Regardless of the theological beliefs and perspectives we hold, we have to be conscious that our Christian journey is not without a season of sorrows and pain, which is the cross we must be ready to carry, as disciples of our Lord Jesus. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). We, as disciples, must depend on the grace which is available in Jesus Christ to sustain and help us through the journey, especially in the seasons of down moments in our lives. Isaiah recorded; “He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; And like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:3).
I am sure the above oxymoron is not a popular phrase which most Christians would want to relate with today. Now to some believers, we live in the New Testaments times, and all must be a bed of roses. For any down moments, God’s existence and His faithfulness are being questioned. Why would God allow me to lose someone close to me? Why would God allow cancer to be in the world? Why did God not manage global warming and all the natural disasters? A lot of “why would God allows”! But the reality is that our Christian race is not only characterised by the mountain-top experiences but the valley ones as well. Paul did mention this in his letter to the Corinthians “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet bestowing riches on many; as having nothing, yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 6:10).
The patriarchs in the Old Testament suffered a lot of hardships and they were still under the control of God, as He manifests His power over all creation. Abraham and his wife Sarah were childless till when they were close to 100 years of age before they had Isaac. During those difficult years of their childlessness, they lived their lives to glorify God and they served Him with all their might, and even when God gave them Isaac and demanded that he be sacrificed to Him, Abraham responded positively.
The disciples of Jesus in the New Testament also experienced the most traumatic moments in the hands of the Roman and Jewish authorities. Despite the persecutions, killings and unrest, they served God and follow the true gospel with all cheerfulness, joy, and rejoicing. To mention a few of the disciples who were martyred, Stephen was stoned to death. According to tradition, Peter died in A.D. 64-68 during Nero’s persecution of the Christians. He was crucified upside down on a cross. Andrew was crucified on a St. Andrews cross. The cross has the shape of an “X”. He was not nailed to the cross but was tied. James died in A.D. 44 after he was beheaded by King Agrippa I who had launched new persecution of Christians.
The beloved John was in exile on the Isle of Patmos before he was released and went to Ephesus where he died. Philip died in Hieropolis, Turkey by hanging (A.D. 80), and it is believed that Bartholomew had ministered in Armenia and was flayed to death with knives in India.
Not only were they persecuted and suffered horrible and brutal murders; some of the disciples had ailments in their bodies while serving the Lord. Timothy had some frequent illnesses, as the Apostle Paul, at some point, advised him to have some form of medication so that he would be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “No longer continue drinking [only] water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Apart from illnesses, there were times when Paul had terrible shipwrecks on his missionary journeys. He was together with a couple of disciples, grounded on the Island of Malta for days and a lot happened on this trip.
Regardless of the theological beliefs and perspectives we hold, we have to be conscious that our Christian journey is not without a season of sorrows and pain, which is the cross we must be ready to carry, as disciples of our Lord Jesus. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). We, as disciples, must depend on the grace which is available in Jesus Christ to sustain and help us through the journey, especially in the seasons of down moments in our lives. Isaiah recorded; “He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; And like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:3).
You can then choose to go before the Father and draw the amount of grace you need to help whenever you require help. Here is the record of the writer of Hebrews on this;
“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
