3 Advice in Trials
3- Advice in Trials¹
If a trial or distress surrounds you, do not be anxious, nor let sorrow or irritation have power over you. How easy it is to pass through distress in peace of heart and calm of soul, if you remember the following phrases with depth and faith:
Our Lord is present, all things are for good, wait for the Lord…
Your feeling that God is present reassures you that you are not standing alone; there is One who supports you—the God who told us that even the hairs of our heads are all numbered. The God who loves you, defends you, and cannot deliver you to your enemies. “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14). So whatever distresses surround you, be reassured, beloved brother, and say within yourself, “God is present.” If my enemy is strong, then God is stronger than him. And if the matter is complicated, God is able to solve every problem: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
Place God between you and the distress, and the distress will disappear, and God—the loving Ruler of all—will remain to comfort you. But beware of placing the distress between you and God, lest you complain, murmur, and blaspheme…
It also reassures you, in the midst of distress, to say to yourself, “All things are for good.” Joseph the righteous was sold by his brothers as a slave, and in the house of Potiphar a false accusation was fabricated against him and he was thrown into prison… Yet all of this turned out for good. They intended evil against him, but God intended it for good, turning evil into good (Genesis 50:20). Truly, “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). How many distresses have ended in good. So live in this coming good—by hope and faith—and not in the present distress.
Pray to God to be with you and to strengthen you. But—despite your prayers—the response may be delayed. God comes at the time He sees as appropriate; He may delay, but He must come and deliver. Therefore, listen to the psalmist encouraging you, saying, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
Enduring distress is a great virtue, and greater than it is rejoicing in distresses and giving thanks during them.
May our compassionate God be with you in your distresses, O brother. How beautiful is the saying of Scripture: “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them” (Isaiah 63:9).
¹ An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Second Year – Issue Four, May 1966.
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