The Struggles of the Believer (Part One)

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4 NIV)

Please imagine the following scenes for a few moments.

  • See a Christian weeping in their living room — a dear spouse of many years has died. This person has been alone in sorrow for a few days, but now a Christian friend comes to visit. Knowing that the spouse was a believer, the friend offers the following words of consolation: “You shouldn’t cry like this! You should rejoice that their suffering is over. You’re acting like an unbeliever. Don’t you know that your spouse is with the Lord?” What is wrong with this picture?
  • See a Christian waiting for surgery or concerned because he might lose his job. A fellow believer senses his uneasiness after church and talks with him about his problem. The fearful follower of Jesus receives this counsel, “Why are you afraid? Don’t you know that God will take care of you? Have you forgotten Proverbs 3:5?” What is wrong with this picture?
  • See a Christian who has entered into temptation and then sinned. Everyone knows what she has done. She feels miserable, though she has confessed her sin. Some won’t talk to her in church. Everywhere she looks, she sees stares of condemnation. What is wrong with this picture?

Perhaps these three scenes are all too real for you, because you have been the mourner, fearful, or the believer overtaken by sin. In each case, the person needs to experience God’s overflowing grace. The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:21 CSB). However, the struggling believer instead experiences more guilt feelings because of their failure to perform as a — are you ready for this? — a perfect Christian.

Many errors have crippled the evangelical church for over a hundred years. We must always avoid the tendency to trace all weaknesses to one source and then apply a cure-all solution. Having said that, we should understand that both sinless perfectionism and psychological perfectionism have created an atmosphere of unreality in the church. No one is allowed to struggle because… well, after all it’s so easy to be perfect! The wrong idea is that a Christian only needs to have a “transforming experience” to lift them from defeat level to victory level. Then, they can live as perfect Christians. The problem is that no believer is perfect. Someone might try to sidestep this problem by claiming, “Look pastor, I know Christians aren’t perfect. Haven’t you read my bumper sticker that says, ‘Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven?’” Well, yes I have read those bumper stickers. Leaving other matters aside for a moment, my question is, “Do you treat other Christians that way, as not perfect but forgiven?”

In order to help one another, we must accept the fact that Christians struggle, that we ourselves know how to struggle, and that we know how to help others who struggle. Our theme in this study is the struggles of true believers and how to help yourself and others in these struggles.

The writer of this psalm is David, the man after God’s own heart. Yet he wrote this psalm after one of the lowest points of his life. King Saul was intent on killing David, and so he had to run away. Strangely, David went to Gath in Philistia, the hometown of Goliath, whom he had killed in battle! (And you thought you made poor decisions!) The Philistines seized him, and he had to feign insanity in order to escape (1 Samuel 21:10-15). David learned from his sin and wrote this psalm to help others. Next, we’ll think on how he received help.

Grace and peace, David

Struggles Upon Struggles

Genesis 42:1-38

In every human heart, there is a certain amount of self-interest. Many are completely self-centered and selfish. Their one goal in the world is to please themselves. Even among the redeemed, who have God’s laws written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10), there is an amount of self-concern. As long as we keep this self-concern within the boundaries of the Bible, there is no problem.

I mention this subject of self-interest, for it is evident in the main characters of this chapter. All are of the same family: Jacob, the sons of Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah, and Joseph. All faced the same event of providence, the famine then ravaging the earth. Yet all must face their own set of problems during the famine. In all events of providence, God is working in different people in different ways. We must not think that our difficulties are the only ones in the world.

We read of Jacob and his struggle with grief. After twenty years, he had not dealt with his excessive attachment to Rachel’s sons (42:1-4). His problem was not a lack of ability to give sound advice. He could tell his sons exactly what they ought to do. As the next chapter shows, Jacob’s own advice would return upon his own head. When we are in trouble and need, it is useless to sit around in despair. Yet Jacob still was more concerned with the welfare of Rachel’s son than the well-being of the other sons.

After the trip to Egypt, the apparent loss of Simeon added to his sorrow (42:29-38). Jacob wrongly blamed his sons for this happening. It is too easy to blame others for what is not their fault when we’re overcome by grief. May we learn from Jacob’s mistake and be charitable to others in a similar condition. Jacob incorrectly interpreted his present circumstances. He didn’t have all the facts. False information can multiply grief. Jacob said, “Everything is against me!” No, God was working for his good at that very moment. Jacob’s lack of knowledge hindered him from knowing that. There is a great warning here. Do not judge the Lord because of what is happening in your life. God might be doing good that you are unaware of. We all have everything figured out, don’t we? As someone said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts the most.”

Next, we read of the brothers of Joseph and their struggle with guilt. They encountered an unexpected adversary. Consider this from their viewpoint. It was an unwarranted accusation, “You are spies!” They received an unjust punishment; they were put in jail for three days.

