In The Thick of It

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms" (Eph 1:18-20).

Did you take not of what the apostle Paul said about you in the passage above?  That the power you have access to is the same power God exerted when he raise Christ from the dead!  All the power that was marshaled to free Jesus from the grave is at your disposal.

That does not mean bad things will never happen, God's power is not a cosmic lucky rabbit's foot to hang around your neck supposedly keeping you from harm.  God's power, exercised here for Jesus was after he experienced death.  His power raised him from death not protected him from it.

God does not call us to live in a divine bubble wherein we are untouched by pain and suffering anymore than he kept Jesus free from harm.  His power is exerted to save us from harm not keep us from it.  Pain and suffering have redeeming qualities that work to our perfection or completion - even for Christ in his role as Savior: "Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Heb 5:8-9).

What we are seeing is that a godly life does not prevent one from facing the difficulties, which can serve God's will in achieving His ends through our lives and thereby making us more perfect vessels of his will.  In the process, we are strengthened as our faith in Him to deliver is increased and our character is being molded by circumstance.  As someone once said, "Character is hammered out on the anvil of adversity."

God is not interested in keeping us safe from harm. Rather, he intends to perfect us in physical suffering and save us from spiritual death.  We live in a fallen world that has become the battlefield of good and evil.  War, by nature, is difficult, dangerous and deadly.  God intends that we be victorious not victim proof.  He will save us in the middle of the struggle not set up on the sidelines to huddle.  Jus' Say'n.