Last week, we started a women’s Bible study for missionaries, and one thing was clear as we shared and that was, we were all going through difficult times. But we must recognize that these challenging periods are not without purpose. One of the ladies explained that God is molding us into what He wants, and this can be very hard. If you are anything like me, you might want to resist the transformation because it can cause extreme discomfort. However, one thing I realized in another Bible study was that pain often comes before God’s purposes are brought to life. Therefore, it is important to know that the time of labor pains is necessary when God is birthing a new thing in our lives.
Truly, truly I say to you that you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy! Whenever a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore, you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you. John 16:20-22
I have heard that labor pains are not fun and that they can go on for a long period of time and become unbearable. How many of us have been going through what seems to be unending struggles and feeling overwhelmed at all of life’s circumstances? Sometimes there is a tendency to feel like giving up, but this is actually the time to push through and stand firm on God’s truth. In John 16, Jesus was letting His disciples know that they would be going through a time of mourning, but that would end as they would have joy because after His death would come His resurrection. The grave could not hold Him. The stone was rolled away and the Light of the World stepped into the dark world of the disciples and their mourning turned to joy as they saw their resurrected Lord.
Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were together due to fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20
Please note that Jesus’ wounds were still there. The signs of His period of suffering before His death were not taken away, even though He was resurrected. We might want to get rid of everything that reminds us of the pain that we went through, but those signs will help us testify to the greatness and goodness of our powerful God. Jesus’ time of suffering was necessary to bring about His death and then His glorious resurrection, enabling us to be free from the trap of sin so that we could have eternal life. You also many be going through a time of suffering that you want to get out of, but God wants to take you through it. The fiery circumstances are necessary to make us pure as gold and those flood waters may be washing us clean of the impurities that would hinder us from carrying out God’s work in our lives. We need to pray for God to give us discernment to understand the times we are going through. Like the sons of Issachar mentioned in 1 Chronicles 12, we need to not only understand the times, but also understand what we should do during these times.
Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let’s behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Romans 13:11-14
This is not the time for us as Christians to be spiritually asleep, it is time to be awakened from our slumber and understand what is going on. It is time for the children of God to bring light and hope to a dark world that is suffering from sicknesses, famine, floods and fires. A world lost in lasciviousness and greed. It is time to discern that in these times of suffering, the creation is waiting for God’s truth and glory to be revealed through His children.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Romans 8:18-21
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