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Chapter 6

Coping with Adversity

      In many arenas of life—business, the military, politics and sports—there is a time to concentrate on “offense” and a time when it is necessary to concentrate on “defense.”  This is also true in our personal lives.  A popular song of World War II days begins with the line, “Into each life some rain must fall.”  Sooner or later, almost everyone will face sickness, despair, bereavement, injustice, frustrations, and other misfortunes and problems.  No one, not even the most dedicated Christian, has a guarantee against such things happening.

      The Apostle Paul exhorts us to continually strive—with God’s help, and with singleness of purpose—to overcome all problems and misfortunes which can hinder us from becoming more effective as Christians.

      This chapter will suggest how we can effectively deal with three of them: discouragement; anxiety; and suffering.

Coping with Discouragement

      Once upon a time, Satan wanted to “neutralize” a highly effective Christian.  This Christian was an outstanding prayer warrior; his modus operandi was “the habit of prayer-guided action.”  And so Satan called an ad hoc meeting of his demonic helpers to brainstorm how they could entrap this powerful Christian.  After giving the demons a situation analysis, Satan asked for ideas as to how the entrapment could be accomplished.

      Without a moment’s hesitation, one demon said, “I know what I would do.  I’ve done it many time.”

      “And what is that?” asked Satan.

      The demon replied, “I would tell him how delightful a life of sin can be, and before I finish telling him, he will be champing at the bit to get started.”

      “That won’t work in this case,” Satan said.  I happen to know that our prospective victim has tried sin; he knows better.  He won’t listen to you.”

      Another demon responded, “I would recommend a different tactic.  What I would do is to paint a picture in his imagination of the self-denials of a righteous life.  I guarantee he will resolve to escape from such a life.”

      “That dog won’t hunt either,” said Satan.  “I know for a fact that he has tried this path, and he knows that righteousness leads to joy and serenity.”

      Finally a 3^rd demon jumped up and said, “Chief, I’ve got the perfect solution, and I volunteer to make it happen.  I will discourage his soul.”

      “That is an excellent idea,” said Satan.  “That tactic will neutralize nine Christians out of ten.  Go—and I predict you will be successful.”

      There is nothing that reduces our effectiveness as surely as discouragement; invariably it invites defeat.  One of the causes of discouragement is dwelling on our lack of abilities. When God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, he refused five times.  His excuse was his lack of eloquence in speaking.  God told Moses that He would tell him what to say: Moses was merely to be the instrument.  God assured Moses that He would be with him.  But still Moses lacked confidence.  As a compromise, God agreed to allow Aaron to be his spokesperson.  Relieved of his shame through this arrangement, Moses was free to follow God’s instructions with his whole heart.  He went on to lead God’s people out of bondage.

      Gideon and Jeremiah reacted to God’s call much like Moses did.  Don’t we all sometimes have these feelings when confronted with a task to which God may be calling us?

      When we read the biographies of outstanding Christians who have had an impact for good on the world, we shudder to think how close some of them came to giving up because they were discouraged.  A case in point is George Frederick Handel.  In his mid-fifties he went through a period of depression, because his music was losing favor with the fickle London public.  On more than one occasion, he confronted bankruptcy.  In mid-1741, his health was failing, and it seemed almost certain that he would land in debtors’ prison.

      On August 22, 1741, Handel came home after dark in a depressed state of mind, having walked the streets of London for several hours.  In his mailbox he found a letter requesting that he compose the music for an oratorio.  Enclosed with the letter was a libretto—text that was to be put to music.  The libretto was based on the life of Christ – all Scripture.  Handel perused the libretto briefly, and went to bed.  He couldn’t sleep, however, so he got up and continued to read the Scriptural passages in the libretto.  Perhaps he could identify with some of the passages, such as “He was despised and rejected of men.”[1]  As he read these passages, his creative powers began to take hold of him, and he started composing.  For 23 consecutive days and nights he worked like a man possessed.  Sometimes the ink at the top of the page would not be dry by the time he finished the last line on the page.  At times the food his servant brought him would be untouched when the servant returned with the next meal.  Much later, as he groped for words to describe what he had experienced, he used the words of St. Paul: “Whether I was in the body or out of my body when I wrote it, I know not.”[2] 

      Handel’s title for the commissioned work was simply “Messiah.”  Musicologists consider the composition of Messiah to be miraculous.  Works of that caliber come along only about once every century or two, and this was composed in 23 days!  Normally, a work of this scope takes months or even years.  One of Handel’s biographers[3] said that this work “will remain, perhaps forever, the greatest feat in the whole history of music composition.”

