Israel , the Lord who created you says , “ Do not be afraid — I will save you . I have called you by name — you are mine . When you pass through deep waters , I will be with you ; your troubles will not overwhelm you . When you pass through fire , you will not be burned ; the hard trials that come will not hurt you ~ Isaiah 43:1-2 GNT
Dictionary . com defines " adversity " as " adverse or unfavourable fortune or fate ; a condition marked by misfortune , calamity or distress ". The word " adverse " is defined by Cambridge English dictionary as " having a negative or harmful effect on something ". Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as " acting against or in a contrary direction ; opposed to one ' s interests ; causing harm ; not helping or favouring .
From these definitions we can be justified to say that adversities are not friendly at all . They bring unfavourable situations and circumstances into our lives and put us in undesirable positions . They push us against a wall and more often than not , beyond limits . Adversities come to all . Right from the time we are born until death , our lives are characterised by challenges . We all have our own share of issues that keep us scratching our heads . There are simply no exceptions . While it ' s a fact that we all face challenges , some seem to be more severe , harsh , and weightier than others . This means that the challenges and issues we face are as different and diverse as the people who live and walk on the face of the earth . It also means that your adversity may be different from the one faced by another person . But one thing is for sure , no one is spared . That ' s a fact of life .
Given a chance , I believe that all of us would do everything we can to avoid them . We would choose a smooth sail and comfortable lives for ourselves . Yet I believe that when it comes to such issues , we really have no choice but to grow through them . Just like the Bible says that all things work together for good , adversities come into our lives for our own good . I believe that one of the things they come into our lives to accomplish is to toughen and make us tenacious for the journey ahead of us . Look at the life of King David for example ;
When it comes to trials and tribulations , David is one man who saw it all . He found himself in the midst of great adversities even though he never really asked for or saw it coming . His troubles seemed to be unending . Trouble started after God chose and anointed him as the king of Israel . Not long after this , he defeated Goliath and won several other battles . David must have thought that he was going to have it all easy , but he should have known that God doesn ' t give anything on a silver platter . Times without number , he found himself on the run and hiding himself from Saul in caves .
David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph . Day after day Saul searched for him , but God did not give David into his hands ... The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said , “ Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh , on the hill of Hakilah , south of Jeshimon ? Now , Your Majesty , come down whenever it pleases you to do so , and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands .” ... So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul . Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon , in the Arabah south of Jeshimon . Saul and his men began the search , and when David was told about it , he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon . When Saul heard this , he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David ~ 1 Samuel 23:14 , 19-20 , 24-25
I am quite sure that David had never envisioned such a life for himself . He had a peaceful life and I believe that he was happy as a shepherd . I also believe that being a king was not one of the plans he had for his life , but once he was anointed , his life became a rollercoaster .
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