Setbacks

Memory Text:

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3–5, NKJV).

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In 1871, Horatio Spafford lost most of his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire. Two years later, he lost something far worse.

His four daughters drowned in the Atlantic Ocean when their ship sank in the middle of the night. His wife Anna survived. When she reached shore, she sent him a cable.

“Saved alone. What shall I do.”

Spafford boarded the next ship to meet her. At some point during the crossing, the captain told him they were now passing over the very spot where his daughters had perished. Three miles of water between him and his children.

Think about that for a moment.

What do you do in a moment like that? What do you say? Where do you even look?

He went back to his cabin. And he wrote.

“When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say: It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Standing over the grave of his four children, Horatio Spafford chose to look up.

Not down. Up.

Trials and tribulations are sure in this side of life. How do we respond to it as Christians is the question that one must ask.

James 1:2-3 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

Let me share several reasons why setbacks should be met with joy.

Faith is Shown Through Setbacks

“The darker the night, the brighter the light.”

It is such a weird instruction to rejoice in tribulations, isn’t it? What’s there to rejoice about? You’re already suffering and your told to rejoice? What?!

To be clear, the Bible doesn’t mean that suffering is good. It is bad. It is alien in the original plan of God. What the Bible wants to portray is that God can redeem things that the devil uses for the betterment of His own cause.

Joseph alluded to this idea;

Genesis 50:20 NKJV
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

So, God allows trials so that greater good than the intended bad can come out of it.

One good that comes from setbacks is the opportunity to show faith.

But it is not in the sense that God wants to see your faith. He already knows how much faith you have. He knows everything. Rather, He allows the setbacks so that your faith might shine in the darkened lives of the people around us.

Stars shine when its night and the inhabitants of the earth benefits from it.People are encouraged when they see us enduring the trials of life because they see strength that is beyond ourselves and that serves as a testimony of what God can do to other lives as well.

Character Is Refined Through Setbacks

James 1:2-4 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Romans 5:3-4 NLT
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. [4] And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Gym rats are used to the mantra, “No pain, No gain.”

This is certainly true for Christians. The image of God was marred by sin. It is God’s desire to see His image fully restored in man and He sometimes uses trials to refine our character. As gold is thrown into the fire, so are we permitted to be in the trials of life so that we can come out more like the Lord.

This is certainly not a pleasurable experience. The Bible itself testifies,

Hebrews 12:11 NLT
No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening-it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Who enjoys being disciplined, changed and refined? It’s not pleasurable. But its worth it. The result? the verse says, “right living”. In order to prepare us to live rightly in the kingdom of God, He teaches us how to live rightly here.

Setbacks are not pleasurable, but we must look at it with the mindset that He is refining us to something greater.

We see loss where He sees preparation,

We see delay where He sees design,

We see a cross when He sees a resurrection.

• Shelley Quin

Trust is Built Through Setbacks

One of the hardest things about setbacks is not always the pain itself, but the questions that come with it.

• Lord, why this?
• Why now?
• Did I do something wrong?
• Are You still listening?
• Are You still good?

Setbacks have a way of revealing not only what we believe about life, but what we believe about God.

It is easy to say “God is good” when the sea is calm. It is another thing to say it when the waves are rising and the boat feels like it is sinking.

Mark 4:37-40 NKJV
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. [38] But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” [39] Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. [40] But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

Notice the question of the disciples.

“Do You not care?”

Isn’t that the question we often ask when setbacks come?

• Lord, do You not care that I am hurting?
• Do You not care that I am confused?
• Do You not care that I am losing something important?
• Do You not care that I am trying to follow You and yet this is happening?

But Jesus was in the boat.

That’s the point.

The presence of the storm did not mean the absence of Christ. The silence of Jesus did not mean the indifference of Jesus. The fact that He was asleep did not mean He was powerless.

Sometimes, the greatest test of trust is not whether we believe God can stop the storm. It is whether we still believe He is with us while the storm is still raging.

Psalm 56:3 NKJV
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Notice that David did not say, “Whenever I understand everything, I will trust in You.”

No.

“Whenever I am afraid.”

Trust is not built when everything is clear. Trust is built when everything is unclear, and yet we still choose to hold on to what we know about God.

This is why setbacks can deepen our relationship with Him. They push us beyond shallow faith. They move us from trusting God only for blessings to trusting God Himself.

There is a difference.

Setbacks teach us to trust not because life becomes predictable, but because God remains faithful.

Conclusion

Setbacks are painful, but they are not wasted in the hands of God.

Through them, faith is shown, character is refined, and trust is built. We may not always understand what God is doing, but we can still hold on to who God is.

So when trials come, do not only look down at the pain. Look up to the One who is still faithful.

We may see loss, delay, and a cross.

But God sees preparation, design, and resurrection.

Discussion Questions

1. When God seems silent during trials, how can you remind yourself that He is still present?
2. What area of your character might God be refining through your present difficulties?
3. How can you choose to “look up” this week instead of looking down at your setbacks?