Human life is often riddled with storms and turbulence, and you have not lived on Earth if you haven’t faced your share of adversity.
One of the reasons why I am team God is how he equips us with words to give us strength and guide us through our storms.
Psalm 46 is one of my favourite psalms. It talks about how God is ever present in our storms and how he shows up to pick us up when the time is right.
I’ve heard people ask why we experience adversities in the first place. Why won’t God simply rid the world of all the bad and leave the good?
Firstly, the world was all good in the beginning. God created the perfect environment for humans. Imperfection entered the world as a result of the actions of humans, and bad exists today as a result of the daily actions humans take. An example is a man taking a gun and killing his family, and then himself. God didn’t make him do it, he chose to do it on his own.
Humans were created with choice. We have a choice to choose our destiny. We were created as mini-gods, in the image and likeness of the one true God, and as a result, we have the power to create. God has given us the power to create, and co-create with him. We can choose to create a good world or a bad one. It’s entirely up to us.
I think it’s irresponsible and childish to blame God for the world we have created for ourselves. We have to take accountability for our actions and the resulting reaction to said actions.
Other than humans experiencing adversities due to their own actions, another reason why I believe humans experience adversity is for the purpose of evolution. It’s like training your body intensely in the gym. If you want to grow or shrink your body you’ll have to literally put it through intense stress. This stress forces your system to change to accommodate the trauma. Intense exercise coupled with the right diet/fasting will not only give you a banging body but is scientifically proven to activate enzymes that will make you live longer.
Do you see how something that might initially seem like the worst idea ever could work to your benefit? I believe the same goes for some of the adversities we face.
There are adversities we face as a result of our own bad decisions. An example would be committing a crime, getting caught, and getting thrown in jail. No one is to be blamed for this but you. It’s not God, it’s not the devil, it’s all you. You co-created your reality through your actions.
There are adversities we experience that have nothing to do with the decisions we have made. Nine times out of ten these ones are set up not as a stumbling block but as a stepping stone to train our minds, bodies, and spirit to bring forth a better, stronger, more equipped version of ourselves. These adversities equip us for a harsh world and provide us with the experience required to help others out of similar situations.
All adversities will make us stronger or weaker, depending on how we react to them. What doesn’t kill you really will make you stronger.
I like to think of how the mutant gene is activated in the DC world. In the DC world, there are humans that are born with a special superhero DNA that can only be activated through intense stress. The DC world is a fictitious world but I can see how it correlates to the real world.
There are lots of successful people out there who have had the worst start in life. Today they attribute their success to the sheer struggle they faced earlier in life, which was their greatest motivation, propelling them to heights that even they could not have imagined.
My aim is to encourage anyone that is reading this and let you know that God doesn’t say life will come without its ups and downs. He assures us that he will ALWAYS be with us as we go through our storms. The whole of Psalm 46 talks about this:
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (Psalms 46:1-11)
Other Psalms that talk about God watching over us and protecting us through our adversities are Psalms 23 and Psalms 91.
If you are going through a tough time at present, be still and know that God who is God is a very present help in times of trouble.
4 Comments
Never knew about psalm 91. Nice one…
Many thanks for these write ups. Its really interesting and encouraging. God bless you.
Some years ago I read that disappointment bring opportunities. Every challenge should be seen as an opportunity and that is exactly what you emphasised here. It is a good piece of writing which motivates and help all those going through adversity and trauma. Thank you and I am sure your literal prowess will propel you to higher grounds.
Powerful. Remain blessed.