Life is filled with difficulties and disappointments, and salvation does not exempt a person from trials. Christians will face financial struggles and poor health, but God desires to bring them closer to Himself through those trials. He gives us grace to overcome.

In Romans 12:12–13, God teaches the church how to be patient in spite of the challenges, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” God designed the church to encourage Christians and help them overcome their trials. He planned for Christians to encourage each other through rejoicing, hospitality, giving, and praising. We are in life’s race together.

God wants to mold us through trials. He desires to instill the attitude of the anonymous prayer that says, “Lord, I am willing to receive what you give; to lack what you withhold; to relinquish what you take; to suffer what you inflict; to be what you require. And, Lord, if others are to be your messengers to me, I am willing to hear and heed what they have to say. Amen.”

How can we be overcomers? How can we see showers of blessings in cloudy days?

A SPIRIT OF HOPE
God tells us to be “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). He wants us to have a spirit of hope. This is not false hope in the power of positive thinking or faith in faith. True hope comes from faith in God and His Word.

God gives us hope for His blessings. He promises in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” In 1 Corinthians 15:58 He tells us, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” We can rejoice knowing that God rewards the faithfulness of His children.

God gives us hope to continue when it seems so dark. We don’t understand everything that happens to us in this life, but when Christ returns, we will see clearly. On that day, He will right every wrong. Second Timothy 4:8 gives us hope in His coming, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

Hope is the confident expectation that what is promised will come to pass. We can hope because of the promises in the Bible. Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” First John 5:14 tell us, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.” The Bible is full of promises.

When we are down and begin to think, “God doesn’t care, and He doesn’t remember,” we can go to the Bible and find that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23). The Word of God will nourish your heart.

The great preacher, John Wesley, had his ups and downs. He recorded both in his diary:

Sunday Morning, May 5
Preached in St. Anne’s. Was asked not to come back anymore.

Sunday Evening, May 5
Preached in St. John’s. Deacons said “Get out and stay out.”

Sunday Morning, May 12
Preached in St. Jude’s. Can’t go back there, either.

Sunday Morning, May 19
Preached in St. Somebody Else’s. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return.

Sunday Morning, May 19
Preached on street. Kicked off street.

Sunday Morning, May 26
Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service.

Sunday Morning, June 2
Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway.

Sunday Evening, June 2
Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me.

You may think that your marriage is over, that church is a waste of time, and that serving God is not worth it; but remember the promises of God. He isn’t done yet.

Paul said in Romans 5:2–5, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Paul was trying to teach the church at Rome that God works great things through trials. Every time Paul remained faithful through a trial, God did something special. He knew that some of life’s greatest lessons are not learned in a classroom. They are learned on your knees in prayer during tribulation.

We may be tempted to remove ourselves from the tribulation. We look for an escape—new city, new job, even a new spouse—anything that will relieve the pain and stress. But when people make major decisions in difficult times, they usually make the wrong decision. For this reason, God asks us to wait on Him and be patient in tribulation.

Young William Wilberforce was discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his ten-year battle against the slave trade in England. Tired and frustrated, he began to leaf through his Bible. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. It was a letter written by John Wesley shortly before his death. Wilberforce read it again: “Unless the divine power has raised you up...I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that [abominable practice of slavery] which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might.”

Wilberforce was reminded of the promises of God that day. Many opposed his righteous stand, but he had confidence in God. Because of his persistence, slavery was abolished in England.

God will see us through the trial. We must keep a patient spirit and hope in His promises.

SUPPLICATION TO THE FATHER
Trials will increase your prayer life. We can forget how much we need God on a daily basis until we face a problem we cannot fix ourselves.

Romans 12:12 talks about a certain mode of prayer, “continuing instant in prayer….” This phrase speaks of a continual devoted prayer—prayer that is integrated into your life.
The pastors in Acts recognized prayer as a vital part of their ministry. After they had delegated responsibilities to the deacons, they said, “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). They recognized that they could not do the work of God without His help.

John Bunyan wrote, “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” Unless a person seeks God’s face alone, he will be overcome by the trials and temptations in his life.

God is waiting for His children to seek Him. He is waiting to open the windows of Heaven to His children. He wants to hear the words, “Lord, I need You.”

I never have minded when my children asked for something they needed. Before my daughter Kristine was married, she would sometimes ask, “Dad, can I talk to you about something?” Then she would rub my shoulders and say, “You feel a little tense. You sure are a good dad.” I knew something was coming, but I would still enjoy the backrub. Then came the request: “Dad, I did my best. I paid this much for this bill, but I might need some help.”

Did I tell my daughter to go out and work harder, or did I scold her for spending too much money elsewhere? No, I helped her and told her God would help us with the bill. Moms and dads like to help their kids. In much the same way, our heavenly Father delights in our requests and promises to meet our needs if we trust in Him. We just need to ask.

This devoted prayer life is a life of complete dependence upon God. It is admittance that without God, we can do nothing. Paul often begged the believers to pray for him and each other. If he was going to en  dure hardships, it would only be by God’s grace. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

God is the first person to whom we should go for help. Through His grace, we can overcome trials with a spirit of patience and hope. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

SUPPORT OF THE CHURCH
We go to God directly for help, but He often answers those prayers through other Christians. Romans 12:13 tells us to be “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” God designed the church to meet the needs of people. We are to support one another in the body of Christ.

The early church lived communally. The believers sold their land and shared freely with each other. Those who lied about what they had given lied against the Holy Spirit. It was a very unusual way to meet the needs within the church.

That type of giving is not found later in the epistles, but the same spirit of support for the saints is seen. Galatians 6:10 says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” God knows that we will face difficulties, but He has set up the church to help us through those difficulties. He planned for Christians to support other Christians through trials.

Yes, there are times when you get “burned” helping someone. Whenever you give to someone, there is the risk that person will take advantage of you, but don’t get calloused when it happens.

One of the first times I was asked as a full-time minister for financial help, I was taken. The man said he was a Christian and a Vietnam veteran. He had a terrible complexion he claimed came from agent orange exposure. An assistant pastor and I bought him some food and put him up in a motel for a night. The next day I got a call from the motel manager—the man we helped had wrecked the room, and we were stuck with the repair bill!

At times like that, we can take the attitude that says, “That’s it. I’m not helping people anymore.” But there are faithful Christians who are going through trials and need our help.

The word distributing shares the same Greek root word for fellowship. Fellowship doesn’t just involve pie and a cup of coffee. In the New Testament, being in fellowship with other Christians often meant supporting them in their needs.

The Philippian church had fellowship with Paul by supporting his ministry. “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity” (Philippians 4:15–16). They supported Paul in his need.

We also support each other through hospitality. Hebrews 13:2 tells us, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” We can be used by God to encourage someone else by opening our  homes.

Not everyone can preach on Sunday morning, sing in the choir, or teach a class. But everyone can be a friend. Many people have been saved at Lancaster Baptist Church just because someone invited them out to lunch. A church member saw someone new, introduced himself, and decided to become a friend.

Paul had his own friends in the ministry whom God used to support the weary apostle. Second Timothy 1:16 speaks of this faithful encourager, “The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.”

Paul had some enemies. He was stoned, assaulted, imprisoned, and shipwrecked. He faced some major trials, but a man named Onesiphorus decided to be a friend to Paul. God used that man to help Paul through his struggles.

When my life is over, I want to hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I know between now and that day, I will face some troubles—all of us will. But God has given us the means to overcome those obstacles. He has given us hope through His Word and His coming. We can always come to Him in prayer. He has given us the church so that we may support one another. God can help you finish your course with joy. Keep trusting in Him.