How Does Our Focus Shift When The Going Gets Rough?

When the going gets rough in life, we typically focus on ourselves and our emotions. We will wish for our pain away, pray for problems to resolve, circumstances to get better or cause some changes to happen with the people around us. Typically, these are the things we focus our concern on. However, the Lord is also working alongside us in our going and He focuses on a lot of things as well, but it could be quite different than our usual concerns. The Lord centers His attention on bigger things, things that concern His people. You see, God may be preparing us as vessels, to refine and affect the people around us or use what we are going through as a witness and consolation for His people. So we have to think, are we just looking at our rough going one-dimensionally? Or do we see how the Lord may be shifting us out of typical perspective and into an eternal, bigger perspective instead?

The diamond in the rough

Now, believers tend to begin at a state that does not see the value of eternal matters. Let us ask ourselves: How much do we value matters of salvation? Of the lives of the people around us to come to the Lord? Many times, some believers could be happily leading our own living and may easily forget or are not too concerned with their friends or families’ salvation. While others could be having so much aspirations and desires of their own that they channel all their heart and mind into pursuing those, while they merely come to church as a Sunday Christian. They could also be others that are only focused on their own family or children, but not really concerned about people outside of their “circle”, almost like an exclusive treatment. But what about those that could actually need more ministering, interceding, those God place around us that are struggling and lacking? Sometimes it is easy to lose the initial purpose of why God gives us certain challenges in our relationships or circumstances.

1. See the value of eternity

Now firstly, they help us to value matters of eternity. Like instead of praying away our woes, do we pray, instead, for problems to shift so that we can serve Him better and have strength to minister to others? The outcome we hope for may be in the same direction, but the motive, the intent is different. It is God-driven, not self-driven. When we are self-driven, we will quickly see a trend of issues in life going but very quickly coming back and forth again, with our emotions and faith wavering along. This is the ugly side of how sin works on us.

2. Go through spiritual refinement and growth:
However, as we go through, we may see that things may not be changing or turning out the way we want, but gradually, God does His refining within us. We start to have a clearer vision apart from our wants and personal desires, to seeing what is truly important—people’s souls and the eternal life. In the midst of strife, we could feel like there is not even an ounce of joy, but instead of pining on that and feeling even more miserable, we can instead pray for the Lord to let the Holy Spirit intercede and grant us joy from it so that we may be contented in relying on Him. Then from here, we can then slowly realise another value in our lives— again the souls of men and matters of eternal life. We can then love people, help pull others out of their sins and hurts. These will ultimately bring us deeper and meaningful joy, beyond those worldly concerns for ourselves that we could previously be laden with. And this is not something a person can just solely use their own solutions or experiences to do. It requires a process of refinement with full reliance on God, to empathise with the pain of others, and the perseverance, the wisdom or advices we give later on to others will carry with it a spiritual strength to edify those in their own rough patches.

Learn to wait upon the Lord

In Lamentations 3:26 it says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” When in struggles, it is always wise and good to wait upon the Lord. Sometimes, we may like to share our problems and it is great to have our brethren pray for us as we also need consolation and encouragement. However, when we go back home and we are all by ourselves, we have to persevere in spirit in our own terms. This is not merely tolerating our pain, but to hold on to the promise that we have God and He is with us. He has allowed this process and He is concerned with your life, your sanctification, your refinement and your humility. Through this, you will receive enlightenment and other deeper understandings that you would have otherwise missed out on. We are not trying to rush God for His works or to lament. But we quietly, patiently and faithfully wait upon Him.  Like, “God, why have you allowed this thorn in my life, this situation? What are You revealing to me?” As we do so, we will humble down and receive grace.

Brothers and sisters, may we all anticipate and see the beautiful things that God is doing in our lives. May we understand that even though trials may not leave us right now, we still have unsettled problems lingering, but have we seeked out what God has been doing below the current? Let us learn to shrug off typical responses and react by the spirit instead. If not, we will have a very superficial faith and one that will easily falter with the temptations and traps of the world comes by. Let us all train ourselves in trusting and waiting upon the Lord to reveal His will to us. Those whom He loves, He will surely carry them through. God bless.