Why God Allows Difficult Seasons

[00:00:03] Speaker A: Why God Allows Difficult Seasons Wisdom Seeds Org we are discussing a question that many people ask during painful seasons of why does God allow difficult seasons? Perhaps you have experienced a season when [00:00:17] Speaker B: everything seemed to go wrong. You prayed, but the situation did not change. [00:00:22] Speaker A: You worked hard, but the opportunity disappeared. You trusted someone, but they disappointed you. [00:00:29] Speaker B: You made plans, but your plans fell apart. You asked God for help, but the difficulty continued. [00:00:37] Speaker A: And you began to wonder, if God loves me, why am I going through this? If God is powerful, why doesn't he stop this? Why does God allow good people to suffer? These are not easy questions, and we should not give shallow answers to deep pain. [00:00:54] Speaker B: But the Bible gives us important truths that can help us understand difficult seasons. Today we will explore why God may allow difficult seasons and how we can continue trusting him when life is hard. One Difficult seasons are part of living in a broken world. The Bible does not promise that believers [00:01:15] Speaker A: will never experience difficulty. [00:01:18] Speaker B: Jesus said in John 16:33, in this world you will have trouble. [00:01:23] Speaker A: But take heart, I have overcome the world. Jesus did not say, you may have trouble. [00:01:30] Speaker B: January 12th he said, you will have trouble. [00:01:33] Speaker A: This is important because becoming a Christian does not mean that every problem disappears. You can love God and still experience difficulty. You can pray and still have to wait. You can obey God and still face opposition. You can have faith and still experience pain. [00:01:52] Speaker B: The world we live in is affected by sin, brokenness, injustice, disease, disappointment, and death. [00:01:58] Speaker A: Not every painful thing that happens is a direct punishment from God. Sometimes difficult things happen because we live in a fallen world. Sometimes people make sinful choices that hurt others. Sometimes circumstances are outside our control. [00:02:14] Speaker B: But even in a broken world, God has not abandoned his people. 2 God can use difficult seasons to strengthen your faith. James 1:2 4 says, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [00:02:36] Speaker A: James is not saying that pain itself is enjoyable. [00:02:40] Speaker B: He is teaching us that God can produce something valuable through difficult experiences. [00:02:45] Speaker A: A trial can reveal the strength of your faith. It can teach you perseverance. It can expose areas where you need to grow. [00:02:54] Speaker B: It can teach you to depend on God rather than your own strength. [00:02:58] Speaker A: Think about a muscle. [00:03:00] Speaker B: A muscle becomes stronger when it is challenged. [00:03:04] Speaker A: 2:12 similarly, faith can grow when it is tested. [00:03:08] Speaker B: A faith that has never faced difficulty may not have learned how to trust God in difficult circumstances. Sometimes you discover how strong God is when you reach the limits of your own strength. [00:03:22] Speaker A: Three. [00:03:22] Speaker B: Difficult seasons can teach you to depend on God. Paul experienced a painful difficulty that he Called a thorn in the flesh, he prayed repeatedly for God to remove it. [00:03:34] Speaker A: But God did not remove it as Paul expected. [00:03:37] Speaker B: Instead, God said, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. [00:03:43] Speaker A: Paul wanted the problem removed. God gave him sufficient grace. This teaches us something important. Sometimes God changes our circumstances. [00:03:54] Speaker B: Sometimes God gives us strength to endure them. Sometimes the greatest miracle is not that the difficulty disappears immediately. Sometimes the miracle is that God gives you strength to continue. You may discover that you are stronger than you thought, not because you are powerful on your own, but because God's grace sustains you for difficult seasons can draw you closer to God. Many people seek God most seriously when life becomes difficult. When everything is comfortable, it is easy to become spiritually distracted. We may Depend on Money, Success, 3:12, Relationships, Career, Personal ability, comfort. Then a difficult season reminds us that none of these things can ultimately sustain us. Psalm 34, verse 18 says, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. [00:04:47] Speaker A: God is not distant from people who are suffering. [00:04:50] Speaker B: He is close to the brokenhearted. Sometimes your most difficult season can become the season