Opportunity in Adversity

By Pastor Eric Tan

 

During the Covid-19 pandemic that hit us in 2020, people experienced adversities. Their adversities brought many sad news. We heard of businesses closed down, people lost their jobs, students lagging behind in their studies, families suffered for loss of income, domestic violence occurred in certain families, and the list can go on and on.

 

On the other hand, the pandemic presented to us many new opportunities. We became internet savvy. We shopped online and became an expert in it. We learn new skills to cope with the lockdown. Some people picked up the skill of doing gardening. Families spent quality time together thus strengthened family bonding. Even churches thrive over the situation and started meeting online and putting up their church services via Youtube.

 

On one hand, there is adversity and on the other hand, there is opportunity in adversity. Let’s read what prominent people say about adversity.

 

Albert Einstein says, “In the middle of adversity, there is great opportunity.”

 

Kobe Bryant says, “Everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.”

 

Walt Disney says, “The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.”

 

In the blog of goodtherapy.org[1], it says, “Adversity allows us the opportunity to find out what we are capable of, to develop our strengths, and to access aspects of ourselves that we did not know existed and inner resources we didn’t know we had.

 

The Bible presents to us many stories of men and women of God who triumphed over their adversities, one such story is Apostle Paul. In his adversities, he had many opportunities to experience God and His power, and to be a witness for Christ.

 

There was an incident when Paul and Silas were in Philippi (Acts 16:16-40), Paul delivered a spirit of divination from a slave girl. The owner of the slave girl was angry with Paul and he dragged both of them to the magistrates. The magistrates ordered them to be beaten, flogged and put in prison.

 

The adversity didn’t dampen Paul and Silas. At midnight while in the prison, they prayed and sang hymns to God. Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake and the prison doors were flung opened. The prisoners’ chains came loose. The jailer thought all the prisoners had escaped and he tried to kill himself. While he was about to do that, Paul shouted at him to stop him.

 

The opportunity to witness for Christ came. The jailer asked Paul to show him the way to be saved. Paul shared the gospel to him and he got saved. Not only the jailer, but his entire household.

There was another opportunity for Paul to triumph over his adversity. For preaching Christ, Paul suffered persecution, rejection from both the Jews and Gentiles. He was accused of many things and stood trials before the Gentile judges. It was in these trials that Paul had the opportunity to preach Christ and testified of the reality of Christ to them.

 

1)      Paul was tried before Felix, the governor – Acts 24:1-27.

2)      Paul was tried before Festus – Acts 25:1-12.

3)      Paul was tried before King Agrippa – Acts 25:23-27 – Acts 26:1-32.

 

Finally, in the last phase of his adversity, Paul was made a prisoner and he was taken to Rome and put under house arrest. As a prisoner of Rome, Paul faced his worst adversity, death, to be meted out by the wicked Emperor Nero. He was without any promise or hope of release. But Paul rejoiced at the opportunity in his adversity to preach Christ to the Romans and all others who visited him in prison.

 

Acts 28:30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance!

 

As I conclude, be encouraged that while we go through adversity, the scriptures assure us that God is in control of our lives and that He will strengthen us to bear whatever circumstances befall us. We can rise and thrive above the circumstances.

 

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

 

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

 

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

 

Brothers and sisters, there will always be an opportunity in our adversity or difficulty to experience God and His power, and the strength to thrive over our adversities. Amen.

What opportunities can you find in your adversities?

 

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