“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:19
Has there been a moment in time when you gave your life to Christ? A moment where you realized you are a sinner and need Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? If so, since that point, has everything been perfect?
Has life just been smooth sailing without any troubles or afflictions? No? Really? Well, then you might just be…LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
Being a believer doesn’t numb you from the trials and afflictions of life. God does not promise us that, as His children, we will not have tough times. In fact, Psalm 34:19 guarantees us, we will have those tough times. The verse says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Did you catch that? MANY are the afflictions of the righteous. God doesn’t just tell us we will have a little trouble. We will have A LOT of trouble. Afflictions are a promised part of the Christian life.
There are a lot of preachers out there that preach a message of “health and wealth.” They tell you that if you follow Jesus, serve Jesus, and give money to Jesus’ church, you’ll live a good life, a more comfortable life, and a prosperous life.
But the truth is, when you read God’s Word, you clearly see that Jesus never promised us streets of gold in this life. In fact, He warned us and prepared us for the exact opposite. In John 16:33 He promised His disciples, “You will have suffering in this world.”
Jesus worked hard to make this message abundantly clear for believers. As a Christian, God isn’t going to shield you from difficult times and tough circumstances. But He will be with you through them. God works everything for our good and His glory. But afflictions are a promised part of the Christian life.