Let’s Walk Together in this Struggle

Read John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

It’s hard to overstate how difficult it can be to live in this world sometimes. This difficulty is a universal thing because sin infects all of us universally and uniquely. The struggles of one person may look different than the struggles of someone else, but here we all are, struggling in our own unique ways together. But do we embrace that “together,” or do we fall into the trap of comparisons that can drive a wedge between God’s people? This world we all live in is a complex place because sin just won’t let go—of anyone! But God doesn’t let go easily either.

It is good for us to see the unique challenges we all face, while recognizing the universal nature of struggle. Maybe you’ve never thought about how hard it is to live in your own body, being told that you are “wonderfully made” and yet despise what you see. Maybe you’ve never struggled with being told that the person you’re attracted to is someone God did not design for you to be attracted to. Maybe you’ve never felt the hurt of struggling and not knowing if you could talk to anyone about it or if they’d just abandon you because of what you’re going through. Maybe you’ve never been through the challenge of knowing what God says in his Word and wrestling with yourself to keep God’s Word pure. Maybe you’ve never been through those exact situations, but then again, maybe you have. Or maybe you could change one or two words in those sentences, and you’d say, “Yeah, I know what that’s like.”

Regardless of where you are, perhaps the painful words of Romans 7:19 hit your heart, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” Maybe we don’t all know with what each other is struggling, but perhaps that’s one of the reasons I am thankful for Romans 7. It’s real and it’s honest. Through the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul, Paul is telling each of us, “I get it. I get you. I see you.” Maybe we can understand each other better than we think we can.

I have to remind myself, so let me remind you—it’s not supposed to be like this. God didn’t create a world where trials and crosses and sin were meant to exist. But this is the world we live in because of Adam and Eve’s fall, and this is where God wants us. And thank God, this is the world where God is at work in us and for us and through us.

Jesus makes a promise to us that can be hard to hear, but listen to the end. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus wins—and he wins for you and me!

I don’t know what you’re struggling with today, but I know what I’m struggling with today. And it seems like an everyday battle. But I plead with you, brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s struggle together. This world is messy, and it can be complex, but the love of Jesus is for you, and it is for me too. Let’s stand together under Christ’s cross showered and empowered by his grace.