Romans 8:18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Ultimately, if you commit your life to Christ, all your problems will be solved. You won’t have problems in heaven.

• For unbelievers, this is no comfort at all. Firstly, they don’t necessarily believe in heaven, and secondly, if they die without Christ, their real problems are only beginning.
• For believers, we draw comfort from this, but it is evident throughout Scripture that such hope doesn’t instantly alleviate the pains and frustrations of earthly problems with physical and mental health, relationships, careers, finances, and so on.

Sometimes, people try getting involved with a Christian community in the hope that they’ll find help or answers to earthly problems. Does that happen though? Well, yes and no. Being involved with any group of nice people can be helpful. You’ll make friends, possibly find a husband or wife, and get all sorts of help and advice. But sometimes, Christians, in their enthusiasm for converts, exaggerate and over-promise what the Christian life delivers here and now. They’re not necessarily being insincere. Maybe they genuinely think that Jesus will solve all the person’s problems. But we need to be honest and realistic here.

Let’s have a look at common problem categories:

Physical Health

In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles healed people and raised the dead. Some Christians believe that if we have enough faith, all this should continue in the modern age. But does it? And has it? It seems to me that the primary purpose of miracles was to authenticate the Christian message; to demonstrate that Jesus wasn’t a mere religious philosopher, but he really was who he claimed to be.

He clearly had compassion for people, but he didn’t stick around and travel the world to heal everyone. Someone might say that he wanted his future followers to do that, but it’s clear that miracles were unusual, even in the apostolic era. In Acts 9, when Dorcas died, the disciples heard that Peter was in the area and sent for him. He did work a miracle, but they weren’t able to work miracles themselves. The very fact that Luke records it is an indication that it wasn’t an everyday event in Luke’s day. It was an amazing historical event. Even if it was recent history, it was history.

Pentecostals and charismatics believe that we should be looking to do miracles. Others, while not totally ruling out miracles, believe that this was very much restricted to the apostolic era. We shouldn’t take advantage of vulnerable people by promising them miracles. What we can do is pray that God will heal us. Even if you think miracles are unlikely, what’s wrong with praying for a miracle? Or that God would heal you through medical means. And you can pray that God will help you cope, if it’s not his will to heal you.

Another thing to bear in mind is that a sinful lifestyle can cause health problems. So, in that respect, as a Christian, if you are careful about your own health and safety and that of others, that can make a difference. And if a whole society has that outlook, it’s a healthier, better society.

But few of us are spared problems with our physical health. It’s simply part of life in this world. It’s easy when you’re not suffering to believe that God can use suffering for your sanctification. But when you’re suffering, or someone close to you is suffering, such explanations might be of little comfort. But many find that drawing close to Jesus is of some comfort.

2 Cor 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 

Mental Health

I have seen various Christian books and booklets providing ‘easy answers’ to mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. And of course, there are many other conditions that are less commonly spoken of. I think that we can sometimes misunderstand Bible verses related to mental wellbeing, thinking that they provide some sort of a promise of an instant solution. For example, the word anxiety can have different meanings.

• I’m anxious to get to the cafe before it gets too crowded.
• I’m anxious that I might become unemployed in the future.
• I feel really strange over the last few weeks. The doctor said that it might be a touch of anxiety.

Phil 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When we look at verses such as this one, Paul is encouraging us to bring our needs to God in prayer. And when we pray, it can bring us peace of mind, knowing that we’ve brought it to God. It’s a little like going to a doctor. You might be anxious about going, but you feel better having described your problem to an expert. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the problem goes away.

If you have problems with anxiety, bring them to God, but there are also earthly solutions. For example, in the cases above:

• Leaving earlier will get you to the cafe early
• Increasing your skills will help you avoid unemployment in the future. And knowing that help is available to the unemployed might alleviate anxiety.
• Where you might experience weird symptoms, something like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help. But if you read books on mental health, you’ll find much that echoes what’s in Scripture. For example, things like connecting with others, being compassionate, and questioning foolish thoughts are all helpful. Spiritual guidance shouldn’t replace guidance you might get from secular sources. Secular help can be viewed as part of God’s common grace to all humanity. Of course, it depends on the specific type of secular help being offered.

And regarding depression, it’s a very natural thing to feel down and to lose motivation at times. Various factors can make us prone to depression, such as genetics, upbringing, environment, and habitual ways of thinking. Everyone is different, and some might be more prone to it than others. If we read a verse such as “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4) that isn’t meant as an instant cure. But it does help if we can think differently. It might take a lot of time. And there are other steps that we might need to take. But again, we need to be honest and realistic here. Many great Christians have suffered from depression. Being a Christian, or a great Christian isn’t necessarily going to cure depression. A useful book on this subject is Is It Unspiritual to Be Depressed by Paul Ritchie, currently Pastor of Limerick Baptist Church.

Relationships

When you become a Christian and join a church, you’ll find many new friends. But conflicts can arise in the best of friendships. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of conflicting outlooks, as with Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:39. But it can also result from bad behaviour. You don’t need to be a Christian to know that bad behaviour damages relationships. In most cases, some blame lies on both sides, but even if you are blameless, will becoming a Christian fix everything? No, but being a Christian can be helpful.

One of the most famous sayings of Jesus is in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus makes reference to turning the other cheek rather than focusing on giving people their just deserts.

