Personal Hardship

The New Testament offers a unique take on personal hardship—repeatedly showing what God can do with great difficulty.

Paul understood difficulty and the need for encouragement—the first time Paul arrived in Corinth, Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision to encourage him, saying that he would not be attacked or harmed (Acts 18:9–10). And this inspired Paul to go on with his ministry in Corinth.

To the same believers he met while in Corinth, and in the midst of rejection and great difficulty, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians. In light of the circumstances seen in 2 Corinthians, it is obvious that Paul could have been discouraged and miserable, but instead he penned serious yet encouraging words to the Corinthians. At one point—after rehearsing all of the difficulties he has experienced when following Jesus—he says:

Therefore we do not lose heart, but even if our outer person is being destroyed, yet our inner person is being renewed day after day. For our momentary light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure and proportion (2 Cor 4:16–17).

These words, born out of persecution and hardship, became a means of encouraging fellow believers in their journey of faith.

Jesus promised that there would be trouble in this life (John 15:18–25), but Jesus also proclaimed that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Although trouble is inevitable, we can find joy because of what Christ has done (compare James 1:2–4).

Bob Botsford

Further Reading

Why a Good God Allows Suffering

Suffering