Are these tough times a judgment from God, an attack from the enemy, or the result of our fallen world?

Sometimes God BRINGS difficult days. Throughout the Scriptures, God brings judgment on wickedness (e.g. Great Flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, Ananias & Sapphira’s lies, God using governing authorities to punish evil - Romans 13., and the ultimate future judgment when God sends people to hell for eternity (Mt 25:41, Rev 20:11–15, 21:8). 

Sometimes God PREVENTS difficult days. God reveals a future famine so Christians can prepare before it happens (Acts 11:28). God sends an angel and releases Peter from prison instead of allowing him to be killed (Acts 12)..

Sometimes God ALLOWS difficult days. Jesus warned His own apostles of future persecutions and even death. Obviously, God could have prevented that. Sometimes He did, but other times He didn’t. 

God allows difficult days as our spiritual enemies try to SHATTER our faith, but God uses this to STRENGTHEN our faith. Strong metal isn’t developed without going through the fire to burn off the dross.

Difficult days point us to the REALITY of our DEPENDENCY on God’s Presence and God’s People.

THE STORY OF JOB. God brags on Job in front of ““ha śāṭān” (HEBREW) - meaning “the satan” or “the accuser/adversary”. God allows the accuser to unleash difficult days on Job, killing his children and many of his servants, and taking away livestock. God limits him from harming Job’s health..

Job was HURTING which is why he tore his clothes and shaved his head (sign of mourning). Yet he still trusted God. When the accuser IS later allowed to take Job’s health (boils all over his body), this brings tough times to his marriage.

Based on the text, Job doesn’t know that God has allowed Satan (the accuser) to bring all this destruction. All he knows is, God has been so good to his family for so long…and now it the midst of this incredible storm, he remembers the many years of God’s goodness.

What can we learn from Job’s story? Satan is not God’s rival, somehow equal in power. In at least 2 biblical occasions, Satan had to get permission to harm God’s people - in Job and later in the New Testament.

Just as we read in Job, Satan (the accuser) had asked (needing permission) to sift you (plural - meaning all disciples there) like wheat. 

The accuser approaches and asks to shake the faith of the apostles during the difficult days to come. 

Yet Jesus TOO has approached the Father in prayer, and asked that Simon Peter may not fail and will be turned back later to help strengthen the others. Jesus’ disciples would face difficult days. Their faith would be shaken, but not shattered. As Jesus was laying in the tomb, they were hiding out.

After Jesus resurrected they would experience joy like they never knew, but the difficult days would come once again.

Just a little over a month from that day, they would experience incredible joy as they participated in seeing thousands turn from sin and follow Jesus. They would watch the believers become ONE - a faith family - just as Jesus had prayed (read all of Jn 17).

The enemy would continue his attempt to shatter their faith, scatter their families, and shut down the gospel message. Some would be murdered, many would be beaten, imprisoned, or run out of town. Most of them would be treated poorly by others in the community.

Through it all, the first followers of Jesus remembered this most important truth - that God’s love was forever demonstrated at the CROSS. Their circumstances would change, but when the tough times came, they looked to the cross, because…

The CROSS always outweighs our Circumstances.

Jesus told His disciples of the difficult days that would come to them. After being arrested and released from prison by an angel, the apostles went right back to where they had been before, in the temple courts - telling everyone about Jesus. More persecution awaited them.

Acts 5:28–33 28 “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted this man to his right hand as ruler and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed - you can read all about it.

The offender being flogged received 39 lashes from a whip of calf hide, while tied to a post, bent over, or lying on the ground. 13 lashes targeted the font of the body and 26 lashes struck the offender’s back. But this would not deter them. Instead, they left , rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name (Jesus). The apostles had something else on their mind besides their current circumstances. They remembered that Jesus LOVED THEM, proven at the cross! When the difficult days Jesus had warned them about showed up, they remembered something that WE need to remember:

The CROSS always outweighs our Circumstances.

In GOOD TIMES and BAD TIMES we are reminded that…

The CROSS always outweighs our Circumstances.

The difficult days drive us to seek God’s Presence, God’s People, and share the message of the Cross with others.