      What if Handel had not been able to overcome his discouragement?  Suppose his answer to the request for the composition had been, “Thank you for your consideration, but my music has not been well-received of late.  I suggest that you contact another composer.  Among those that I can recommend are ______ , ______ , and ______ .”  What a loss to the world, if this had happened!

      Throughout His life, Jesus faced discouragement.  The gospel writers portray Him as lonely.  We can imagine how much He wanted to influence the religious leaders who shunned Him and (later) plotted His death.  Yet He went on; He persevered in His mission.

      Jesus must also have felt discouragement when He learned that his disciples had been arguing about which of them was the greatest[4].  It would seem that His disciples were incapable of learning from His example of humility and servant-hood.  Still, He persevered as their teacher.  Placing a child in their midst, He told them that whoever welcomes such a child in His name welcomes God – and whoever would be greatest in the Kingdom of God – must be the servant of all.

      Probably Jesus was most lonely and discouraged in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was arrested.  During this time of great internal conflict, he no doubt wanted the friendship and support of His disciples more than at any other time.  Yet Matthew tells us that His disciples were so exhausted they could not stay awake to pray.  After He was arrested by the Roman guard, his disciples scattered.  Jesus carried His cross alone through the streets of Jerusalem on His way to be crucified.  Not one of the Twelve walked with Him; we know that at least several of His disciples considered Jesus to be misguided when He told them that his arrest and execution were part of God’s plan.  In all of these discouraging circumstances, and without the support of his friends, Jesus persevered.  He was able to go on because He knew His Father was with Him and would continue to be with Him every step of the way to the end.

      Just as Jesus overcame discouragement in the extremely difficult and compromising circumstances He faced, we too can overcome discouragement in whatever circumstances we face.  We can persevere in the knowledge that God’s promise, “I will be with you” is for everyone.  It is impossible to have a difficulty too great for God.  A hymn writer deflected her own discouragement with these words:

Why should I feel discouraged,

Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely,

And long for heav’n and home,

When Jesus is my portion?

My constant Friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow;

And I know He watches me.[5]

Coping with Anxiety

      There is a difference between anxiety and fear.  We know that fear can be a friend as well as a foe.  There are many normal, genuine fears, such as being in the presence of an angry bull, or being engaged in military combat.  There are also irrational fears, the cause of which is by no means easy to cure.  If these anxieties are harbored over long periods of time, they can lead to bodily illness.  It has been estimated that more than a third of the illnesses that put people in hospitals are caused by irrational fears. Christians are not immune to anxiety attacks.

      While much could be written about the negative effects of anxiety, the important thing is to focus on antidotes for coping with this potentially debilitating problem.

Anxiety R_x #1.

Track Down the Origin of the Anxiety; then Face It

      There is a fable told of a witch who was turned into a cat.  A young boy ran from it, only to find that it got bigger and bigger and followed him till he fell, unable to run any more.  But when he faced it, and walked toward it, it got smaller and smaller, and finally ran under the door of the witch’s cottage and disappeared.  The implication is obvious.  There is much to the old saying that 90% of the things we worry about never come to pass, and the ones that do are seldom as bad as we thought they would be.  The following was copied from a plaque which I saw in an office:

Today

is the tomorrow

that worried you

yesterday.

And all is well.

Anxiety R_x #2. 

Build Faith through Prayer Affirmations

      “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”[6]  Our attitudes are conditioned by our thoughts.  I have known business leaders who posted slogans all around their offices.  Military leaders and athletic coaches often do this as well.  It can be an effective tool.  If ordinary business, military, or sports aphorisms (sayings) can be effective, how much more so can prayer affirmations which are based on the promises of God.  The following affirmation, based on several familiar promises of God found in scripture, provides an example:

      Father, in all my ways I will acknowledge you, and you will direct my paths.  I know I can do all things you would have me do, through Christ, who strengthens and empowers me.  I know that your grace is sufficient for all my needs; also that you work for good for those who love you.

