"God...the trouble-maker!"

Have you ever had a number of misfortunes befall you and for seemingly no reason? Have you ever felt like, “Hey, I’m a good person, I live a Christian lifestyle, why are bad things happening to me?”  At times we may find ourselves in unexpected trouble and immediately we look for someone to blame. Often times we blame one of two sources; ourselves or the devil. 

There are times when our troubles are indeed caused by our own mistakes, however, there is someone else who allows trouble  to manifest in our lives and we may overlook Him...God!

That’s right, God. I won’t bore you with my own opinions on why I believe God Himself can be a troublemaker in our lives, I’ll get right to the facts and prove it with scripture references. 

Here are some examples of biblical figures that experienced “God-sent trouble.”

Hannah                                                                                                                                 

In I Samuel 1:5-6 tells we see that Hannah’s trouble from God was that He had closed her womb so that she was not able to bare children though she desperately wanted to.

Hezekiah                                                                                                                                                                        
In II Kings 20:1 Hezekiah’s trouble was that his appointed time had come to die. God sent word to him directly however Hezekiah was not quite ready to “go.”

Paul                                                                                                                                               

In I Corinthians 12:7-8 Paul had been given a thorn in his flesh and a satanic buffer to test him, he sought God for deliverance seemingly to no avail.  

        

So here we have three examples of biblical people troubled by God’s permission. I’m sure many know the story of Job, Lot and Noah, and the list goes on.

Like Hannah we all want to be “fertile” in one way or another. Some may desire a natural child to come forth, while others are longing to give birth to dreams and aspirations. Like Hezekiah we all want to live. Sometimes we not only want to live in the literal sense, but we want to live in prosperity, comfort and glee. And like Paul we all (at some point) may have hindrances in our bodies whether physically, spiritually or mentally that may become a challenge for us.

The important thing to remember in times of trouble is to trust God, even if He allows the troubles to come. Often times our troubles are simply tests, it is up to us to pass these tests. 

Now let’s step back into each story and find out how Hannah, Hezekiah and Paul dealt with their troubles. Hannah was human. She was deeply saddened because of her trouble and refused to be comforted for a while, even by her husband. I Samuel 1:10 says, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” In verse 11 Hannah makes her request known to the Lord and makes a vow that if He would grant her a son she would give the child to Him for His use. And though God had closed her womb, when He saw that she allowed her trouble to increase her faith, He granted her heart’s desire and blessed her with a son.

Hezekiah was human. He was sick unto death and was even told that his time to depart this Earthly life had come. II Kings20:2-3 say, “Then he turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord saying, “Remember now O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in your sight.” "And Hezekiah wept bitterly."  Hezekiah reminded God of his faithful walk and cried out to God for mercy and extended life. In verses 5-6 God saw Hezekiah’s tears. He remembered how loyal Hezekiah was and granted him not only life but fifteen extra years on top of that!

Paul was human. He was being challenged physically as well as spiritually but he sought God even though God was allowing the troubles to befall him. He prayed not once but three times concerning the same issue, showing us that he was determined to get an answer from God and would not give up.

Psalms 50:15 says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” James 1:2 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

The common denominator in all three situations is prayer. Some people feel it is cliche to say, “Pray about everything and worry about nothing.” And maybe it is, but if you believe the stories in the Bible are true you can see from these examples to pray is a real answer to trouble, even when God Himself is the troublemaker!

Think about it.