Spiritual Equation
Comfort equals confusion; calamity equals clarity. How’s that for an insight into spiritual contradiction? No, this isn’t Scripture, but I have found it true of many principles in Scripture and true to how growing in Christ works out in our real day-to-day experiences.
In my own life, being comfortable can cloud the picture of what God is doing. A comfortable place often makes me lazy spiritually. I find myself praying less, seeking God less, and often finding it hard to recognize the voice of God in my life. Comfort takes the edge off, and walking in the Spirit is all about being on edge, spiritually – being alert to the dangers around me and the temptations that lurk so close at hand. It was while his army was off to war that King David of Israel had the time and the leisure to have an affair with the wife of one of his generals. The enemy gets us with our guard down.
And in this culture of relative affluence, we keep trying to find comfort when that may be the worst thing for us and something God will refuse to grant, at least for now. It’s not because he loves making us uncomfortable, but because he knows what it usually takes for us to walk by faith. It takes trial, and testing, and pressure for faith to grow in us, and he loves us too much to rob us of this opportunity. That’s why a little calamity usually clears things up. It’s in these moments of pain and pressure that our faith becomes real. Believing God becomes a do-or-die proposition.
This is probably why Christians under persecution in troubled parts of the world always seem to be more passionate about following Christ. They are surrounded by calamity on every side, and yet their faith remains unshakable. They risk their lives to meet together with other believers. They consider a Bible the greatest treasure they could possess. They hold an immense amount of joy in their hearts in complete contrast to their situation.
On the contrary, when faith is taken for granted, as it is in this society, we often let spiritual things slide, and the result can be confusion about God’s will and our place in it. Our joy over temporal things competes with our joy in Christ. We start to treasure things that we are going to ultimately lose. We get spiritually confused.
Not that I want to wish calamity on you or me, but I think we need to learn to welcome it as an opportunity to grow. And I also think we need to be wary of what makes us think we are comfortable. Usually, it’s only short-lived and not something we want to derive comfort from anyway.
Lord, if we find calamity upon us, make our faith strong, and if we feel comfortable, awaken us to distrust the source of our comfort if it is anything other than you.
