Overcoming Adversity

 We all face adversity at times. Jesus does not sugar coat it in John 16:33. He tells us in this world we will face tribulations. Adversity comes to believers and unbelievers alike. You find that some of the main Bible characters faced adversity. Joseph from Genesis was falsely put in prison after being sold as a slave by his brothers. Moses faced the Egyptian army and Pharaoh. He also faced a hard-hearted Israelite nation who disobeyed God and doubted Him repeatedly. Naomi lost her husband and two sons in a foreign land. Job most certainly faced multiple adversities.  

We should not be surprised when adversities hit our lives. Farmers and truck drivers are facing the adversity of escalating diesel prices. The cost is passed down to the consumers who see ginormous increases in groceries. I know someone recovering from one surgery and yet needing a second one on another body part. I've talked with discouraged people who cannot overcome the constant onslaught of adversities. They barely get through one crisis when another hits full force. A man told me yesterday he had to deplete his bank account to get current on a bill he did not even know he owed. I could see he was frustrated and knowing his past I knew he just wanted relief. 

Overcoming adversity takes getting your mind right. You have to knuckle down and resolve to grit your way through the hard times. I'm not saying there will not be pain. Thoughts of quitting may be entertained. Throughout my life I've found examples of people who overcame adversity and tried to learn from them. Let me give you just three of them. 

It was Jan 2, 1994. The Dallas Cowboys were playing the New York Giants in the last regular season game in New York. The winner of the game would win the NFC East Division title and get a first round bye in the playoffs. It was a tough physical game. In the second quarter, running back Emmitt Smith separated his right shoulder. He finished the game. Each hit, each time he carried the ball shot sharp pain through that shoulder. He didn't just play the rest of the game. His team rallied around him. He ended up with 168 yards rushing and 61 receiving yards. Dallas barely won the game. Commentator legend John Madden said, "It was the gutsiest performance I ever witnessed." Smith's performance moved Madden so deeply he broke his strict rule of not talking to players personally after the game. He went to the Cowboys locker room to congratulate Smith. Resolve of the human spirit can be powerful. It can certainly help overcome adversity.  

The Lord Jesus Christ accepted and endured the cross with joy. Hebrews 12:2 Every lash of the cat of nine tails would make most give up. The twisted crown of thorns jammed into his skull would have made many quit. Add to that the nailing of the feet and hands. Then there was the suffocating as He hung on the cross. To get air a crucified person had to push with nailed feet and pulled with their nailed hands to get a few breaths. It was agonizing adversity. Jesus endured it. He suffered as a Savior, but ultimately defeated sin, death and the grave with His resurrection. Jesus overcame adversity. He can help us do the same. 

Paul faced adversity. Read about them in II Cor 11:24-28. Yet he also wrote "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13 Even in prison he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." Phil 4:4 He wrote about learning to be content in whatever circumstances he had to face. Phil 4:10-12 Paul knew the resolve and strength he found in Jesus to overcome adversity. That same strength is available to each of us too. God helps us through the rough patches. He gives us endurance to persevere. He gives us faith to not lose heart. Luke 18:1

From Helpless to Hopeful

 There are many helpless people facing helpless circumstances. Consider the spouse desperately trying to hold the marriage together with a partner who just wants out. Consider the single parent working themselves to the bone and constantly juggling schedules to make sure the kids are fed, clothed and where they are supposed to be. Think of the worker doing all he can to earn a living for his family. Even working overtime does not meet all the financial obligations in this economy. Take the jilted lover who is broken up and broken hearted. What about the addict who is so stuck and down and out that they cannot see any hope of getting free. 

My mind drifts to a grieving husband who buried his 27 year old wife this week and is left alone to raise their two year old daughter. His world has come unraveled. It seemed like a nightmare only it really happened. He tries to keep things together for his daughter, but his heart and faith are crumbling. He feels helpless. Can he ever become hopeful again? 

There is a path from helpless to hopeful. You will find that path nestled in the pages of the Bible. Consider David. In his early life, he became very popular after killing Goliath. People sang about Him. They celebrated his bravery and accomplishments. King Saul grew jealous. Twice he tried to kill David by hurling a spear at him. He eventually hunted David down like a fugitive who committed a crime. Twice David had the opportunity to kill Saul. He refused to touch God's anointed. 

We find David in a helpless state in I Samuel 22:1. David was on the run from King Saul. He went to an enemy country to find refuge and pretended to be insane letting saliva run down his face and beard. He ended up in the cave of Adullam. In my opinion this is the low point of David's life. The prophet Samuel told David he would be the next king. He is helpless. Even though he married Saul's daughter, that did not save him from the king's jealousy and obsession with killing him. David ran for his life. Everything was unsettled. To make matters worse, some real low life men joined David in the cave. David needed time to regroup, be encouraged in God, but these men sought David's company and leadership. David left his family, friends, and country to preserve his life. 

In that helpless state David wrote Psalm 142. Here are some of the phrases David wrote. "I poured out my complaint before Him." "I declare my trouble before Him." "There is no one who regards me." "There is no escape for me." "No one cares for my soul." David is helpless. He is depressed. Just where the Devil wants a child of God. 

David does not stay there. He finds hope in God. Check out these statements. "Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name." "The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me." That word will is future tense. David is turning to hope as He considers what God will do in the future. 

David also wrote Psalm 34 from this helpless place in the cave of Adullam. He reminds himself of the hope found in God. In verses 18-19, he anchors himself to that hope. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out o of them all." When David wrote the Lord is NEAR to the brokenhearted that means the Lord is present and approachable. He does not leave us in helplessness. He walks with us. He helps us. He delivers us. Even though we face many afflictions, He brings us through them all. Death, disease, divorce, and other difficulties. David went from helpless to hopeful and so can we if we take it to God and wait long enough. He can bring you out of your cave Adullam. He can replace helplessness with hopefulness. We all could use more of that.