These are the times that try men’s souls: Thomas Paine penned these immortal words to encourage American civilian support for independence and motivate soldiers to stay in the battlefield of battle against the British even though their cause looked lost.
Paine use of the word “try” in this context means “test.” In other words, he is saying that the times they were living in were the times that tested men’s souls. During this battle for independence, his country men’s will was tested to the outermost- for most of the war with the British, the American colonists kept losing, food grew scarce as many of the farmers were fighting in the war.
Likewise, there should be no doubt in our minds that we in this generation are also facing hard times: the effect of coronavirus has cut down many lives, there is huge economic depression in many countries leading to loss of jobs and massive riots, and with these hard times come many unknown. What should the response of a Christian be in these hard times?
I would say, stay close to your manual, which is the bible, or else we will lose the script to the raging storm. Like a pilot would mostly rely on his flying instruments and not his emotions to fly an airplane, Christians must consult more with the word and less on emotion as we navigate this dangerous turbulence. Why? Because the bible teaches this: for we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Some new aircrafts are so advanced that the pilot interacts with them continuously through digital instruments that provide total situational awareness. Pilots who do not quickly pick up these skills and don’t trust algorithms to help fly the aircraft will not just perform poorly, they’ll crash on takeoff.
The earlier we believe that the word of God is our safe algorithm, and the more we consult with it for our spiritual situational awareness the better we will fair.
How do we do this? When our faith is struggling to keep believing, and be sure that we will struggle, we should turn to the bible for inspiration and encouragement! When we feel scared or uncertain, we can turn to Bible and the Lord for guidance and strength. The Bible has several great examples of individuals who proved that we can go through difficult times and make it through to the other side with God as our guide.
David was familiar with hard times, he was anointed king of Israel and chosen by God, and yet he was also tormented by the jealous King Saul, who chased him for many years trying to kill him. David grew increasingly frustrated from his constant running and hiding, living in caves, and surviving on whatever food his men could find or what those loyal to him would give.
However, with David’s hard times came the legacy of the Psalms – a powerful collections of prayers and thoughts that many Christians keep using today to navigate personal storms.
Someone said, don’t shake off or cry-off your trouble, find God: David says, ‘In the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord’. In other words, hard times should squeeze from us a legacy of divine connection and not that of disconnection. When in trouble we must seek God until we find him, Days of trouble must be days of prayer, when God seems to have withdrawn from us; we must seek him and seek till we find him.
How do we find God?
Feeding and Regurgitating the word, ‘So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ’. Romans 10:17
No matter how long the trial, and if we stay focused on God, know that there is a reward, ‘and without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him’. Hebrews 11:6
An assurance of conviction: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.
Singlemindedness: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Empowerment of the Holy Spirit: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
There is a divine working in all tribulations: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Calmness: “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10.
Banish anxiety and fear: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’. Philippians 4:6
Always examine your earthly challenges in the light of eternal blessing: ‘For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us’. Romans 8:18
Be patient: ’For in this hope, we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:24-25
The big takeaway from all this lesson is that with God, all things are possible (Matthew 15:26). And we, too, can find strength, comfort and guidance in the Lord during these challenging times.
Reading: Psalm 77
