Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered,
every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the
world.
The times of tribulation in life are those which cause us great trouble or suffering. All of us will have tribulation to one degree or another. Nobody enjoys such times. However, God always wants us to become more and more like Him; and much of the necessary process to make us so is done during these difficult times. When we consider the great purity of God, we will conclude that the process of change will not be easy. It is no easy thing to change us and an easy life is not likely to produce the transformation desired by God.
There are other reasons too as to why we have troubles. Don't forget that before we belonged to Christ, we belonged to Satan, and he doesn't lose his subjects willingly. It is most improbable that he will leave us alone. Remember that scripture compares him to a roaring lion “seeking whom he may devour” (1Peter 5:8); we should therefore, expect some trouble from him.
Also remember that for the Christians, the world is not home. Therefore, we reside for now in a place where we are in a sense, outsiders. Many of the things we value and hold in high regard are of little interest to most around us, and some of the things the world loves, we have to reject. There are plenty of people who are happy to see Christians put down, and will try to put you and I down at every opportunity. But God is with us and watching. There is no need for despondency. Remember He has said “Call on me in the time of trouble, and I will deliver you and you will honour me" (Psalm 50:15).
