The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. [Psalm 34:19 (NLT)]
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. [John 16:33 (NLT)]
Once upon a time, when an acorn fell on Chicken Licken’s head, he thought the sky was falling. In a panic, he ran across the barnyard to tell Henny Penny. After the alarmed twosome told Turkey Lurkey the frightening news, the three sped off to warn the rest of the barnyard. Shocked at the scary news, Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey joined them in their panic. When the five distraught birds encountered Foxy Loxy, the sly fellow invited them into the safety of his den. Sadly, that was the end of Chicken Licken and the rest of the barnyard birds—all because they didn’t understand that acorns falling from oak trees are an inevitable part of life.
As Christians, we are tempted to think that faith in Jesus will protect us from the slings, arrows, and acorns of this life. We envision easy sailing, level paths, on-time delivery, clear skies, benign lumps, seamless transitions, successful endeavors, perfect fits, spot-on directions, and happy endings. Jesus, however, told us to expect trials and sorrow. The norm of life in our fallen world is that businesses close, jobs are eliminated, families disagree, people disappoint, bodies fail, lines are long, cars break down, cancer spreads, loved ones die, progress grinds to a halt, mistakes happen, grief is unavoidable and, sooner or later, we will step in a least one pile of doggy do!
While I take comfort in the promise of God’s continual presence and peace, I’m not so happy about knowing that Jesus will neither spare nor shield me from troubles. Yet, for even the most righteous believer, a trouble-free life is a myth. Consider the pain and loss experienced by the blameless and upright Job, the persecution and martyrdom of the disciples, and the trials suffered by the Apostle Paul.
At the first sign of trouble, Chicken Licken and his pals panicked and decided the world was coming to an end. Unlike them, we must never let the harsh realities of this fallen world shake our faith. The good news is that we will never walk through our trials alone. God is at our side—encouraging, strengthening, comforting, and guiding us as we mature in our faith. Although it’s a given that we won’t have a trouble-free existence here on earth, we can be confident that we do have one waiting for us in eternity. Jesus has already delivered us from sin, evil, judgment and death. Until then, the next time the sky starts falling, consider it par for the course. Don’t panic or lose faith; make the best of it by putting on a hard hat and gathering acorns with a thankful heart. Be wary of easy solutions offered by the enemy and know that God will see you through your trials.
But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. [Deuteronomy 8:11 (NLT)]
Earlier this week, the news broke that church leaders in six Pennsylvania Roman Catholic dioceses have protected more than 300 “predator priests.” More concerned with protecting the church and abusers than helping the more than 1,000 victims or preventing further abuse, they failed to report allegations, discouraged victims from reporting abusers, conducted their own biased and faulty inquiries, pressured law enforcement to delay or close investigations, and spun their own versions of the events. Earlier this summer, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis agreed to a $210 million settlement to 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse there. It’s not just the Roman Catholic Church that has failed in this arena. It was just revealed that Willow Creek, a non-denominational Protestant mega-church, paid $3.25 million to settle two lawsuits over sex abuse by a church volunteer. No amount of money, however, can remove the trauma of abuse.
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things through whom we live. [1 Corinthians 8:4-6 (NIV)] 
Recently, a pastor shared a troubling experience while at the annual conference for his denomination. Along with other ordained ministers, he was to vote as to whether or not candidates for the ministry would be ordained. While usually a gratifying experience as this ministerial board accepts people into their vocation, on occasion the vote can be heartbreaking. If a candidate receives a negative recommendation from his supervisor, he or she is permitted to offer a defense before the vote is taken. At the last conference, such an instance occurred and, sadly, one individual did not receive an affirmative vote for ordination.
“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, the True Judge,” is a blessing often said by Jews when they undergo a death or tragedy. “This is all for the good,” or “Blessed is the true judge,” is often said by other Jews in response to their tragic news. Rather than being about God’s final judgment of a person, these words remind them that only God can judge whether events are good or bad. To illustrate this point, the Talmud has a story about the second century sage, Rabbi Akiva. One night, the rabbi, along with his rooster and donkey, arrived in a village. When no one would give Akiva a place to stay, the rebbe said, “All that God does, He does for the good.” He then walked to a field outside of town, set up camp, and lit his lantern. That evening, a gust of wind knocked over the lantern breaking it, a fox came and ate the rooster, and a lion came and killed the donkey. In spite of all that, Akiva said, “All that God does, He does for the good!” Just before dawn, marauders came and attacked the village but, camped in the field without light, crowing rooster or braying donkey to reveal his presence, the rabbi remained safe.
