Confronting Adversity

Hiding from an adversity, or denying it, does not make it go away. God has created adversities as a means of forming us in the same way that He formed David. So how we confront adversities is just as important as how we respond to them.

There are numerous scriptures that address generally how we can avoid adversities, but few that speak to how we should deal with them. There are two scriptural means of dealing with adversities: prayer and wisdom. Let us consider prayer.

God is a Spirit,1 and He communicates spiritually. The means of this communication is prayer (worship) “in Spirit and Truth.”2 Praying “in spirit” refers to praying from the heart, not simply repeated or unintelligible prayers.

To the Christian, this means more than simply being sincere when we pray. Because when we make a heartfelt commitment to Christ and are obedient to scripture, God, Who is spirit, comes to us and dwells inside of us.3 So, when we pray, we are not addressing God who is silent or distant; we are addressing God who is within us. We are addressing God who resides inside of us. We are not praying outward; we are praying inward.

Further, this presence of God inside of us is not theoretical, it is experienced; it is “knowing,” actually knowing God,4 not just believing in God. Simply believing that God exists is of no consequence whatever.5 Nothing turns on whether we acknowledge God’s existence; everything turns on whether we have trusted Christ and whether we actually know Him, because knowing God is what eternal life is.6 So, when we pray we are communicating spiritually with God who is within us spiritually. This communication, when deep and sincere, is to experience the actual presence of God. It is not theoretical; it is experiential.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.7

Paul teaches us to

Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.8

The personal histories of the prayer warriors of the past and present all paint a similar picture. It is as if they see their Christian lives like an expanding globe filled with good. It grows larger and more beautiful daily as they yield to God’s will, but the good remains encased in the globe. And as they descend into deeper and deeper prayer, the globe finally breaks. And good, like massive rivers of light, spills over the dams of adversity and fills their entire valley.