Prayer affirmations can be an effective antidote for anxiety. 

Anxiety R_x #3.
Live One Day at a Time

      Jesus didn’t say that we are not to think about tomorrow.  He said we are not to fret about it.  It has been said that the best thing about the future is that it is offered to us one day at a time.  The biographies of effective Christians support the concept of living one day at a time.  Thomas Carlyle wrote, “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”  If we continually focus our efforts on our most important task, our mind will not be brooding over the past, or over situations that could happen in the future.

Anxiety R_x #4.

Develop an Attitude of Thanksgiving

      It is fitting that we begin each day thanking God for His many blessings in the past.  It is an excellent way to dispel anxiety because we know that God does not change, and therefore, we can be confident that He who has brought us through difficulties in the past, will be with us in the present—and in the future.

      The ultimate anxiety is the fear of death.  Death is still the great enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26).  The inevitability of death hangs over every person’s life.  While I was stationed in Japan, I visited a friend who was serving as a missionary to the Chinese who were living in the port city of Kobe, and through this person met E.H. Hamilton, affectionately known as “Ham” by his friends.  For almost 50 years, Ham was an “ambassador of Christ” in China, Korea, Japan and Formosa (Taiwan).  Time and time again, he and his family had to flee because of war and turmoil.  Several years after my visit, I discovered a book of poems written by E.H. Hamilton entitled, Afraid? Of what?[7] 

      The basis for the title poem was the death of a fellow missionary at the hands of Chinese bandits in 1931.  In describing how the poem came about, Ham wrote that upon learning of the death of this fellow missionary, and the fact that, in dying, his friend had exhibited a fearless witness for Christ, he picked up his pen and began to write “as though it were a hymn he was recalling from memory.”  Within 15 minutes, the five stanzas were written and never have been changed.  “If ever a poem was given of God,” Ham wrote, “this one was.”  He mailed it to the Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of World Missions, and it was published.  Since then it has appeared in many religious magazines, and in many languages.  This is the poem:

Afraid?  Of what?

To feel the spirit’s glad release?

To pass from pain to perfect peace,

The strife and strain of life to cease?

Afraid—of that?

Afraid?  Of what?

Afraid to see the Saviour’s face,

To hear His welcome, and to trace

The glory gleam from wounds of grace?

Afraid—of that?

Afraid?  Of what?

A flash—a crash—a pierced heart;

Darkness—light—Oh, Heaven’s art!

A wound of His a counterpart!

Afraid—of that?

Afraid?  Of what?

To enter into Heaven’s rest,

And yet to serve the Master blest,

From service good to service best?

Afraid—of that?

Afraid?  Of what?

To do by death what life could not:

Baptize with blood a stony plot,

Till souls shall blossom from the spot?

Afraid—of that?

      The author wrote that some who read this poem used it to strengthen their faith in the face of danger or death—particularly in Europe during World War II when many Christians, who worked in the Underground assisting Jews to escape the Holocaust, were arrested and condemned to death.

      We know that God rules the world.  But sometimes events occur that seem to us wrong or unfair.  These occurrences may bewilder us, cause us to doubt His power, or make us resentful.  Although we cannot understand His purpose in every hardship, we can take comfort from the words of the psalmist:

      Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.[8]

      We are safe in the company of the Good Shepherd, who watches over us without fail.  If we truly believe that we are in the hands of an omnipotent, omniscient, loving, and forgiving God, we can believe that all will end well.  And if all ends well, what is there to fear or be anxious about?

Coping with Suffering

      Suffering—its causes and effects—is one of the mysteries of life.  It is difficult to understand the thinking of those who espouse the “health-and-wealth gospel.”  This gospel must sound arrogant to those who see the suffering of their loved ones – sometimes over long periods of time.

      What we sometimes fail to realize is that there is a difference between turning to God for help, and expecting Him to meet our every want.  Isn’t it true that God often demonstrates His grace through us in our suffering?  Until we graduate from this life, we are not promised immunity from suffering.

