I’ve become someone who likes to know what’s ahead of me. I took more risks as a young man, but today, I’m more cautious – at least about physical risk taking. At age 71, I can’t really afford a skiing accident or basketball injury. In other words, I don’t like to walk along the edge of a cliff.
Part of my caution is the respect I have for danger, injury, and illness, because at this age, recovering is slow. At the same time, I’m not completely risk averse. As an example, I rode by bicycle down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I take measured risks and try to make necessary adjustments to counter unnecessary ones. An example of such preparation is choosing to no longer drive at night as often, as my eyesight has deteriorated with age.
Facing What We Can’t Control
Even with caution and preparation, however, every one of us will face a portion of tragedy over the course of our life. It comes at us at different times and in different forms. Some, like hurricanes or tornadoes, we can anticipate and prepare for. Others, like earthquakes, allow for little or no preparation. By the time we enter the second half of our lives, we’ve all received those terror-filled phone calls, notifying us of something for which we weren’t prepared.
My purpose in writing this is not to scare us or make us paranoid to take any risks. What I am wanting to suggest is that there is benefit in understanding that our turn for tragedy will come. The Bible reinforces this by telling us the rain falls on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5:45, ESV).
I believe there is great benefit to reckoning with the fact that we will all face loss. In short, the circumstances of our lives won’t always be positive. We will face failures and hardships or storms and waves, as I’m calling them. Some we can anticipate, and some will come upon us unexpectedly.
Preparing Now for Later
My goal in writing is to encourage you to strengthen your theology and your faith now, to ensure you have a healthy and accurate perspective of what life as a follower of Jesus includes. I’m stating the obvious because the obvious is not often stated! We will all experience a variety of difficulties and less than ideal circumstances. And based on my observation, most of us will face tragedies for which we are unprepared. “Earthquake” events that suddenly alter our lives with circumstances over which we have no control.
Such events could stem from poor decisions made by those we love, or perhaps from strangers that violate our safety and engage in any number of evil or unjust behaviors. If your world hasn’t already been rocked, hang on.
It is vital to our faith journey for us to recognize that as members of humanity, we will all face the consequences of living in a broken world where sin abounds, hatred is present, weakness is common, and selfishness rules in the lives of many. Yet as 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV) tells us, we are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Praise Him in the Storm
My interpretation of this is that we are to live our lives praising God even when it’s our turn to experience the effects of living in this fallen world. Friends, being a follower of Jesus doesn’t entitle us nor provide an escape from the effects sin has had on our world. Sadly, we will suffer. But we do not suffer as those who have no hope, for the Creator of the universe only allows what is ultimately for our good and for His glory. And amid our waves and storms, He has promised to provide His comfort, His care, and His strength to help us endure and persevere through each difficulty.
Scripture says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV). As His children, we are all being made into the likeness of Christ, and it is the waves and storms of this life that play a major role in finishing that work.
Let’s not be among those who fall back into unbelief when suffering comes. Rather, let’s choose to fall on our knees before the Lord, as we cry out to God for help. Let’s clothe ourselves with the full provision of His love, remembering that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (see Romans 8:35-39). In this way, we will not only endure our hardships, but glorify him in the midst of them. Let’s turn our waves and storms into opportunities to learn and grow, surrendering ourselves entirely to the full purpose and wisdom of God.
