Standing Firm in Trials, 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

"We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know queite well that we were destined for them."

     Jesus told His disciples that they woul dbe persecuted for His name's sake. He said, "In this world you will have tribulation". The Bible teaches that all who follow Jesus will suffer persecution and go through trials. Though we know that we are headed for trials, headed for persecution and suffering, God has also told us that there is a way to remain firm in faith and not be unsettled by such tribulations. That way is by having fellowship with the body of Christ, other Christians.
     When we surround ourselves with other believers, we are surrounding ourselves with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, God's children. Our fellowship with them consists of praising God and glorifying Him together, singing songs unto the Lord, prayer, and sharing His word and what He has done in each of our lives. We are encouraging and building each other up in faith.
     Surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, though we go through trials, though life gets us down and things don't go how we thought they would, we are constantly reminded of God's goodness, mercy, grace, and plans of blessing and hope for our lives. We are assured of our eternal salvation, that heaven awaits us, and that we are headed for a life of unparalelled peace and joy in the presence of our God. We are reminded that our present struggles are only temporary, and that they are "not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

     Revelation chapter 21 tells us about that time in the not-so-distant future when Jesus will come and rule and reign as king on the earth:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

     Any trials that we face in this life, any troubles or pain, sorrow or depression we may go through on this earth-- they are not even worth comparing to that which awaits us in heaven. There are so many blessings stored up for us, so much joy and love to be lavished upon us in the presence of our Lord, that to focus on the here and now, our problems and our sorrows is but a waste of our time. An eternity of prosperity, peace, love, and joy awaits us. This life on earth is but a mere sliver of our lives in totality. It is important to keep our focus on heaven! When we hold onto our hope of heaven, we can push through those times of trial and tribulation, not being moved or shaken.

     David, a beloved king of Israel whom God declared to be a man after His Own heart, wrote many psalms dealing with his ongoing struggles with depression. He asked himself in Psalm 42, "Why art thou cast down, o my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance".
     David was prone to bouts of severe depression. But he was also a man after God's Own heart. How did he handle this chronic depression that sometimes struck him so deeply that his soul refused to be comforted?
     As we read through the Psalms of David, we see a pattern. David would start out often times by questioning God and questioning his following God. He would pour out his heart, declaring all he felt inside him. But his feelings seemed to lead him deeper into despair. Then, however, through speaking to his own soul (whether literally or figuratively I'm not sure, but it is unimportant), he reminds himself of God's past blessings and faithfulness, and of the greatness and glory of God. He recounts the times in his life that God delivered him and set him free from harm's way, and as he does so that spirit of depression starts to lift.
     In depression, in trials and tribulations (and he had many!), David turned to God for answers. He was brutally honest with God, pouring out his very soul in prayer. But he didn't dwell on his feelings, instead, he turned to the word of God for stability and comfort. He clung to the promises of God for hope.

     When we experience trials, when we are depressed or blue, when we are having a hard time in life, it is then that we need most to focus on God! We need to be in fellowship so that we may be encouraged by other believers, that they may speak God's word to us to comfort us, and carry our needs to God in prayer. It is then that we need to cling to the truth of God's word, the Bible, and believe His promises. It is then that we need to pour out our hearts in prayer to the Lord, and then that we need to, despite our feelings, give praise and glory to the Lord for His faithfulness and His goodness.
     We need to realize that we cannot rely on our emotions or our hearts to give us the answers, we can't even trust that what they are telling us is true! Our hearts are "deceitful above all things and beyond cure" (Jeremiah 17:9). Don't trust in your feelings and emotions. Trust in God's word, for God cannot lie.

     It is crucial that we base our lives on the solid rock of God's word (the Bible) and not the shifting sands of our own fleeting thoughts and emotions. If the foundation for our lives and our contentment is our own feelings and thoughts, our surroundings and circumstances, we are going to sink and fall as if we built our lives upon quicksand. But those whose foundation is Jesus Christ and His word will not be moved, for God does not change, and He is always faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We can only have that constant peace, that constant joy and contentment when it comes not from that within us or that around us, but from God Almighty, the immovable and unshakable rock.
     We know that in this world we will have tribulation. Jesus told us that Himself. We know that because we are living in a world plagued by the curses of sin that we can no more escape pain that we can live without oxygen. But though we cannot escape pain, we can push through it, unmoved and unshaken, remaining firm and strong in our faith in God. When we stand firm in Christ, trials not only don't move us, but they purify us and strengthen our faith.