      Suffering is like fire; it has the potential for good, but it can also be a destroyer.  It depends upon our reaction to it.  If we are not in tune with God’s Word and Spirit, if we let anger or foolish pride dictate our actions, we can be damaged or even destroyed.  This happened to a friend of mine.  He was a man of considerable talents, and it seemed that he had everything going for him.  Tragically, he lost his teen-age daughter as a result of an erroneous medical diagnosis.  He was never able to overcome his bitterness.  He turned to alcohol to relieve his pain and anger, and it destroyed him in mid-life.

      In contrast, in the Book of Genesis we see the reaction of the young Joseph who was betrayed by his brothers, dropped into a pit, then retrieved by his brothers in order that they might sell him to a passing caravan.  As a slave in Egypt, he was put in charge of a rich household.  But his master’s wife lied about him, claiming he tried to force himself on her.  Joseph was thrown into prison.  Joseph had every reason to be bitter.  However, even in prison, Joseph’s conduct was beyond reproach.  Soon the warden made Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners.

      Despite spending years in prison, Joseph did not give up, but continued to trust in his God.  After correctly interpreting Pharaoh’s troubling dream, Joseph was released from prison, and made ruler over all Egypt, second in command only to Pharaoh himself.  From this elevated position, he was able to help not only his family, but all of Israel during a severe regional famine.  Because of Joseph’s reactions to the seemingly bad things that happened to him, tragedy was turned into triumph.[9]

      From the story of Joseph, we glimpse the pattern through which God works in the world.  We should always look for the hand of God in every circumstance.  This is not blind fatalism.  It is seeking the will of God in every situation.  It may result in accepting the situation – or it may result in trying to change the situation.  Through our prayers, God will give us the wisdom to choose between these alternatives.  If my friend who tragically lost his daughter had reacted in the positive way that Joseph did, I believe that something redemptive would have come from that terrible event in his life.

The Example of Beethoven

      A prime example of one who triumphed over suffering was Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).  From the time he was born, he faced overwhelmingly difficult circumstances. His father was an alcoholic, and was harsh in his efforts to exploit his young child’s unusual gifts, making him perform frequently in public.  His mother was loving, but quite frail, and died at the age of 40.

      As a young man, Beethoven moved to Vienna, the musical capitol of Europe, and began performing as a pianist for the aristocracy.  He was recognized as a brilliant performer.  However, in his late twenties he suffered a shattering blow – a progressive loss of hearing.  He had an almost continuous buzzing in his ears, which brought an end to his career as a pianist.  Finally, at the age of 32, faced with an apparently bleak future, he visualized death – either by natural causes or by suicide.  Fortunately, he reconciled himself to his fate, and determined to overcome his adversity.  His deafness forced him to focus his musical genius in the area of composition.

      Beethoven had been brought up in the Catholic faith, but when he arrived in Vienna as a young man, he was proud and self-sufficient and had very little interest in religion.  However, due to his suffering from persistent illnesses, as well as his deafness, he slowly but surely changed his spiritual outlook.  His letters, diaries, and notes contain many references to God.  The prayers which occur repeatedly in his diaries show that he had developed strong religions convictions and a humble dependence upon God.  His pride had been broken, and he had turned to God in search of an explanation for what seemed to him an unmitigated disaster.  Only his faith in God and his music sustained him.  In short, Beethoven became a great composer through the crucible of suffering.

      It was estimated that 20,000 people attended his funeral.  His life would seem to confirm Meister Eckhart’s observation that “suffering is the swiftest steed that bears us to perfection.”  Beethoven’s life illustrates that a proper reaction to suffering can result in something redemptive not only for the person himself, but sometimes, as in Beethoven’s case, for the world.  How miraculous it seems that a deaf composer could create music that will inspire people until the end of time.

      Many who go through the tempering fires of suffering come out of the experience better prepared for service.  This happened not only to Joseph and Beethoven, it happens in varying degrees to all of us.  Suffering has the potential for bringing us into a closer relationship with God.  Dr. Arnold Hutschnecker was a physician who had experience over many years dealing with people who had to endure physical suffering.  In his book, The Will to Live[10], he tells how illness has its positive uses.  He saw many of his patients come out of their illnesses more mature and better able to cope with life’s adversities.

