Here’s part 2 of what I learned in from worshipping with the persecuted church in Romania and Egypt: My Problems Matter. (If you missed part 1, you can read that here.)

Do My Problems Really Matter to God?

If I am honest with myself, I don’t really think that my problems matter to God.  Let’s face it, I am only one of 7 billion people in the world and I am probably in the top 10% of the world’s most wealthy just by living in the USA.  There have been billions who have walked before me and billions probably who will walk this earth after me.  So how is it that my problems matter to God?

Well, my view of my problems changed when I heard a Romanian pastor speak about his problems.

When Everything Burns Up In My Life, What’s Left?

The pastor told me how he had worked really hard to build the church where he was pastoring.  He preached faithfully.  He built up leaders.  He cared for the poor.  He reached out to the lost in his community.  He prayed for his people.  All in all, I would gladly be a member in his congregation.

Then he told me that one day his church building caught fire and burned to the ground.  What was worse was that there were members of the congregation who blamed him for the church burning down.  They said that he wasn’t spiritual enough, and that it was his fault that God let the church burn down.  He not only had to deal with rebuilding the physical structure of the church, but he also had to rebuild his trust with his congregation.  And to add insult to injury, all this was being played out in the local news.

The pastor took his problems to God, but God was silent (or at least God seemed so at the time).  He not only saw his church burn to the ground, but he thought his ministry was all burned up as well.  He doubted himself and his call to ministry as a result of all the conflict he faced.

Then something unexpected happened.  Neighbors in the community who were not Christians sought him out and began to tell him how sorry they were for the church burning down.  He was shocked to hear their compassion toward him and his predicament.  Not only did they speak words of compassion, but they backed it up by donating money for the rebuilding of the church building!  So many of his non-believing neighbors donated money that he was able to build an even bigger church than he originally had!  But what was most surprising was now he had developed true relationships in the community.  He was able to share freely about Jesus with his neighbors in an authentic way.  All it took to put God on display to his neighbors was to burn down the church (and nearly his ministry).

Here’s what I learned from hearing this Romanian pastor share his problem with me: Our Problems Matter to God. 

But not in the way I traditionally think they do.  I typically care about my problems because they are painful to me.  I want God to care about my problems because I want relief from them.  When everything is burning down in my life, I want God to save me from the pain of watching my life go up in smoke.  However, God cares about my problems because he wants to display his greater glory through them.

When I heard this story, I was immediately convicted to take on a different view of my problems.  Maybe it is better to say that I have a different question to ask when I encounter problems.  I am shifting away from asking God to relieve me from my problems because they are painful, and moving toward asking God to display his glory through them.

When I make the shift to asking God to display his glory through my problems, the Scriptures come alive with all the examples of God putting his glory on display through the problems our spiritual ancestors faced.  Abraham and Sarah faced barrenness to start a nation, but ended up displaying God’s glorious blessing as God provides a child through faith.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but ended up displaying God’s glorious forgiveness when he accepts his brothers later in life.  David committed murder and adultery, but ended up displaying God’s glorious grace by providing an heir to the throne through the wife he stole, Bathsheba.  Jesus was executed for perfectly loving us, but ended up displaying God’s glorious salvation through his resurrection.  The 1st. C. church faced terrible persecution in Jerusalem, but ended up displaying God’s glorious witness into all the nations.  In every story in the Bible, we find people facing terrible problems.  And God seems to use every problem to reveal his greater glory.

I don’t know why I missed this before; however, I bet I’m not alone.

I bet none of the people who faced their unique problems in Scripture thought that God was going to use their problems to reveal God’s greater glory.  I bet all they were really looking for was for some personal relief.  I am sure no one ever thought God was up to something good when their life burned down.  But God has a greater purpose in mind with the problems we encounter.  He wants to display his glory through our problems.

A New Question To Ask When We Face Problems

This got me thinking how much our problems matter to God.  When our lives feel like they are being burned to the ground, God isn’t concerned that we find relief as much as we see his glory shining through our problems.  So the question I am now learning to ask when I face problems in my life is this: How can I put God’s glory on display through the problem I currently face?

Can I put God’s glory on display when I am criticized harshly?  Can I put God’s glory on display when my kids don’t do what I ask?  Can I put God’s glory on display when I don’t have enough money to support my ministry?  Can I put God’s glory on display when my health fails me?  Can I put God’s glory on display when friends betray me?  Can I put God’s glory on display when I my spouse misunderstands me?  If I believe that my problems matter to God, then I have the courage to put God on display when my life burns down because I know nothing is ever wasted with God.  He will use everything in my life for his greater good.

My Romanian pastor friend has taught me that my problems indeed matter to God.  They matter so much that God is determined to reveal his greater glory through them.  So, I want to encourage you that your problems matter to God.  When we face problems and it feels like our lives are burning down, let’s not just ask God for relief.  Let’s learn to ask the question, “How can I put God on display through my problems?”  Because our problems matter to God, he is determined to reveal his greater glory through them.  All we need to do is ask him to reveal his glory through the problems we face.  So take courage when you feel like your life is burning down.  God will use you, as painful as those problems are today, to put his glory on display.

In what ways can you put God on display through the problems you are facing today?