In This World You Will Have Trouble

Trials Day 2

“Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26

“The deepest fellowship with Him lies in not resisting when suffering comes our way, but in going through it resolutely with him.” Corrie ten Boom

 

  • It’s time to meet with your Savior. He loves you (Ephesians 3:18-19). He is with you (Matthew 28:20). He will never leave you (Isaiah 41:10). Jesus will carry you (Isaiah 40:11).
  • Read Psalm 73:25-26 and write it in your journal. Pray and ask the Lord to speak to your heart and for Him to teach you deeply today about the love of God.

In This World, You Will Have Trouble

Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” (John 16:33). We can expect to have trouble in this world. This is not our home; this is the broken place where bad things happen to good people.

Sometimes the suffering feels neverending. It may seem like you’re dealing with it all alone, and there may not be an end in sight. It is in these times when we turn to God’s strength – no longer able to rely on our own – that we begin to see a glimpse of His perfect strength.

My dear sister, if you are in this place of deep sorrow right now, please know that you are loved deeply by God. Please do whatever you can to stay in God’s Word so you can think true thoughts, and resist the temptation to feel forgotten by God.  It is my prayer that you will know the tender, faithful, steadfast love of God Almighty- the Lover of your soul.

Today, my friend Julie Maegdlin is sharing her wisdom she received from God while having and being treated for breast cancer. My sweet friend endured deep difficulty with grace, and now ministers to women who are going through treatment for breast cancer at her local hospital. Julie truly is living out 2 Corinthians 1:4 in which God says: “comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

“No one wants a hard time to come upon them. We like to pray for health and prosperity and good, easy relationships. I do believe the Lord wants to bless us in all of those areas, but I also believe that the Lord allows suffering in our life to bless us as well.

King David said it well in Psalm 119:71: “It was good for me to be afflicted that I might learn your decrees.”

Yes, affliction hurts. Yes, the pain can be downright awful. But the Lord uses that pain to teach us more about Himself and His goodness than we would have known otherwise. How would we know that God is our Jehovah Rapha if we haven’t needed healing? How would we know that He is our Jehovah Jireh if we haven’t needed any provisions? Yes, it can be good to be afflicted and needy.

How we respond to suffering is a message the church desperately needs to hear. It isn’t enough to put on a happy smile and “fake it until you make it.”

That may get you through a rough morning with the kids, but it won’t come near to helping when real tragedy strikes. I look at many of the great men of the Bible and they all suffered greatly. Many of them suffered to the point in which they just wanted to die right there. The suffering of Jesus is beyond our comprehension. What they did to get through their trials is universal – they worshiped. They came before God Almighty and worshiped Him. They fell on their faces and begged and pleaded for help and deliverance. They cried out to Him with wailing and sobs. They tore their clothes, covered themselves in ashes, hid in caves, and worshiped. They acknowledged God as their Father, and through blood and tears simply asked for His presence to be with them. The request of being in the house of the Lord is all about Him being enough.

When you go through a really rough time in your life and everything is stripped away, you realize that God is all you have, God is all you need, and that is a very real reason to worship.”

Questions to Ponder

  • If you are in a trial right now, pray and ask God for verses on which to focus during this time so you can keep the truth of God’s Word in front of you. Write these verses in your journal. Keep remembering the truth. You are loved deeply by God; He sees you and is with you. The truth is you are not alone!
  • Make sure you pray with someone regularly. This little habit will change your life. I have been through many difficulties, and my praying friends were always there for me and prayed for me. If you need a prayer partner, pray and ask God to bring you one. If you do not know anyone to pray with, email us at debweakly@gmail.com
  • James 1:2-4 tells us that trials lead us to God’s plan for us: to be mature and complete, not lacking anything. How has God refined you through trials? How can you use these lessons in your everyday life?
  • God is not only faithful in the major trials of our lives, but He also wants to guide us through our day-to-day concerns. What are the struggles that you need to give to God (children squabbling, a bad attitude about laundry, bitterness toward someone, etc)?

Faith-Filled Idea

  • When Julie had cancer, she put James 5:14 into practice: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call on the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” If you are sick in your body, in addition to seeking medical care, go in humility to the church elders, and ask for prayer to be healed.

 

trials day 2

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Join the Conversation:

Since we are on the subject of Trials, what are 3-5 things that keep you up at night? Meaning, what do you worry about the most?  I am thinking that most of us struggle with the same types of things. 

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Julie Maegdlin and Deb Weakly
Latest posts by Julie Maegdlin and Deb Weakly (see all)

14 Comments on “In This World You Will Have Trouble”

  1. Thank you for sharing your heart and your cancer story. I believe many women will be encouraged through your testimony to the Lord’s faithfulness.

  2. I had no idea that Julie had gone through this but God always brings something beautiful out of our suffering and heartaches and trials. Thank you Julie for sharing I know that your sweet spirit is touching the hearts and lives of many. Bless you both. I love the idea that you have been doing tea together for so many years. What a blessing to have such a special friend that shares your joys, heartaches, triumphs, pain, healing, struggles and blessings. And so much more. Laughter is good!