      Nowhere in Scripture do we find a better description of “joy through suffering” than in the words of Paul from one of his letters to the church at Corinth:

      We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken.  We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up.  We are hunted down, but God never abandons us.  We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

—2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Later in the same letter he wrote:

      The world ignores us, but we are known to God; we live close to death, but at the same time, we have the joy of the Lord.  We are poor, but we give rich spiritual gifts to others.  We own nothing, and yet we enjoy everything.

—2 Corinthians 6: 9,10)

      The Roman historian, Tacticus, left us this description of the indignities and torture those early Christian martyrs faced:

      Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths.  Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as nightly illumination when daylight had expired.  Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle.

      Carl Jung made the observation that suffering that is not understood is hard to bear, while on the other hand, it is often astounding to see how much a person can endure when he understands the why and wherefore.

      Certainly, Paul and those early Christians understood the why and wherefore of their suffering; the Protestants of the Middle Ages, likewise, understood.  The hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” (words and music by Martin Luther) was called the “Marseillaise of the Reformation.”  About a hundred years ago, a scholar wrote that “thousands of Protestants died as martyrs with the words of this hymn on their lips.”  They, too, understood the why and wherefore of their suffering.

Romans 8:28

      Suffering may always be a mystery to us.  However, Romans 8:28 tells us that God is working for good in every situation in the lives of those who love Him.  If we believe this, is any explanation for suffering necessary?  We, like the dynamic apostle, can affirm that His grace is sufficient for all our needs.  But do we truly believe Romans 8:28?  Many Christians have no problem with this promise of God; they accept it at face value.  Hannah Whitehall Smith in her classic book, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life (1870), explained in great detail her struggle with Romans 8:28.  She concluded the chapter “Is God in Everything?” as follows:

      Would that it were possible to make every Christian see this truth as plainly as I see it?  For I am convinced it is the only clue to a completely restful life.  Nothing else will enable a soul to live only in the present moment, as we are commanded to do, and to take no thought for the morrow….under God’s care we run no risks.

      In her book, Something More, Catherine Marshall tells how intensely she prayed for the healing of her infant granddaughter, Amy Catherine, who had suffered severe damage to her internal organs as a result of some unknown genetic difficulties.  Medically speaking, there was no hope.  For a period of several weeks, sixteen family members and friends engaged in a prayer retreat, asking God for a miraculous healing.  Catherine tells how she threw every resource of spirit and mind into the battle for Amy’s life.  Meanwhile, a number of the sixteen-member prayer group began experiencing extraordinary answers to prayer.  It seemed that Amy had become a divine catalyst for God’s grace to others.  In spite of all the prayers for Amy, she died at the age of six weeks.  Catherine could not accept it.  She became bitter and rebellious toward God.  During this time, “life went gray” for Catherine, and almost everything in Catherine’s life began going wrong.

      Finally, Catherine came to her senses, and realized what was happening to her.  She confessed to God that her stance had been immature.  She eventually came to the conclusion that the experience of going through the valley—painful in the short run—had worked for good in the long run, both for herself and others.  The good came, however, only after she confessed her rebellion, accepted the reality of the tragedy, and re-established a right relationship with God.

The “Silver-Lining” Concept

      In order to experience the truth of Romans 8:28, our attitude should be to look for the silver lining in every seemingly bad situation.  Saint James wrote:

      When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!

—James 1:2 (Phillips Translation)

      At times the silver lining will be difficult to discern.  Sometimes we will recognize it in retrospect long after the bad situation occurs.  We may never perceive it in this lifetime.  But we can know that the promise of God in Romans 8:28—like all of His promises—is reliable.

A Final Note

      It has been said that it isn’t what happens to us that matters in life; what matters is our reaction to what happens.  It could be that every seemingly tragic situation contains the seeds of some potential good.  The key to discerning these seeds is to stay in tune with God’s Word and Spirit.  In times of greatest need, people are the most open to the movement of the Spirit.  Throughout history, God’s invariable answer to all misfortunes and problems has been his promise, “I will be with you.”

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