Guilt added to their confusion (42:21-28). The imminent loss of one of their number reminded them how they had treated Joseph years before. He had pleaded for his life to no avail. Now their pleas were falling on deaf ears. They assumed were finally being punished for their sins!

Conscience calls a person to account to the standard of right and wrong the person holds in the inner person of their heart. Afflictions can be beneficial if they awake the sinner’s conscience from sleep. They misinterpreted a good providence in this state of mind. What could be bad in getting their money back? It seems they thought that the governor was looking for another means to accuse them.

Finally, we read of Joseph and his struggle for self-control. The calm, even tenor of Joseph’s life was suddenly upset by the appearance of his brothers. He immediately recognized them, but would not disclose his identity. Why? Well, if you were Joseph, how would you have felt toward them after all the years you had suffered as a slave and a prisoner (cf. Ps 105:18)? He would have had to wrestle with typical human emotions after betrayal and hatred. Godly people can have intense struggles to assert self-control.

However, we should probably see more than this. By waiting to reveal his identity, Joseph would have the opportunity to see if they had repented. As the interview continued, he remembered his dreams (42:8-9). He may well have thought, “Perhaps God has a purpose in all this. I must act cautiously to see what it is.” Was it right for Joseph to act this way? He wasn’t seeking their harm in this course of action, but their good. Compare Christ’s actions (Mark 7:24-30; Luke 24:28-29). Joseph acted for his brothers’ good. He told them that he was a God-fearing man. He returned their money. How could he take money from his own family when they needed food to survive? Joseph is a good example of a man ruling his emotions, even though the struggle to do so was fierce. May the Lord give us grace to imitate his example!

Grace and peace, David

Prayer One of a Struggler

Psalm 25:1-3

In a culture of fantasy, the people of God need to demonstrate the reality that people who do not know the Lord sadly lack. As the Holy Spirit tells us in the word of God, all people seek for happiness (Ecclesiastes). But our culture has passed that. In our culture, people pursue pleasure, do all possible to avoid pain and self-denial, and want immediate gratification. Generally speaking, people pursue anything that promises change by a single event or a very simplified process.

We need to think and act differently, to face life in the world that the Lord has ordered that we live in, and to live in the way that demonstrates God’s surpassing glory. One way we can start doing this is to admit, “Hello, my name is ________, and I’m a struggler. I struggle with life’s fears, troubles and uncertainties; I struggle with the many times I rebel against God; and yes, I even struggle with knowing God. But I also know that I don’t struggle alone. God is with me, and so are his people. Let me tell you about what God is doing in the struggles of my life.”

This psalm has evidence of being carefully put together in the form of an acrostic poem. So then, it is not a spontaneous composition, but the result of hard work and meditation. It has the structure of a “meditation sandwich”. The “bread” of the sandwich consists of three prayers. The first two are in verses 1-7, and the third is in verses 16-22. The “meat” of the sandwich is the meditation on God and his friendship with his people. Let us consider the first two prayers together.

David struggled with his hope in God. In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

(25:1-3 NIV). Clearly, he experienced the tension between confidence and disgrace that is part of hope in this world. Too often we idealize spiritual qualities like hope and faith, picturing either one as possessed only by the triumphant. But David, who saw many mercies of God for his benefit, struggled in this area. However, he did not wallow in self-pity. He reached out to the living God.

Next time in this psalm, we will listen to how David addressed the Lord. Now, we will concentrate on the fact that he did pray to the Lord. We ought to have God at the top of the list when we are in struggles. Brothers and sisters in Christ, family, friends, and counselors can play valuable roles in our lives. However, we ought first to turn to the Lord. I think most of us realize God’s priority in the life of faith. Yet, this can be a serious challenge. We can see people and find it more natural to seek them. It is also far too easy to use the forms of prayer, while avoiding direct, meaningful conversation with God our Father. We must concentrate on the great God to whom we pray. He has all-power and can make changes in us and our circumstances. Many times, (not every time), the change must first occur in us, before the Father will change other matters. If a child likes to scribble on the walls with crayons, it is wise to train the child not to do that before you repaint the walls. So then, we must approach the Father with a willingness for him to change us. “Lord, I’m struggling in this situation, but I need to refocus on you and stop obsessing about my problem. Give me grace to ‘drop the crayon’ because I’m doing a lot of ‘scribbling’.”

The ‘scribbling’ can take many forms, including the failure to interact with God in a personal manner. He is not a ‘vending machine’ and prayers are not ‘dollar bills and quarters’ to get power from him. David had the right approach. Listen to his opening words: In you, Lord my God…. Let us talk with the Lord as the Holy and Exalted Person that God is.

Grace and peace, David