What Does the Bible Say about Adversity?

　　Our time on earth can be filled with many wonderful, beautiful, and joyous moments. However, in the same life, we will also face unspeakable and often unexplainable hardships, tragedy, and loss. The prophet Isaiah did not say “if” we go through “fire and flood;” he wrote of “when” (Isaiah 43:2).

　　

What Is Adversity?

Adversity comes in many forms, and it comes for all. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “He (God) causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

　　Of course, sometimes trouble in life is of our own making. Certainly, the tragic aftermath of King David’s affair with Bathsheba was the result of sin and lust.

　　However, prior to becoming king, David was unfairly maligned and hunted by King Saul, not because of any sin on David’s part, but because of Saul’s fear and insecurity. Likewise, bad things sometimes happen to good people for reasons we often cannot explain.

　　When those days come, it’s easy to lose hope and feel overwhelmed or even confused. Thankfully, the Bible has a lot to say about the subject of adversity that can provide perspective and hope to those living through life’s greatest storms.

　　One of the greatest misconceptions about the Christian faith is that, for those who call Jesus Lord, their life is removed from all hardship and adversity. This is simply not the case. Christians are never exempt from fire and flood.

　　What they do have, however, is the promise that they will never go through the storms of life alone. They have a God who loves them, is for them, and is with them in and through it all (Romans 8:31).

　　As the prophet Isaiah writes, “Do not fear, for I (the Lord) have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you” (Isaiah 43:1-2).

　　While it’s true that Christ’s saving grace transforms the individual into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), providing eternal hope, new perspective, and new life to what once was dead in sin, Christ’s followers will still encounter hardships in their everyday lives.

　　They too battle cancer, are mistreated, and unfairly maligned. They make mistakes, encounter loss, and lose friends and loved ones. Adversity is a part of life, for the Christian and the non-believer.

　　Furthermore, Jesus warned His soon-to-be disciples of the cost of following Him. “If anyone wants to come after Me,” He said, “he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

　　Jesus also promised that persecution would come for those called by His name (Matthew 5:10). In fact, in the Gospel of John, Jesus warned that many Christians would be hated because of their faith in Christ (John 15:18).

　　Serving Jesus Christ has never been for the faint of heart. In fact, throughout the Bible, many faithful servants of God were rejected, persecuted, and even killed for their faith. Many faced tremendous adversity despite their obedience and faithfulness.

　　

Is God with Us Through Adversity?

The Apostle Peter wrote that we should “not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:12-14).

　　This was a reminder to Christians that, despite their affliction, they are never alone. The spirit of God rests upon them and will strengthen them in the midst of their struggle.

　　Likewise, Jesus said that “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4).

　　Life is never easy or pain-free. However, the invitation from Christ is clear. “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

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　　Of course, few will ever embrace adversity or look forward to hardship, and yet, the Bible says that God sometimes uses adversity and hardship to grow and strengthen His children.

　　God, acting as our heavenly father, often disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 29:15; Hebrews 12:6). Like it or not, discipline sometimes comes in the form of adversity. Other times, God uses the regular adversity of life to grow us, teach us, and make us more like Him.

　　This is why James writes for us to “consider it all joy, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produce endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

　　In other terms, the prophet Malachi compared God’s love to a refiner’s fire or fuller’s soap (Malachi 3:2-4). God is not afraid to use the fires of life to melt away our impurities or the friction of a strong soap to cleanse us from anything that does not produce holiness.

　　God is not the author of every bad thing that happens in life. However, the Bible tells us that, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

　　What others mean for evil; God often turns to good (Genesis 50:20).

　　

What Does This Mean?

Furthermore, God reminds His followers that, “‘I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

　　Those plans may include momentary adversity, however, Christians know that not only are their afflictions temporary (2 Corinthians 4:17-18), but life’s also many trials are what produces endurance (Romans 5:3-4), and endurance is what gives us the resolve to persevere to the ultimate goal of eternal glory (Hebrews 10:36).

　　Therefore, those who are in Christ need not fear adversity.

　　Through fire and flood, and in every storm, let those who love Christ be encouraged by His Word and inspired by the faith of men like Job, who concluded “though he slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15).

　　As well as the prophet Habakkuk, who, through difficult times, wrote, “even if the fig tree does not blossom, and there is no fruit on the vines, if the yield of the olive fails, and the fields produce no food, even if the flock disappears from the fold, and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like deer’s feet, and has me walk on my high places” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

　　For further reading:

　　What Does the Bible Say about Suffering?

　　Why Does the Christian Life Lead to Suffering?

　　What Did Jesus Mean That We Will Have Trouble in This World?