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The biggest misunderstanding about Christianity is that it’s supposed to be easy. But God never promises that life on earth will see fewer challenges when we give our life to Jesus, but He does promise us that we don’t have to face them alone this time around because we now walk in the victory of Christ.
In John 16:33a, Jesus throws a hardball at His disciples when He says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.”
One can just imagine the look on the disciples faces. Up until this point most of them might still have thought that life was going to be smoother and better now with Jesus around.
Up until the time Jesus was about to ascend to heaven, some of the disciples had still not gotten this message. Acts 1:6 says, “So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?'”
Even when Jesus explained to them that life following Christ was not going to be a walk in the park, the disciples were still looking for the easy way out – an Israel that was politically, economically and culturally better.
How many times do we find ourselves in this situation? We think that just because we’re Christians, that we’re never going to experience lack, that we’ll always have a parking space near the mall and that we’ll never get caught in the rain. God never tells us that He’s going to stop all problems from coming your way, but He does promise that even as trials come He will sustain us through them.
God doesn’t make us storm-free people. He transforms us into storm-proof people built firmly on the foundation that is in Christ. And that’s not to say that we will have more problems than non-Christians too because that’s not always the case. Jesus also promises blessing and satisfaction for all who follow Him.
In Mark 10:29-30, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”
In Jesus there is blessing, prosperity, peace, joy and satisfaction, but there is also trial. However, we can be assured that even in these trials God will prove Himself to be faithful and able to deliver in the times we are overwhelmed. Storms may come, but now that we are in Christ, He is in our boat and we’re not going to drown anymore.
