One thing is undeniable: If you live long enough, bad things are going to happen. Whether it’s getting a flat bike tire or losing a job, life has a way of throwing a wrench in our plans. Some bad things happen because of our own poor choices; some bad things are going to happen regardless of what we do (think bird droppings on your shirt); and some bad things happen as a direct result of the good things we do.
Though we can’t see the spiritual realm with our eyes, the events that took place in Belgium on Black Thursday of 2002 certainly seem like an example of godly activity instigating spiritual pushback. We know we have an enemy who hates it when people love God and advance His kingdom. If nothing else, the Belgium shut-down is an excellent reminder of how to respond to trials. Such a dramatic and forceful response from the Belgian authorities could have discouraged those associated with IMM to back down to avoid any more resistance, but instead, they saw it as a sign that they were doing something right. They were making waves, getting attention, and going in the right direction...So they kept going. They continued the work of media ministry, reaching into dark and restricted areas with the light of the gospel.
James 1:2 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”
Joy as a response to many kinds of trials? This instruction is counterintuitive, and James knew that. But when we give our lives to Jesus, we give him permission to turn our intuitive responses upside down. Our weakness becomes His strength, our failures become our testimony, and obstacles become opportunities. Even when the opportunity isn’t obvious, we search for it. We open our eyes to what God sees, to place our circumstances in perspective with His power. We serve a God who specializes in turning obstacles into opportunities. Just as James says, may we rejoice in trials of every kind because we know that God can turn every kind of evil into all kinds of good.