To be quite honest, it is very difficult to be joyful during difficult times. No matter who the person is, or what kind of personality they have, at some point in their life they will face difficult times and trials. Even if you are an extremely optimistic person, life will bring seasons of hardships. How we respond and Who we seek in these moments are very important. Will people seek God during those moments or shy away from Him? The Bible, however, encourages believers to be joyful in the midst of trials. That is not always easy. One author says it this way, “When the Bible urges believers to be joyful it does not mean that they necessarily forget their problems or their pain. What it does mean is that regardless of what happens in life, we understand that God is always in control, and his will controls the course of human events.” And yes…this also applies to Covid19.

Attitude matters in our circumstances.

I confess I do not always have the best attitude, especially during trials. One writer states, “Some days, when life is beating us up left and right, it seems impossible to find things to be joyful” the Bible challenges us otherwise. For example, James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know the the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. “A lot of us do not find joy or glee in our trials. In fact, many of us usually get really frustrated when we go through a difficult time. A primary question that believers ask is, “I am a Christian, I trust God, why am I going through this?” or “Why is God allowing this?”

Why is God allowing this in my life?

Something that we must remember is, “part of being a Christian means that we will face times of difficulty. Why? Because even though we are Christians, we are still human beings and that’s part of the plan.” We live in a fallen world (Genesis 3), which means that we are not exempt from troubles and frustrations. Jesus, however, is our model and example.  Jesus went through temptations, trials, and knows what it means to be human. He is fully divine and fully human, not to mention He lived a perfect life on earth.

Even during difficult and trying times people can find something, or someone, to be thankful for. Writers for the ministry to teenagers called, “412 Teens” writes, “Be thankful for your relationship with God, thankful that you do not have to spend eternity in Hell, thankful for another day of life. Be thankful that your situation is not worse than it is. If you step back, you can find the joy and encouragement that God is sending to you. Be thankful for something as simple as a bird that suddenly flew by and made you smile. Being thankful leads to praising God for those things. After all,

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

If we are thankful for something, no matter how small, we should turn that into praise for our Lord.

Let us be encouraged to be thankful that we have a relationship with God through Christ. No matter the circumstance,  we can go to Him during difficult and trying times.

Questions

How do you react when difficult times come?

Do you try to have joy during difficult times?

How are you taking your difficult times to God in prayer?

Resource

https://billygraham.org/answer/how-can-christians-really-be-joyful-in-hard-times/