By Travis Bookout
Judith Viorst authored a children’s book entitled “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” If you have ever read this book, or had it read to you as a child, you might remember the principle that everybody sometimes has bad days, “even in Australia.” Difficulties, problems and obstacles are simply a part of life in an imperfect world. It does not matter if you are rich (Solomon) or poor (Lazarus). It does not matter if you are righteous (Job) or wicked (Ahab). It does not matter who you are; every person will face problems at some time in his life. An inability to cope with problems can lead one to harmful side effects like stress, anxiety, ulcers, headaches, etc. This can result in depression, drugs, loss of faith, suicide, or any number of negative life changing decisions.
It is extremely important to be able to cope with and grow from negative life experiences. In Genesis, Cain received the bad news that his sacrifice was unacceptable to God, while his brother Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable. Rather than responding positively and correcting the failure inherent in his sacrifice, Cain allowed his problems to lead to ungodly decisions like hatred and murder. Cain clearly did not know how to deal with difficulties. Paul, however, is an example of someone who clearly knew how to overcome obstacles and difficulties in his life. Upon encountering the resurrected Lord and hearing that his life’s work had been accomplishing the exact opposite of what he intended, he made some life altering decisions. His decisions, unlike Cain, were positive and allowed him to solve the problems that faced him. He turned his life around, had his sins washed away in baptism, followed Jesus as an apostle, encouraged Christians through his teachings and writings, and has had a profoundly positive impact on the world. Paul clearly did know how to deal with difficulties.
Scripture not only gives examples of people who have overcome difficult circumstances, but it also gives recipes for overcoming difficult circumstances. A recipe that I have found helpful I have labeled as the “3 P’s.” The first “P” represents “Priorities.” If our number one priority in life is to have more money, a nicer car, or a bigger house, then we can rest assured that we will never truly be content. Houses flood, cars wear out, and money dwindles. If you want to have lasting fulfillment, make your number one priority something that lasts. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus says that God will provide for those who seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. That is a thought that brings great comfort to those who accept it. Job is an example of somebody who had his priorities in the right place, so when obstacles came he responded well. After Job lost many of his possessions, servants, livestock, and even the lives of his own children, “Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped. He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed by the name of the Lord.’  Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (Job 1:20-22). If Job’s priorities were riches, livestock, possessions, etc. then he could never have overcome the devastating loss that he endured. However, his priorities were in line and his perspective was healthy, and he overcame.
The second “P” represents “Prayer.” Prayer is a powerful and effective way to alleviate stress. Christians ought to train themselves to think “prayer first.” When bad new comes, or hard times hit we often think about all of the things that we must do to fix it rather than immediately turning to the One most able to fix it. If we could train ourselves to think about prayer before any other response, there is no telling how much good could be done. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7). Notice the order of words in this verse: 1. anxious, 2. prayer, 3. peace of God. We so often spend most of our time on that first word, rarely move to the second, and can only dream of the third. As this verse teaches, we should just cut out that first word, immediately act on the second, and thank God for the third.
Daniel is a great example of putting this passage to practice. When Daniel heard that all of the wise men in Babylon (which included Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and himself) were going to be slain unless they can clearly describe and interpret king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he first reaction was not to panic or worry. His first reaction was to find time to pray. “So Daniel went in and requested of the king that he would give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king. Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, about the matter, so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery…” (Daniel 2:16-18). The same is true in Daniel 6 when Darius made a decree outlawing prayer to any deity or man besides him for thirty days. Daniel’s first response was to pray to God as he had always done (Daniel 6:10). Again, in Daniel 9, after studying the book of Jeremiah and realizing that the seventy years in Babylonian captivity was almost complete, Daniel went to God in prayer. The book of Daniel is one of the greatest places to learn about the importance of prayer in all of Scripture. If we imitate Daniel’s prayer life, overcoming difficulties will be much easier.
The third “P” represents “Positivity.” If we can learn to focus on the positive things in life rather than solely focusing on the negative, we will become much stronger people both in the physical world we live in and in our spiritual lives. My good friend, Kyle Savage, said something to me not long ago that I think illustrates this point well. He said, “A Christian constantly complaining about his life is like the richest person you know constantly complaining about money.” Christians have it better than any other people on this earth. We have blessings and assurance in this life, but also in the life to come. We need to meditate and constantly speak about the good things that God has blessed us with, rather than focus on what we perceive to be negative in our lives. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
If there is one example that we could look to for how to overcome difficulties in life, it is Jesus Christ. Jesus faced greater struggles than any of us could possibly imagine, yet He flawlessly overcame. Before facing the cross, Jesus had His priorities right where they should be. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus had His own desires, yet His priority was serving His Father. Jesus also prayed for strength repeatedly during this ordeal (Matthew 26:36-46). Finally, Jesus focused on the positive effect of the cross rather than the horrible agony of the cross. In a powerful lesson on the need for Christians to endure, the Hebrew writer instructs that we ought to fix “our eyes on Jesus…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus endured the cross because He focused on the “joy set before Him.” Jesus is the perfect example of enduring through difficulties and overcoming obstacles. Let us prioritize, pray, and focus on the positive so that we can persevere through any trial.