Life is full of difficulties. Job tells us that man is ‘born for trouble as the sparks fly upward’, and the older I get, the more I feel the truth of this statement.
I often find myself thinking that things will ease up after the next hill, so to speak, but there’s always another hill, another ridge, another mountain. There’s always more difficulty to come.
But this, of course, is God’s design. In our sufferings, God is doing all sorts of powerful things for us. He’s teaching us that our faith is real (James 1:1-4), that the love of God causes us to endure (Rom 5:1-5), and that we have a lasting hope of glory (Rom 8:16-17), among other things.
One of the most interesting things that God is doing in our trials is teaching us to have good theology, and Paul’s example in Romans 15:30-33 and Phil 4:6-7 is a prime example.
In Romans 15, Paul is beginning a trip to Jerusalem, and writing the Romans to ask for their prayers. He’s going there to carry a gift from the Gentile churches, and he is aware that all sorts of difficulties are in front of him. The unbelieving Jews want him dead. The believing Jews don’t know if they can trust him. The ruling Gentiles are uncomfortable with Jewish rebellion in the city, and believing Gentiles are outcasts. Jerusalem is a perfect storm of suffering for Paul! And yet, God has called him to go there.
And so Paul requests prayer from his brothers and sisters in Rome, and not just any prayer—agonizing prayer with Paul. He asks them to petition the triune God for his rescue from he unbelieving Jews, and for unity with the Jerusalem church. This of course makes sense, given the massive problems that he could face when he arrives. Paul’s need is great, and his request is not surprising.
But, we find in Acts 20-21 that Paul’s requests are answered, though not how he would have expected. And so, Paul’s prayers, and the prayers of the Romans were God’s will.
But what did this experience teach Paul?
We find out, actually, in Phil 4:6-7. Paul is writing from prison after his experience in Jerusalem, and he tells the Philippians to be anxious for nothing, but to make their requests known to God with thanksgiving.
Now, there’s a lot that we could learn from Paul’s request before his trial, and his wisdom after his trial. But I think one of the most interesting is his use of the word ‘peace’ in both passages.
In Romans 15:33, he asks that the ‘God of peace’ be with the Romans—that is, that they would experience God’s peace, even as they pray for his deliverance. However, in Phil 4:7, Paul says that God’s peace will be present for those who make their requests known to God.
What had Paul learned?
God had taught Paul that peace wasn’t related to outcome or to circumstance, but to the knowledge of God, and giving thanks to Him in all circumstances. God had taught Paul to trust Him in sufferings, and so Paul was teaching the Philippians what he’d learned.
And the same is true for you today. God is using your trials, your sufferings, and you hardships to teach you important things about Himself, and those are more important than any blessing!
