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We are proud and independent people. Just ask yourself what you would do if, at a street corner, a Boy Scout reached to steady your arm as the walking light turned green. You would surely shake him off. But let’s say the walking light and traffic were obscured by a blinding snowstorm. Pride and independence would then be your downfall, and you would appreciate the aid of a steady arm.
This is the reason that God fills our lives with so many troubles. Troubles ensure that we will reach for God’s steady arm, learning thankfully to lean on him. “The reason why the Bible spends so much of its time reiterating that God is a strong rock, a firm defense and a sure refuge and help for the weak, is that God spends so much of his time bringing home to us that we are weak, both mentally and morally, and dare not trust ourselves to find, or to follow, the right road,” says Dr. J. I. Packer. *1
This is why constant troubles such as a chronic health condition, or a difficult marriage, can be considered advantages in the Christian’s life. Constant troubles give the believer a constant opportunity to lean on the strong Rock. A godly habit of resting in divine help can be more easily formed.
No trouble comes my way, Lord, that you haven’t decreed. And if my troubles are constant, I acknowledge that your purpose is to have me constantly lean on you. Forgive me when I grumble at hard times that never seem to go away, and teach me to find peace in your perfect will for me. Trials may be constant, but your love is even more constant. Thank you for that.
1* Packer, J.I., Knowing God, InterVarsity Press, Illinois, 1973, p. 227
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