Embracing Disappointment
Genesis15:1-6: "After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them." Then He said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."
What does it mean to "rejoice in our sufferings" (Romans 5:3)? It's not trying to avoid problems or pretending they don't exist. It's not even gritting our teeth in quiet submission to our circumstances. It means to embrace every situation, even the kind of unbearable turmoil and disappointment that Abraham felt in his childlessness. God calls his people to rejoice, not in spite of tribulation, but because of it. To the world this response would seem insane. But it is the most reasonable thing we can do when we understand what immeasurable benefit tribulation brings to us.
Romans 5:3-5: "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."
There is no greater witness in the world than that of Christians who endure, who truly embrace God's will for their lives and overcome everything the world and the devil can throw at them. Making these things work for us and not against us is the key to real faith and real spiritual warfare.*
Food for thought: Have there been difficult times in your life when you questioned God's love, wisdom, or power? How can you "consider it pure joy" (James 1:2) in the middle of difficult circumstances? How will this affect your behavior and thought life?
Further Reading:
Matthew 5:11-12: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Romans 8:18: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
1 Peter 4:13: "But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed."
*Sherman, Dean. Spiritual Warfare for Every Christian: How to Live in Victory and Retake the Land: YWAM Publishing, 1990.
