MTP17 Bad Times As Good Times In Disguise

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts. (Proverbs 17:3)

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)

Back in the day the religious status quo went as follows – if you were rich, happy and healthy then that was a sign God was with you.  Conversely if you were poor, sick and in misery that was a sure sign that God was not with you.  Perhaps you did something wrong, maybe it was a curse following you from your parents, maybe someone in your household did a boo-boo or perhaps where you were living was just plain cursed.

This extended to national affairs and in the battle of the tribes and their gods if one tribe conquered another then that was evidence of the superiority of the one god over the other.  There was nothing to suggest that the gods were still viable in defeat – it just didn’t make sense as long as you were the crushed, defeated, weakened and oppressed foe.

These thoughts have not been consigned to posterity.  We have not moved on.  Competing thoughts and ideologies still see themselves as true and all pervasive if they are seen to overcome the rivals.  So capitalism has triumphed over communism, post-enlightenment rationality has defeated the negative forces of superstition and religious faith and liberal secular humanism has apparently successfully marginalised the faith arguments.  The truth in these statements is found in their prevalence in every day thinking as opposed to the alternatives and after all defeat, suffering, poverty and the like cannot be associated with any decent concept of an all conquering ideal or god.

This is where the Christian faith and a relationship with the God revealed in Holy Scriptures bucks the religious status quo.  Despite the promotion of a faith that ‘guarantees’ wealth, health and happiness to followers, the reality of Christian faith in many parts of the world is flourishing in the midst of persecution, suffering, rejection, neglect, criticism, alienation and other aspects of mistreatment.  Indeed the very basis of Christian faith is on the Example who endured such suffering in obedience to His Father because of the joy that awaited Him.

That’s the significant wisdom behind the writer of Proverbs ensuring we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if those much vaunted materials of gold and silver have to purified and established in the heat and trials of the furnace and crucible then for our hearts to emerge solely and completely for God we likewise will have to be purified in the furnace and crucible of the trials of life.  Those trials differ in nature from one person to another and it is very easy to make judgements that certain people don’t experience anything because they don’t go through what others go through, but good or bad, people will have their tough times to go through.  Even the apparently rich, healthy and happy man will have those closet concerns and insecurities that will not let them rest on their riches, health and happiness.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

The way the Word reinforces itself is seen here in how James encourages those enduring suffering and hard times to realise that in as much as it appears as though its bad times, there are good times to be discovered in the bad times.  The completion of our character to be like that of the Suffering Servant will evidently not be found in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness or any kind of Dream that has anything less than the ultimate character of God.

That’s not a popular message.  That old religious status quo is much preferred and consoles the way most people consider the world they live in.  This is where true friends come through, this is where those who choose to walk with you through the tough times without judging, condemning, moaning or otherwise hindering the perfecting process are worth their weight in gold.  It’s all well and good to be my friend when things are going well, but are you there when those tough times hit?  Are you there when everyone else has dismissed me?  When all else have ignored and neglected me and treated me like a pariah, do you stick around at the cost of your own reputation and comfort?

If the answer to those questions are no, that’s not a bad place to start.  Every single one of the twelve men selected by Jesus Himself to be with Him deserted Him when the going got tough to the point of the cross.  So in as much as we’d like to think that friends and family will be there, the reality is that only One who has experienced that level of rejection can empathise with the need to be there during adversity.  Such is the measure of a true friend – such is the cost and such is the priceless reward.

So it’s not a bad place to start to recognise where we are and that need to relate to the One that has suffered.  That way we can make real progress in having His strength to endure the trials we are going through and the love to support others in word and deed as they go through their own furnace and crucible.  Together with He who has endured even in the bad times we can recognise them as good times in disguise.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd