When God allows hard times

You caused me to experience
many troubles and misfortunes… (Psalm 71:20a)

That seems a little cruel doesn’t it?

God causes us to experience many troubles and misfortunes?

Yes, he does.

This is not to say that God actively wields a bat against us.

Many times, the troubles and misfortunes we face are of our own making. Sometimes, they are the results of others’ actions. And other times, they are the result of living in a broken world.

God could, I suppose, actively intervene and keep those troubles and misfortunes from us. And by his grace, he sometimes does.

I would dare say there are many troubles or misfortunes that God in his grace has protected us from that we are totally unaware of.

But he does allow us to experience troubles and misfortunes in our lives.

Why? Because God is cruel? Because he hates us?

No.

Rather, as David says,

…but you will revive me again. You will bring me up again, even from the depths of the earth. (20b)

Through our troubles, we learn to lean on him. (6)

We learn to hope in him. (14)

And as he raises us up, we learn that he is indeed good. (16-17)

We stand in awe of him and cry out with David,

 Your righteousness reaches the heights, God, you who have done great things; God, who is like you? (19)

But as you go through your trials, remember one more thing. Jesus knows what it means to endure suffering too.

The writer of Hebrews says,

For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings…

[Jesus] had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement, for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:10, 17)

Yes, God causes us to go through suffering. But he caused his Son to go through it first. And because of that, the writer of Hebrews can tell us,

For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted (or “tested”, the word is the same in Greek), [Jesus] is able to help those who are tempted (“tested”). (Hebrews 2:18)