God’s Protection In Times of Trouble: A Bible Study

I know there are many people who are struggling right now with feelings of despair, confusion, and rage against the horrible things they have had to endure. You may be thinking, where is God in all of this? Why would He allow such things to happen to me? To anyone? I have wrestled with these exact same questions myself and I am here to tell you how God is indeed right in the midst of it with you, according to His Word.

 

God did not allow this to happen to you

God never allows evil, He allows free will for humans. Since Adam and Eve people have chosen to rebel against God to elevate themselves and to harm others. This was never a part of God’s plan. Humans do evil, God redeems and restores what we have done.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— Romans 5:12

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.  So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21

 

God prepares us in advance for the work ahead of us here

Before we are born, we are spirits in heaven with God. He gives us a call to come to earth to participate in His plan. We must then either accept or reject His call. If you are here on earth you have accepted His call. Once you accept, He then prepares us for what is to come.

 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will Ephesians 1:4-5

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; Jeremiah 1:5a

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16

 

God protects our spirits

Satan means to use abuse and Satanism to corrupt us so we become less like Christ and more like him. God protects our spirits by taking them out of the body during the ritual abuse.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,  if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,  for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

 

He reserves a part of our core in heavenly places

God sets apart a core piece of our soul that never has to endure the abuse or trauma. It stays seated in heavenly realms with God the Father with every spiritual blessing we need. When we come to a certain place in healing that core part of our soul is able to come back to the body to help us.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places Ephesians 1:3

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus Ephesians 2:6

 

Jesus Himself walks with us in affliction

Just as we have endured hell unleashed upon us, so has Jesus. God has not sat idly by as we were abused, but on the contrary, He has sent His only Son to come to the earth as a helpless infant, and be subjected to all manner of evil. He knows our suffering intimately.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1Peter 2:24

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

 

God gives us the strength to endure

God knows what we have to endure and in the midst of it, He helps us to endure it so that we can bear up under the extreme weight of it. Without His protection and strength, we would go mad or die.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Isaiah 40:29

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7-8

 

Gods love is strong enough to bring us out of this

God’s love is greater and more powerful than any other force there is, and it is the power at work within us right now.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. John 4:4

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

 

Jesus redeems every bad thing that happens through the abuse

Everything that Satan means for evil will be redeemed by God. Satan does not have the last say over your life, because the power of God within you is greater.

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 1:11

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

 

At the right time when God’s plan has reached its fullness, we will see Satan defeated once and for all

God has a much greater plan that we with our finite minds cannot understand. However, God sees everything outside of time and has been working from the beginning to establish His purpose.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Ephesians 1:9-10

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Job 42:2

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11-16

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3;9

 

Our suffering is a very small part of the eternity we live in

Our lives here feel eternal, but this is just a very small part of the eternity we live as spirits. This will all fall away and we will forget how unbearable it has felt.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. 1:6-7

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work God has done from beginning to end. Eccles. 3:11

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4