in which you experience God's presence most deeply. [00:04:59] Speaker A: You may not have chosen the pain, but God can meet you in it. [00:05:07] Speaker B: 5 God can use difficult seasons to redirect your life. Sometimes we become comfortable in places God never intended us to remain. We may hold on to a job, relationship, habit, or plan because it feels familiar. [00:05:22] Speaker A: Then circumstances change, a door closes, a plan fails, an opportunity disappears. At first it feels like a disaster, [00:05:34] Speaker B: but later you may discover that the closed door redirected you towards something better. [00:05:39] Speaker A: This does not mean every closed door is automatically God's will. [00:05:43] Speaker B: But it does mean that God can [00:05:45] Speaker A: use disappointment to redirect our steps. Proverbs 3, 5, 6 reminds us to trust God rather than relying completely on our own understanding. [00:05:55] Speaker B: You may not understand why one door [00:05:56] Speaker A: closed, but God may be preparing you for a different direction. April 12. [00:06:07] Speaker B: Six Difficult seasons can prepare you for [00:06:09] Speaker A: future purpose Joseph's life is a powerful example. [00:06:14] Speaker B: Joseph was betrayed by his brothers. He was sold into slavery. He was falsely accused. [00:06:22] Speaker A: He was imprisoned for years. [00:06:24] Speaker B: His life seemed to move in the wrong direction, but God was preparing him [00:06:29] Speaker A: for a position of influence. [00:06:31] Speaker B: Eventually, Joseph was able to say to his brothers, you intended to harm me. But God intended it for good. [00:06:38] Speaker A: Notice what Joseph did not say. [00:06:41] Speaker B: He did not say that what his brothers did was good. [00:06:44] Speaker A: Their actions were wrong, but God was [00:06:47] Speaker B: able to work through what they intended for evil. [00:06:50] Speaker A: This is an important distinction. [00:06:53] Speaker B: God does not need to approve of evil in order to bring good from a painful situation. Your difficult season may not be good in itself, but God can still work through it. Seven difficult seasons can develop character Romans 5:3 5 says that suffering can produce perseverance, character, and hope. [00:07:17] Speaker A: Some qualities are developed only through difficulty. [00:07:21] Speaker B: Patience is developed when you have to wait. Perseverance is developed when you must continue. [00:07:27] Speaker A: Courage is developed when you face fear. Compassion is often deepened when you have experienced pain yourself. 5/12 wisdom often grows through experience. [00:07:38] Speaker B: A difficult season may reveal weaknesses in [00:07:41] Speaker A: your character, but it can also allow God to transform you. Ask yourself, what is God teaching me in this season? What is this experience revealing about me? How can I become more like Christ through this? These questions do not remove the pain, but they can help you find purpose in the middle of it. 8 God does not promise to explain everything. One of the most difficult truths about suffering is that we may not always receive a complete explanation. Job experienced tremendous suffering. He asked God difficult questions. Eventually God responded. But God did not give Job a detailed explanation of everything that had happened. Instead, God revealed himself. [00:08:31] Speaker B: Job learned that knowing God was more important than having every question answered. [00:08:36] Speaker A: This is difficult for us because we want explanations. We want to why did this happen? Why now? Why me? When will it end? [00:08:47] Speaker B: But faith sometimes means trusting God without receiving every answer. [00:08:52] Speaker A: You may not understand the reason for your current season 612 but you can still trust God's character. [00:09:03] Speaker B: Nine God can bring good from difficult seasons Romans 8:28 says, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. [00:09:12] Speaker A: This verse does not say that everything that happens is good. Some things are genuinely painful. Some things are unjust. Some things are heartbreaking. But God can work through all things. [00:09:26] Speaker B: He can bring purpose from pain. He can bring wisdom from failure. He can bring strength from weakness. [00:09:34] Speaker A: He can bring compassion from suffering. [00:09:37] Speaker B: He can bring a testimony from a trial. [00:09:40] Speaker A: Your difficult season is not necessarily the end of your story. God may still be writing. [00:09:50] Speaker B: 10 difficult seasons do not mean God has abandoned you. [00:09:54] Speaker A: Sometimes the hardest part of suffering is feeling