WHY DOES GOD ALLOW US TO STRUGGLE?

Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, (Psalm 49:5 ESV)

I was sitting and thinking the other day when a saying came to my mind that I heard a number of years ago - "Don't doubt in the dark what you've been taught in the light." This is so true and everyone of us needs to put this memory.

We all face troble and storms in life.  At times they are intense times with a lot of drama and then there are also those times of peace.

When we're in the storms - sometimes God calms the storms.  Sometimes God calms His children.

Have you ever asked, “Why does God allow us to struggle?”

My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord —how long? (Psalm 6:3 ESV)

Have you ever felt like David?  It is not only the depth of struggles – it is the length of struggles that gets tough.

Have you ever wondered - Why does God let us struggle?

We spend billions of dollars every year addressing this situation.  We try to dull it.  Minimize it.  Remove it. Mask it.  Ignore it.  Run from it.  And even medicate it.

But one thing you can’t run from is that struggles will be in the life of each and every one of us.

In fact… our life begins in struggle.  Some of you remember the difficulty of labor with some of your children.  (And it didn’t stop there.)

I hear people say – “Wouldn’t life be great without these struggles?”  Are you sure?  I’m finding that there is no growth without struggles.  There is no character without struggles. If you take the struggles out of life – ask yourself what is left.

Isn’t it true  - that the times we grow the most – is not on the mountain tops?  Isn’t it in the valleys that we grow the most. It is in the valleys that the water flows.

It's a fact: You can't have miracles unless you have some problems.  It is the vehicle which allows us to call out to God for a miracle.

Life is full of struggles.  In fact… if you read the Bible – you will find that struggle is the crucible in which many heroes of faith were developed.

Look at MOSES -  he struggled 40 years on the back side of the dessert. But it was there that he found who he was.  What his commission was.  What his purpose was. It was there that he built the character necessary to sustain that assignment – to lead a whole nation out of bondage.

DAVID – was anointed king – but it wasn’t until about 20 chapters later that he actually took the throne.  What happened in between?  He struggled.  He ran from Saul.  He ran for his life.  But it was then that he learned to trust in God.  It was there that he learned that God is always with him to bring the wisdom needed.

Let’s look at a little glimmer of what PAUL had to say about struggling from 2 Corinthians 9.

In fact… when Paul was first called to follow God – it was out of a horrible life of persecuting and murdering Christians. He was on the road to Damascus and God sent a bright light which blinded him.  He was knocked off a horse and took him to a house.

God brought another man – Ananias –to pray for Paul.  Ananias didn’t want to because he had heard that Paul was murdering the Christians.  God told Ananias that He had a plan for Paul and that He would show him the things that he must suffer to accomplish that plan.

For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:16 ESV)

It’s interesting… there are struggles that he will have to go through in order to prepare him for what God wants him to do.

You know the rest.  Paul went on to greatly influence the church and even penned almost half of the New Testament.

So… in 2 Corinthians Paul reminisces about these things especially about his struggles.

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. (2 Corinthians 12:7 ESV)

In other words – the suffering that has placed in his life is in order that pride wouldn’t enter into his heart. God was building character in his life in order to fulfill the assignment given to him by the Lord.

We don’t know what this messenger of Satan was.  Some say it was his health and others have said that it was just persecution.

It’s almost as if God was saying, “In order for you to do what I want you to do – these are the character qualities that you will need to have,  and these are the struggles that you will need in order to be able to finish the race.”

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:8, 9 ESV)

Paul tells us that he’d rather talk about the struggles and the exchange that is taking place in his life – that the power of God would be exchanged for our weakness.

That God’s humility would be exchanged for my pride.  That God’s grace would be exchanged for my impatience

My weakness is then exchanged for God’s power.

Paul is saying that the process is as important as the end product.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV)

I need to have character in order to sustain any successes in my life.  Without character – I become arrogant and prideful. I won’t be able to sustain what God has for my life.  This comes through the building of character in my life.

Can you imagine what type of person we would be if God just took care of all our problems just like that. We wouldn’t have any backbone at all.  We’d have no character.

God knows what’s best for me. The Bible calls Jesus the “author and finisher of my faith.”  God is at the beginning.  He is here with me now.  He will be with me to the end. He will be with me step by step – even in the rough times.

SO… WHY DOES GOD ALLOW US TO STRUGGLE?

To build character in us to help us fulfill His destiny for our lives.  Because He loves us

THE GREATEST GEMS IN YOUR LIFE WON’T BE FOUND ON THE SURFACE.  IT WILL ONLY HAPPEN WHEN YOU DIG DEEP.

When I dig deep – not only will I find a beautiful gem – I will find a quality of perseverance and character.  I will find endurance.