I recently had one of those mornings in which nothing seemed to be going right. I was already frustrated over some disappointments in life; and then, on that particular morning, I missed my alarm, making me late for work. I spilled my coffee on my clothes; I burnt the kids’ breakfast; and the day went on and on that way. I am sure we all have had a day like this. In the midst of it, after what seemed to be the hundredth small tragedy, I wailed to myself, “How is this happening to me?”
I Peter 4:12-13 says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
On that day, and (I am ashamed to say) on many other days, I definitely treated my difficulties …as though some strange thing happened unto… me. The Bible and history both teach us repeatedly that we are not the first to deal with difficulties. Trials, difficulties, and suffering have been a part of life since Adam and Eve’s sin, and they will be until our Lord returns. In the meantime, we must be reminded to …think it not strange… when the hard times come.
…think it not strange… when your work for the Lord is small.
God sent Gideon to fight the Midianites with only 300 men. The widow had only two mites. The prestigious Harvard University was begun with only nine students. Princeton University, with the great preachers Jonathan Edwards and John Witherspoon as consecutive presidents, had an average of only 18 graduates a year during the late 1700s!
…think it not strange… when friends and family forsake you.
Demas forsook Paul. Judas betrayed Jesus. Aaron and Miriam stood against Moses. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams turned on each other and did not speak for years! The great British reformer William Wilberforce watched his eldest son squander the family inheritance, leaving him homeless and dependent on the charity of friends for the rest of his life.
…think it not strange… when the world lives in direct opposition to Christ.
Jochabed gave birth to Moses when Jewish baby boys were born with a sentence of death upon them. The apostles were stoned, beaten, imprisoned and martyred. For centuries, Anabaptists living in Europe were forced to worship in secret or be persecuted for their faith. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress from his prison cell. Missionary Gladys Aylward recounted a day in which she witnessed 200 Christian college students be executed by Communists for refusing to recant their faith.
…think it not strange… when the Gospel message is refused.
The Israelites rejected Jesus after eyewitnesses saw Him in His resurrected body. Agrippa listened to Paul deliver one of the greatest presentations of the Gospel the world had ever heard and said, …Almost thou persuadest me… David Livingstone, one of the most famous missionaries of all time, had only one proven African convert. John Williams had a successful mission work in the Pacific Islands until he was murdered and eaten by cannibals.
…think it not strange… when those you respect compromise.
Peter went fishing instead of waiting for the resurrection. Moses struck the rock when God commanded him only to speak to it. Saul did not utterly destroy the Amalekites. Neville Chamberlain achieved “peace for our time” by making peace with the monstrous Adolf Hitler. Thomas Jefferson agreed to strike out sections of his draft of the Declaration of Independence that condemned slavery in order to appease slaveholders.
…think it not strange… when tragedy strikes.
The parents of Bethlehem lost all their children, two years old and younger, due to Herod’s awful decree. The story of the Old Testament is the story of constant invasions, famines, and pestilences. Mary watched her beloved Son die on the Cross. David lost his newborn son after his sin with Bathsheba. Queen Anne of Great Britain underwent 18 pregnancies and had only one child who survived infancy, who then died at age 11. Isaac Watts, the great hymn writer, began a successful career pastoring, only to be stricken with chronic illness and nerve pain which almost completely kept him from his pulpit.
During his period of sickness, Isaac Watts penned these words, a reminder to himself and to others of the difficulties of the Christian life:
“Shall I be carried through the skies
On flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
Sure I must fight if I must reign
Increase my courage, Lord;
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain
Supported by Thy Word.”
My friends, …think it not strange… that you have a struggle, trial, or disappointment today. You are in good company! Through God’s strength, …rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
by Abigail Medford