    1. Hi Mrs. Roann, It’s so great to hear from you! You are always so encouraging! I feel so blessed to have known Julie all of these years! And I am so blessed to know YOU! 🙂

  3. What a wonderful study! So encouraging!
    The last 8 months for our family have been intense but so much richness and depth have come out of these times of difficulty, somehow I can’t stop thanking the Lord for it, kinda wierd but wonderful! I worry about the way we are raising our kids (is it good enough? Am I following the Lord’s way of doing things for each of them? Are they being equipped? Etc… ) Time management, handling part of our finances, loving my husband well, leading and empowering the young women the Lord has placed in my life currently.
    This verse from Isaiah 55:12 is currently my life/season verse
    “You shall go out in Joy and be led forth in PEACE”
    Makes me rest at night 🙂 thanks Deb!

  4. What a beautiful study today! I love the fact that worship was the result of affliction for so many in the Bible. I appreciate that Julie pointed out that God needs to be enough. In our day, we have so much that we want God and good health or God and prosperity, etc. Repeating that God is enough really encourages my spirit.

    Due to my large family, I sleep really well unless woken up. However, I have had a few nights that my spirit is unsettled. In a nutshell, I worry about my children being safe in this wicked world, I worry about being responsible with our finances especially since Mark is gone, and I worry about the health of my husband and children when something seems off. To combat some of these fears, I pray that if their is sin in my home going unnoticed that God will bring it to light. I pray that God will send the wicked away from my children and that all interactions with them would be from Him. I also pray for wisdom before I spend money or balance the checkbook. For their health, I pray for wisdom and remember that perfect love cast out all fear.

    Thanks for sharing your life with us!

    Blessings, Susan

  5. Hi Deb,
    Thank you & thanks to Julie for sharing her heart! I have several friends who are going through constant pain or long-term suffering. I don’t know what to do to help them because it just keeps on going. It breaks my heart! The other things that burden my heart are:
    -Am I doing all that God wants me to do with my time? (similar to what Rachel said)
    -Am I hearing God or me?
    -What will I do with my career when my children are grown? Should I be doing something now to get ready?
    -Am I giving my children everything they need & schooling them completely diligently so I don’t cause loss in their childhood due to homeschooling?
    -How do I get the right life balance between exercise, good nutrition, quiet time, prayer time, serving, friends, hospitality, loving my family & extended family?
    Whew! I feel better now that that’s all off my chest! Hahaha! 🙂
    Love you Deb,
    Kristi

  6. Deb & Julie,
    These were such great words of encouragement. I love how Julie reminds us that all the great men of the Bible suffered terribly, yet cried out to God in worship. I know this is what I had to do when I was struggling with raising our teenage son. Those difficult times of trial brought me so much closer to the Lord in prayer.
    The concerns that keep me up at night are: children, other family needs, and my job as a teacher. Even though it is not fun to awake over these concerns, I do LOVE the special times of prayer I have with God at 2am.

    1. You have always been such a beautiful source of inspiration to me Kim! I am so thankful for your prayers over the years! You are a faithful prayer warrior. 🙂

  7. What a powerful reminder that is not often talked about. It is uncomfortable…but we are far better equipt to face hard times if we realize they will come.

    A couple big worries I have been laying before the Lord have been raising my children in this culture and generation, and (for 3 daughters) worrying about their safety. It is also easy to worry about provision for us and the ministry God has called us to.

    The week on our thoughts was huge for me in these areas. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

    1. I completely agree Anelise! We will have trouble, and in a weird way, it’s comforting that Jesus is the one who told us that in the first place and that we will overcome because of Him.
      Ugh! It is stressful to raise girls today! I felt the same way with my daughter. It really helped me to know that Jesus watched out for her. We prayed every time she left the house and still pray for God to watch over her every day.:) Love you!

  8. I loved the verses from Psalms that you had us read and write in our journals. SO encouraging. This world has nothing for us, yet it has “everything.” It is always a great reminder that God is our portion.

    Lately, I have been worrying about my time. In the sense, wondering if I am doing what the Lord has called me to do with my life; and on a smaller scale using my time wisely my time throughout the day. I have alwyas been a very productive and resourcful person, so wasting time is a concern of mine. I yearn for all my energies to bring glory to Him! I have a few big decisions that I am thinking through currently so I have been up late with worry about making the wrong one.

    Also, I worry for my husband and his happiness, faith, and security at work. It is so hard when you love someone as much as I love him. When he wavers, it really affects me so I need to be continually praying and submitting this to God rather than worrying about it.

    1. Thank you so much for sharing that Rachel. I feel the same way, especially about my husband. When he struggles, I struggle. I hate it when he is having a hard time. It’s true, we have to give it over to God and trust Him with our guys. I am so thankful for you!

  9. One thing that I worry about is the future of my children. Knowing and seeing what this world is coming to it is a worry of mine to think about the struggles their lives will have. I also am worried about my husband and his line of work. He is such a hard worker and is constantly sore from being a mover/truck driver. I am close with a young woman who’s father died in a trucking accident and I’m always fearful as to what could happen while he is on the road. His safety is something I think about day and night. Another thing that I am constantly worrying about is our finances. We are in a good place right now and I praise God all the time for my husbands good job and a nanny job I am blessed with so I can stay home with our children. But knowing that things could change is a fear of mine.
    I really enjoyed this weeks read Deb and am hoping we can meet soon! Thanks for all you are doing with this group all the way from Wisconsin!

    1. Thank you SO much, Kayla! You are so encouraging!
      I completely understand the fear of losing our husbands. I would be devastated. I hope to meet you soon! We should at least chat on the phone:)

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