Matt 5:38-40
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.”

What’s interesting here is that the phrase eye for eye, and tooth for tooth comes from Scripture, from a legal section in Deuteronomy. And Jesus endorsed the Old Testament. The purpose was to execute justice, and who’s against justice? But some people, in their personal relationships, are a little too prone to mete out justice, even using Scripture to justify their attitude. And of course, you see that in broader relationships too, such as the tit-for-tat killings in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. You can see from the rest of the New Testament that you don’t necessarily turn the other cheek in every case. Later in Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus outlines how disputes should be dealt with in the church. He doesn’t say that the person sinned against should turn the other cheek. But I think, any marriage counsellor will encourage a couple to be willing to do this in some circumstances.

However, as with other issues, Christians aren’t free of marriage problems. But perhaps, if things become difficult, they will be more prone to avail of marriage counselling services and do all in their power to avoid a breakup. But breakups do happen.

I remember some years ago, some religious cult or whatever boasting that no-one in their ranks is divorced. Well, if you exclude everyone who is divorced, you’ll be able to make that boast. But Jesus didn’t go through life steering clear of everyone with relationship or other problems. Neither should churches do so.

Finances/Career

Becoming a Christian isn’t generally going to fix your finance or career problems. But again, bad behaviour can cause financial problems, as the parable of the prodigal son demonstrates. And with good behaviour and mixing with nice people, you probably are gonna get good advice that might be helpful for your finances and career.

It is worth mentioning here that sometimes churches might encourage people to donate, telling them that God will bless them financially if they do. You can find verses that might seem to justify this.

2 Cor 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

However, the context here is the Apostle Paul trying to raise funds for Christians in Jerusalem who were facing a famine. Paul wasn’t raising funds for himself or for building his own Christian empire. In fact, he often worked as a tentmaker to avoid any allegation that he was in the business to make money. There’s nothing wrong with fundraising, and you do hear anecdotes of poor people giving beyond their means and God blessing them, but I’m always very uneasy hearing such stories in the context of fundraising.

Very early on, the New Testament church developed a social welfare system, something that has been adopted by broader society in modern times, at least in the Western world. You could also argue that much of the success of the Western world can be attributed to conscientious Christian people who worked hard to build up industry and who also put in place social welfare systems of various kinds. They were by no means perfect, but I consider myself very blessed that I was born into such a society. As Christians, in our time in this world, we can play our part in continuing the good work and making sure that the rest of the world benefits from our privileges.

It can sometimes be demoralising if you work hard and see others sponging off society. You might work hard in school, get into college, and get into debt to pay for your course. Then, the bully who called you a swot and leaves school early, eventually gets a free place on the course and gets paid his unemployment benefit throughout college 😀. Then you struggle to pay your mortgage, and two doors down, the bully gets a free house from the council! Life in this world isn’t always just. But by being obedient, you are enhancing your heavenly reward. We are saved by faith alone, but the New Testament does teach that we will be more greatly rewarded when we trust and obey.

Matthew 6:19-20
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Having said all that, if the bully experiences a genuine conversion and if you are so focused on earthly success that you never become a Christian at all, which one is going to get the heavenly reward? And also, God is the one who decides how to reward us. Remember the parable of the labourers in the vineyard? (Matt 20)

So, will Jesus solve any of my problems?

Jesus can solve your greatest problem, your eternal destiny. But in this world, we will have troubles. In the West, we are very quick to take God to task for being responsible for our suffering. By contrast, I’ve often seen people in other parts of the world, of all religions, declaring trust in God in horrendous circumstances. They were thankful for what little they had.

In modern society, you’ll get different, often secular, organizations addressing different needs, such as physical health, mental health, finance, careers, and relationships. Churches specialize in spiritual needs. Sometimes atheists scoff at spiritual needs. They might even see churches as dumping grounds for society’s problems, hoping that Christians will sort them out, thinking that they’ll be ‘serving their god’. And, if a church loses confidence in the Bible, maybe they’ll attempt to focus primarily on non-spiritual needs, hoping to keep their institutions somewhat relevant.

But in my view, members of these churches would be better getting involved in secular charities rather than competing with them. In fact, there’s no reason why an individual can’t support a church to meet people spiritual needs and a secular voluntary organization to meet other needs. In the past, Christians have sometimes been accused of using charity as a means of proselytizing. During the Irish famine, Protestants were accused of gaining converts by offering soup. In reality, perhaps this was just an allegation. At times, where no other social welfare is available, churches need to step in, as happened in the New Testament. But where it is available, we should thank God for it rather than seeing it as some kind of a rival or threat to us.

Finally, even if God doesn’t solve our earthly problems, he has his reasons and he isn’t insensitive to our suffering.

Matt 10:29-30
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

And we mustn’t be insensitive to people’s suffering. If your little toddler falls and starts crying, you’re probably going to want to pick them up and comfort them. You’d be a strange parent if you thought to yourself that the fall doesn’t matter all that much in the scheme of things. It matters to the child. Jesus does sympathize with us in our earthly problems. Christians find great comfort in bringing everything to God in prayer, even when we don’t get immediate answers as the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus demonstrates.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge--
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

If you look up the life of the Irish-born writer, Joseph M. Scriven, you will see that he wasn’t without trials himself.