![]() ![]() Jesus went through pain, false accusations, and crucifixion. Furthermore, the best example of a person who went through hard times as recorded in the Bible was the Lord Jesus Christ. Despite the hard times never ceasing in Paul’s earthly life, he is now free from hard times now that he is with Jesus. Paul died as a martyr of his faith in Christ at the hands of Nero. In fact, the hard times increased as Paul’s life went on. ![]() The hard times experienced by Paul did not go away with time. Hard times were part of Paul’s daily life. Paul was persecuted, stoned, imprisoned, and suffered greatly for the name of Christ ( Acts 9:29, 14:5 2 Corinthians 4:9, 11:24 2 Timothy 2:9, 3:11). Another person who was familiar with hard times was the Apostle Paul. Similarly, hard times will help us grow in humility. Jesus was always humble and never prideful. God is constantly molding and shaping us to reflect His Son. Humility can be the result of hard times as hard times have a way of diminishing pride. ![]() Even though some hard times last the entirety of our lives, we need to still trust in God and rely on Him. In the same way, we need to trust God throughout the duration of the hard times in our lives. I am going to argue my case with him” (NLT). Job says, “God might kill me, but I have no other hope. Moreover, throughout the account of Job, Job never questioned God’s goodness. This is not even including the fact that Job found out he didn’t have loyal friends and a wife who urged him to curse God and die ( Job 2:9).ĭespite this hard time of Job’s life, he never charged God with wrongdoing. Job lost all of his adult children, lost all of his cattle, experienced the destruction of his home, and was covered in sores from head to toe all in one day. The Bible Plus Hard TimesĪ man who was familiar with hard times was Job. The Lord does not want us to be drowned out by hard times as He will carry us if we let Him. Hard times will not break us unless we let them. If we set our minds and hearts on the Lord and the blessings in our lives, we will be able to overcome the hard times. If we think about these things, getting through the hard times will be much easier. Paul tells us to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy ( Philippians 4:8). Lean on the Lord and He will give you strength.Īnother helpful tactic Paul tells us about in his epistle to the Philippians is where to place our focus during hard times. Despite feeling these emotions, the Lord can give us the strength to stand up under them. During hard times, it is inevitable that we will have anxieties, difficulties, and distress. Give all of your anxieties over to the Lord. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” Hard times are never pleasant however, God can teach us a lot through hard times.ĭuring hard times, we will face trials, temptations, and tribulations, yet the Lord never leaves us during these times. The Bible tells us that even as we walk through hard times, God is with us ( Joshua 1:9 Isaiah 41:10). We tend to avoid hard times at all costs. Most people do not enjoy the idea of going through a difficult season of life. Hard times can cause much stress to arise in our bones however, the Bible gives us some encouragement about hard times. The death of loved ones, illnesses, and anxieties are a few that you may be able to relate to in your own life. There have been many hard times that I still cannot believe I survived. Paramore’s lyrics for “Hard Times” are raw, genuine, and true to our own personal experiences with hard times. Growing up, I was always a fan of Paramore as my sister and I loved the edgy style and the raw lyrics of the lead singer, Hayley Williams. “Gonna make you wonder why you even try/Hard times/Gonna take you down and laugh when you cry… I still don't know how I even survive/Hard times.” These lyrics come from Paramore’s famous song “Hard Times” off their most recent album After Laughter. ![]()
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