Associating problems and tough times with sin is an indication of incomplete theology. The disciples of Jesus saw a man who was born blind. They wondered if he or his parents had sinned to merit such fate. It happened that neither of them had any sin to which the blindness could be attributed. Tough times do happen to Christians too. When that happens, it does do not mean that they are no longer Christians. It only reveals the nature of the world in which we live. Tough times constitute a leveller. Jesus was emphatic when He told His disciples: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

Tough times often come with tough questions and a great-searching of the heart. The author of Psalm 77 was having it rough. In verse two he called it “the day of my trouble.” and it was characterized with tears, discomfort and insomnia. Following that admission was a battery of questions. In three short verses he asked six of them. His mind was over-pressured. You also discover that the tone of questions tend to suggest that those conditions would be forever. Isn’t that what we feel in tough times? There are no easy answers to questions you ask in days of uncertainty. The only recourse is absolute trust in God. On account of His love, we have the confidence that He will not abandon us; and on account of His power, we know He will rescue us from all trials. In the last two meditations we have stressed the role of prayer, meditation, and confession in difficult seasons. They are threefold cords that can hold us up.