Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
None of us like trouble. We like it when things are sailing along peacefully, not too much change, not too much friction. And this is much of what happens. Societies tend to move toward the stable, rather than toward turmoil.
History is filled with examples of movement toward stability. Financial markets love stability. Businesses want stability. They want to know what the rules will be tomorrow and next year before they are willing to invest in future growth. Workers want stability. We like a paycheck we can count on for its regularity.
All these forces bring an encouragement to a society. Happy times are usually the result of stability, at least for those not at the very bottom.
So what do we do when instead of encouragement we feel trouble brewing? How are we supposed to weather these kinds of storms? What can the Scriptures teach us in these moments?
Our text gives us a two-pronged answer. One we love. We love to hear the encouragement of the Scriptures. Our hope index rises and we are on top of the world. We can all get down emotionally and spiritually. We don’t live on the mountain tops. Every summit has a valley or two very close by.
But the Scriptures give us something perhaps unexpected. The Scriptures record the life experiences of people who had to endure suffering. Things did not go their way. Societies fell apart and everything they had worked to amass was taken away.
So what can these accounts of endurance teach us? They are roadmaps to our successful navigation of our own troubling times. We can read them, hear the heartfelt struggles, the ups and downs, the losses and the small victories and see in them our own selves. They speak deeply to our hearts, minds, souls and spirits.
So as you read the Scriptures, look for the stories of endurance and learn from them. Read them, not just when things are going well, but read them when you are in the middle of the toughest struggle of your life. Read them and learn how others have made it through, even if making it through meant death.
And when you hear and experience the turmoil from their perspective, you will be encouraged by the Holy Spirit in your current circumstances. You are not alone in the struggle. Others have been here long before us, and there will be those after us who look to us for encouragement from the way we handled our turmoil.
He is faithful.
The Arnold Journey 