A Plan for Handling Tribulation

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2Timothy 1:7(NLT)

by Alexandra Copeland

Christians are not strangers to trials, persecutions, and tribulations. Jesus Christ warned us that they would be a part of our experience on earth. In John 16:33 (NKJV), he said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  The issue is that these things are never as easy as we think they will be, and they often last longer than any of us would like. We watch and try to support as love ones suffer. Some lose their jobs and financial security is jeopardized. Marriages are broken, relationships lost, and health problems can challenge our ability to sustain independence and physical wholeness. But here’s the thing that none of us can ever forget, no matter what we are going through, God is in control. We need to have plan in place that reminds us of this continually.

Why do tribulations come? So often we attribute difficult times to Heavenly Father. As a matter of fact, many of us have been taught wrongfully for many years that it is God who causes our tribulations. Some people will say that He does this to teach us how to be strong and have faith. God is a loving Father. He has every resource at His disposal to teach us through love; not trouble and confusion. 1Corinthians 14:33 (KJV) tells us, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” 1John 1:5 also tells us that Heavenly Father is a God of light and there’s no darkness in Him at all. So when we experience dark times in our lives, the very first thing that we should do is remind ourselves of the source of them.

 

Know the source of ALL trouble
We know that the devil is the god of this world; this earthly realm is his dominion. Jesus Christ told us in John 10:10 that the devil is a thief that operates by killing, stealing, and destroying. We know that he is an enemy of God, and therefore, he is our enemy as well. Tribulation, persecution, and trouble of any kind is his specialty, and 1 Peter 5:8(NLT) warns us to never allow this to slip by us. It says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

 

Be Aware, but not fearful
God warns us to stay alert, and to be aware that we haven an enemy, but this does not mean that we cower away in a corner in fear. Absolutely not! A lion roars to intimidate its prey, and the prey’s response is very often one of freezing dead in its tracks from fear. That’s not who we are as kids of the King. 2Timothy 1:7 (NLT), tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Heavenly Father wants us to be aware, but not fearful. 1John 4:4 tells us that the spirit that is within us, the indwelling Holy Spirit, is greater than any demonic spirit that works in the earth to corrupt and destroy. 

The Apostle Paul encouraged his beloved Timothy in 2Timothy 1:7 because he did not want Timothy to let fear sidetrack him. Paul also reminded him in 2Timothy 1:6 to stir of the gift of God, to walk with courage and faith as he continually reminded himself that God is the supplier of never-ending strength and power.

 

Be confident in God’s Help
Psalm 46:1 (NLT) says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” God has not left us defenseless, and tells us to rely on Him for help through any obstacles and troubles we might have. But sometimes, we seek help in every other place but God, and this is where we really get into trouble. We want to do things our way. We want God’s help, but only if He will cooperate with our plans. God’s people tried this approach in the Book of Jeremiah, and it did not end well.

Examine your heart
In Jeremiah, Chapter 11, the people of God had strayed so far away from His Word and Commandments, that he told the Prophet, Jeremiah, in verse 14, “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.” This was not God’s Will for His people. It was the devil’s plan that they chose and the Lord let them have their way.

This is rebellion against God, and it can be done in very obvious ways, but it can also be done in very subtle ways; it is the latter that allows us to think we’re operating God’s way, but we are not. We don’t always catch this, and that is why when tribulations and trouble persist, it is a very good thing to examine our hearts and see if there is anything that is causing us to go against the Will of God. Sometimes there are things for which we have not repented, and these emotions, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors will allow trouble to persist.

Shift the focus in your prayer life
We can become so self-focused when we’re enduring heartache and tribulations, that we make our time with God in prayer all about us and our issues. We don’t always think about the harm we may have caused others, or the amount of time and energy we’ve lost by being so consumed with our own emotions. Considering the areas of our lives where we have veered off the path presents us with the opportunity to make a shift in our prayer lives. Romans 5:3-5(NLT) tells us exactly how. It says:

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

If we’re honest, we’d probably have to admit that when facing tribulation, the last thing we think about is having patience and building endurance. We just want the discomfort to be over, but our frame of mind around this really does paint the greatest picture of where we are in our faith in God. Heavenly Father isn’t expecting us to take pleasure in our suffering. He’s advising us to approach it from the standpoint of His grace and mercy.

Time and time again, God has blessed us and caused us to triumph over adversity. If He had not, we wouldn’t be still among the living today. Remembering how faithful and merciful He has been to us should strengthen our character and help us to encourage others in Jesus Christ as well. So remember that God is our confident, unwavering, and secure hope of salvation. He will never disappoint us, but will continually cause us to triumph in Christ. No matter how it looks, He is in control, and we don’t need to take the wheel. We can leave it in the very capable hands of Jesus Christ, knowing that he will guide us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, as long as we remain prayerful and have faith in God. ■

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.