (which they inevitably do), many Christians are quick to react with: “Why me?” or “How could God let this happen?” What follows is confusion and anger and doubt.
And big time stress.
What motivates people to believe in Jesus? Is it to serve Christ as Lord and be an agent of the Kingdom of God in the midst of a fallen and broken world, or is it to get saved and be happy and have God protect them from the hassles and difficulties of life?
Here are four disciplines for responding when you find yourself in the crucible of adversity. I have shared them before in previous devotionals, and they are worth revisiting.
Don’t be surprised. Be prepared.
Don’t be fear-driven. Be faith-driven.
Don’t be resentful. Be thankful.
Don’t be self-centered. Be Christ-centered.
Don’t be surprised. Be prepared.
Peter communicated this very clearly in his second epistle: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (2 Peter 4:12). I am amazed at how clear and straightforward this passage is, and yet how many Christians are surprised when they experience adversity.
It’s an uncomfortable reality, but it is true nevertheless: Bad things happen. It’s not a matter of whether. It’s only a matter of what and when. The Lord did not save us to take us out of the broken world. He saved us to send us into it. When Christ returns he will heal the brokenness of the world. In the meantime, we are to live and work in the world in a way that displays the reality of Christ in our lives. And that includes how we respond to adversity.
When you experience adversity, don’t be surprised. Be prepared.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
“O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.” (Psalm 7.1)
Don’t be fear-driven. Be faith-driven.
Challenging situations are Defining Moments; that is, they are events or circumstances you face where your path through life is defined by what you choose to do. A Defining Moment is a decision point. It is a testing point. You are not defined by your circumstances; you are defined by how you respond to your circumstances.
Keep in mind that you are most vulnerable to making bad decisions when you are under pressure. You are most tempted to stray from the path when things get difficult. So trust God and do the disciplined work of obedience. Then you will have the wisdom, skill, and strength to respond to Defining Moments.
The difference between a faith response and fear response is what you focus on. Fear focuses on the problem and the pain. It fixates on the negative. Faith focuses on the purpose, the power, and the presence of God. It fixates on what needs to be done.
Knowing and trusting God drives out fear. The apostle John tells us why: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4.18). When you fully recognize what God has done for you because he loves you, fear is driven out. When you fully understand what God has called you and commissioned you to do, fear is driven out.
Faithful drives out fearful.
Of course, the opposite is also true: If you resist what he has done for you, you will be afraid. If you resist what he has sent you to do, you will be afraid.
The challenge for some Christians is that they want to be saved, but they don’t always want to be sent. They want what God does for them, but they resist what God sends them to do. They want the benefits of God’s love and grace, but not the obligations and responsibilities that come with it.
Again, the difference between faith and fear is focus. When you experience hard times, do not follow the path of fear. Follow the path of faith. The Lord knows your circumstances. He knows the challenges you face. The Lord’s message to you is this: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
God loves you and has provided for your salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. God also sends you into the world as his ambassador … as an agent of his kingdom. As you live and work for him, you will experience adversity. You will be tested. You will experience the crucible. When that happens, trust God and maintain your focus.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26.3)
