When bad things happen that we feel we don’t deserve, the tendency is to lash out at the world and start having a good old moan. Blame the day of the week, blame the circumstances, blame the people around us, blame society, blame God! This is part of just being human, but you know what? The Bible shows us a better way. In this bible verse quoted above from 1 Peter (a letter written by a man who knew all about suffering by the way – jail, beatings, persecutions…and it didn’t get any better as he got older: his life ended when he was crucified upside down - ouch!) Yes, Peter “The Rock” inspired by {mosgoogle left} God tells us in this verse, that it’s commendable (or ‘to our credit’) if we can come out triumphant over that kind of suffering, and avoid complaining. Wow, that’s a tough call! What he is saying is that when hard times come that we know we didn’t bring upon ourselves, we resist the urge to fight them, and we just take it!! Maybe you’re thinking: “What could possibly make me want to behave like such a push-over?” Well, it’s not actually about being a push-over. The bible is not saying that the motivation to take the pain comes from a low self-esteem. It is not about making you feel weak and insignificant. Neither is the motivation for taking the pain because we think we’re big strong and hard and brave; God’s not into stoicism. Nor are we trying to achieve a supernatural experience of freakish self-masochism which will make us look trendy in the eyes of others. No. Where’s our motivation for doing what the bible says then? Well, look at the verse. It tells us the motivation and strength to be able to take the pain of unjust suffering comes from God himself: ‘because you are conscious of God’.

You see, when we’re in trouble and it seems like everything’s gone wrong, our “God-consciousness” will be the deciding factor in how we handle that suffering. Why? Because, looking to God and being aware of him when we’re in a tough place will really help us to come out of a bad situation POSITIVELY. How? Well, there’s at least three ways it will help:

First, looking to God during trouble will keep you from self-pity. You’ve seen it before right? Someone you know is having a hard day…the day becomes a week, the week becomes a month…before you know it you’ve forgotten what their smile looks like. They’re always grumbling, moaning, wallowing in their troubles…soon enough your conversations with them feel more like counselling sessions, and you can’t recall the last time they asked you about anything! It’s not a pretty picture this self-pity malarkey, and God really doesn’t like it either. You see, if we are wrapped up only in our own troubles, we will never notice the troubles of others around us, and we will ignore so many positive opportunities in our life. But looking at God will snap us out of that kind of self-indulgent suffering. It will give us the bigger picture.

Second, looking to God during trouble will make you useful to God. That person who is ranting and raving at the world is only thinking destructive things. Nothing CONSTRUCTIVE can come from that person. But if we’re aware of God being with us through times of trouble, we will avoid uselessness, and who knows, the trouble we’re in might turn out to be an opportunity to help others. A good example of this from the bible is Joseph (you know, Technicolor dream coat dude). He was beaten by his brothers, left for dead, sold to slavery miles away from home, falsely accused of trying to have sex with his boss’s wife, and then put into prison. But he was still conscious of God in that prison. And through that AWFUL situation, God actually used him to help others by interpreting important dreams (see Genesis 40 onwards to read the amazing end to Joseph’s story). In fact, he became so important eventually he was made prime minister of Egypt!! So you see, being aware of God and accepting the trouble even when we don’t deserve it will keep us from bitterness and will help us to be used by God for AMAZING things. Sometimes it’s when we’re having the WORST day that God uses us to show other people God’s grace.

Well those two reasons are pretty selfless reasons I guess, and if it’s all been a bit too kum-ba-ya for you then listen up because this last reason is more about YOU. And it’s this: Looking to God during hard times will help you to cope with disappointment. Why? Because when people let you down, you can look at God and say “thank goodness you’re not like people”. You see trouble doesn’t come because God is mean. Yes, he uses trouble to teach us stuff, but don’t be confused – God is not the author of sin. Trouble comes because we are fallen, and people around us are fallen, and this whole world is messed up since we turned our back on God! But, good news: God has not turned his back on us. God is so faithful, he will not abandon us. When others break their word, God doesn’t. He always keeps his word. And what is God’s word to us today? He says “it is commendable if you bear up under the pain of unjust suffering because you are conscious of Me.” In other words, he is promising you that if you chose to live with this God-awareness, whatever you’re facing, it really does please Him. And He will reward you.