Peace In The Midst Of Problems - by Juliana Gordon

Losing a friend. Overwhelmed by debt. Sitting in an emergency room. Grieving at a funeral. Most of us have had at least one of these experiences, and if not, can add to this list with our own tragic circumstances. Reaching for one of my favorite Psalms, I look at Psalm 91 and struggle to understand these verses.

“You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the plague that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that devastates at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes And see the retaliation against the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, The Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will happen to you, Nor will any plague come near your tent.” (Psalm 91:5-10 NASB)

A simple reading of it may make us think God is saying, “Nothing bad will happen to you, ever.” That is what we want to hope for in our lives, right? That we would become Christians, everything would be OK, we would eventually die in a non-tragic way, and then we are in heaven.

Yet we know we are going to have problems in this life. In the midst of telling us in John 16:33 (NIV) that there is peace in Him, Jesus tells us that “in this world you will have trouble.” Not every struggle will be solved in a way that makes it seem that no evil has happened to us. Plagues do come near our tent. How do we reconcile the truth in God’s Word with the troubles around us?

Charles Spurgeon’s words on Psalm 91 from “The Treasury of David” tell us this.

“It is impossible that any ill should happen to the man who is beloved of the Lord; the most crushing calamities can only shorten his journey and hasten him to his reward. Ill to him is no ill, but only good in a mysterious form. Losses enrich him, sickness is his medicine, reproach is his honour, death is his gain. No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him, for everything is overruled for good. Happy is he who is in such a case. He is secure where others are in peril, he lives where others die.”

Somewhere along the way, I bought into the “serve God and everything will go OK for you” philosophy. Some people preach it, to be sure; but it can be subtly woven into the most well-meaning of messages. It goes well with trying to earn our own salvation and it is an especially good companion to judging others. But God never said that living a Christian life meant a life of ease. He told us He had overcome the world (John 16:33), but He didn’t tell us our problems were going to vanish here on earth. Instead, we get the wisdom of Romans 8:28 (NASB).

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Psalm 91 is true, but so is John 16:33, as well as Romans 8:28. If we are truly abiding in Him, we do not fear the worst, for God will use it for our good. Spurgeon’s words reinforce this, “No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him, for everything is overruled for good.” Our awesome God can crush all the forces coming towards us. Or He can use the circumstances to mold us into who He wants us to be.

In all of this, make Him your refuge. Whether or not the problem passes on by or stops and camps out in your life, His refuge will bring you peace. And remember to take heart! Because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33.)

Juliana Gordon

Juliana Gordon studied creative writing at California State University at Northridge. She is a pastor’s wife and a freelance writer in Southern California. She has been married to her husband for over 25 years. You can find her at www.julianagordon.com or on Instagram at @julianagordonwriter.