Michael Kelley, Guest Contributor
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God by walking in all his ways, to love him, and to worship the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the Lord’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.”
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
God does not arbitrarily give us commands.
The commands He gives us are for our good. But many times, we are like belligerent children. We lack the faith to see that these commands are not meant to be burdens but are given out of Fatherly love. It’s hard to see that sometimes because our hearts pull us toward sin. Other times, it’s obvious to us that God’s commands are for our good.
Take this one, for example: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you (1 Peter 5:6-7).”
There is no qualification here. The Scripture does not say to cast the really important cares on Him. No – we have a Father who enters into all our cares with us, whether big or small. Our command is to cast them all.
Our troubles have the potential to lead us to Jesus, and here are four reasons why:
1. Our troubles break us out of complacency.
Ironically, when we have no pressing troubles or cares, it’s easy to become complacent in our relationship with the Lord. We roll along, day after day, sleep-walking our way through life. But troubles have a way of shocking us—of waking us up. They can cause us to emerge from our slumber, heighten our spiritual senses, and recenter our walk with Jesus.
2. Our troubles remind us of our need.
The old saying goes that there are ‘no atheists in foxholes,’ suggesting that people in desperate circumstances or facing death will look heavenward for help. Trouble reminds us that we are not in control, making our desperate need for God emerge at the forefront of our minds and hearts.
3. Our troubles expose the sin inside us.
Imagine an orange in a vice. The vice tightens slowly, squeezing the fruit until eventually it bursts, and what comes out? Orange juice. Not apple juice. Not lemon juice. Orange juice. The vice didn’t put something different in the fruit; it only exposed what was in there all the time. Our troubles do the same thing – when circumstances tighten around us, they expose the lingering anger, doubt, and fear in our hearts. Our troubles expose our sin, and by God’s grace, our sin leads us to Jesus again and again, seeking His mercy.
4. Our troubles make us hope for more.
One other way our troubles lead us to Jesus is by reminding us that it’s not always going to be this way. There will come a day when we won’t have to cast our cares upon Him because we won’t have any cares to cast upon Him. This is the day when all will be made right – when we will no longer see Jesus as through a dim pane of glass. This is when we will know the fullness of Him who says, “Look, I am making everything new” (Revelation 21:5).
Until then, when troubles come your way – and believe me, they will – use them as an opportunity to return to the source of our hope.
Jesus.
DIG DEEPER
Read “Why Your Life’s Troubles Are Good News” also by Michael Kelley