alone. You may think, where is God? But God's presence is not always measured by your feelings. [00:10:04] Speaker B: Psalm 23 says that God is with us even when we walk through the valley. [00:10:09] Speaker A: Notice the language. It does not say we remain in the valley forever. It says we walk through it. [00:10:17] Speaker B: 7 12th SE Valley is a place you pass through. It is not your permanent destination. [00:10:23] Speaker A: You may be in a difficult season today, but this season is not necessarily your forever. God is with you in the valley, and he can lead you through it [00:10:38] Speaker B: 11 your difficult season can help someone else one day. The experience you are currently surviving may [00:10:44] Speaker A: become a source of encouragement for someone else. 2 Corinthians 1:3 4 teaches that God [00:10:50] Speaker B: comforts us so that we can comfort others. Your testimony may help someone who is currently experiencing what you once experienced. The wisdom you gain may help another person avoid unnecessary mistakes. The faith you develop may encourage someone else not to give up. Your pain does not have to be God can use your experience to minister to others. [00:11:15] Speaker A: The greatest reason we can trust God in difficult seasons is Jesus Christ. Jesus understands suffering. He experienced rejection. He experienced betrayal. [00:11:28] Speaker B: He experienced loneliness. He experienced physical pain. [00:11:33] Speaker A: He experienced grief. He was misunderstood. [00:11:38] Speaker B: He was falsely accused. [00:11:40] Speaker A: 8:12 he was crucified. [00:11:43] Speaker B: Therefore, when you suffer, you are not praying to a God who is unfamiliar with pain. [00:11:48] Speaker A: Jesus understands. [00:11:50] Speaker B: Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that we have a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. [00:11:56] Speaker A: You can come to God honestly. You can cry. You can grieve. You can ask questions. You can tell him that you are [00:12:06] Speaker B: tired and you can trust that he [00:12:08] Speaker A: understands A Prayer for Difficult Seasons Father [00:12:16] Speaker B: I do not always understand why difficult things happen. Sometimes I feel tired, confused and discouraged. [00:12:24] Speaker A: Sometimes I wonder why you have allowed me to walk through this season. [00:12:28] Speaker B: But I choose to trust you. [00:12:30] Speaker A: Help me remember that you are with me. Give me strength when I am weak. Give me wisdom when I am confused. Give me patience as I am waiting. Help me learn what you want to teach me. Use this season to deepen my faith and draw me closer to you. Help me remember that this season is not the end of my story. I trust your wisdom. I trust your goodness. I trust yout presence in Jesus name. Amen. Conclusion why does God allow difficult seasons? The answer is not always simple. [00:13:11] Speaker B: Sometimes we suffer because we live in a broken world. [00:13:15] Speaker A: Sometimes people make choices that hurt us. [00:13:18] Speaker B: Sometimes difficulty comes from our own decisions. [00:13:21] Speaker A: Oct 12 Sometimes God allows trials that develop our faith and character. Sometimes difficult seasons redirect our lives. [00:13:30] Speaker B: Sometimes they teach us dependence on God. And sometimes we may never fully understand why something happened. But whatever the reason, we can know this. God does not abandon his people in difficult seasons. [00:13:43] Speaker A: He is with you in the valley. He is with you in the waiting. [00:13:48] Speaker B: He is with you in the uncertainty. [00:13:50] Speaker A: He is with you in the pain. Your difficult season may be real, but [00:13:55] Speaker B: it is not greater than God's grace. [00:13:58] Speaker A: Your questions may be real, but they are not greater than God's wisdom. [00:14:04] Speaker B: Your weakness may be real, but God's strength is greater. [00:14:08] Speaker A: You may not understand everything God is [00:14:11] Speaker B: doing but you can trust who God is. A difficult season is not proof that God has abandoned you. God can use trials to strengthen your faith, develop your character, deepen your dependence on him, redirect your life and prepare you for purposes you cannot yet see. [00:14:28] Speaker A: Keep praying, Keep trusting. Keep walking with God. [00:14:33] Speaker B: Related Wisdom Seeds Resources Related Blog how to build a strong faith when life is difficult how to trust God when nothing makes sense how to hear God's voice according to the Bible November 12th related resources 30 Days to a Stronger Faith 365 Days of God's promises Strengthen the storm prayers that anchor the soul 1212.