The Violent Take It by Force

One of the questions that stumps theologians and ordinary believers alike is this: why does God allow hard things to happen to people He loves? Why is it that even as followers of Jesus we still face financial pressure, tension in our families, struggles in our studies and our health? Why doesn't God simply snap His fingers and make every problem disappear?

I do not have all the answers. But in one particular passage, Jesus begins to give us some clues. He says that since the days of John the Baptist — since John pointed Him out and the ministry began — the kingdom of God was set in motion and would keep advancing forcefully, despite every attempt of the enemy to stop it. And that word Jesus chose is striking. He speaks of the kingdom pressing forward against opposition, advancing with force. In other words, the advance of God's reign comes with conflict built into it.

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool... rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

Psalm 110:1-2

Notice that phrase: rule in the midst of your enemies. Not after the enemies are gone. In the midst of them. That is the pattern of the kingdom, and it is the pattern of the King's own life.

The King's Life Was a Series of Conflicts

Look at how it went for Jesus. The moment He was baptized and the ministry began, the enemy came at Him. He was led into the wilderness and tempted for forty days. When John was thrown into prison, Jesus withdrew — and it was precisely then, in that dark region, that the people who sat in darkness saw a great light. Throughout His life on earth, the King and His kingdom were under attack, all the way to the cross. And yet with every single conflict, the kingdom advanced. The wilderness gave way to power. The prison news gave way to light breaking over Galilee. The cross itself gave way to resurrection.

Here is the conclusion Jesus is drawing us toward. From the moment the reign of God was set in motion, the only reason God would allow a conflict at all was for the advancement of His kingdom. Every problem, every challenge, every difficulty you face — since the coming of God's reign in your life — is meant to lead somewhere: to a miracle, to a demonstration of His power, to His rule being established right in the middle of the opposition.

A Modern Picture

A helpful modern analogy is the story of modern Israel. The initial territory did not include many of the places later associated with the nation. But again and again, when they were attacked, they would push back and end up holding more ground than before. Conflict came, and with it came expansion. It is not a perfect illustration, but it captures the principle: the pressure that was meant to destroy became the very occasion for advance.

So there may be someone reading this whose current challenge is not a sign that God has abandoned you. It may be the very place God intends for His kingdom to advance in your life. Why are you going through a financial difficulty right now? It may be so that by the time you come out, you have more relationships, more wisdom, more ideas than you had going in. Why are you facing something in your body? It may be so that God will not only bring healing, but teach you to become a source of hope and healing for others walking the same road.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.

Hebrews 12:2

This is why Scripture can say, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Not because the trial itself is pleasant, but because something good waits on the other side. Jesus Himself, beholding the joy set beyond the cross, went through the cross. He did not endure the pain for its own sake. He endured it for what was coming.

Not Punishment — Love

Let me gently correct an idea that has caused a great deal of unnecessary pain. Please do not accept the notion that when you are going through a hard season, it must be God punishing you for your sin. If God were still chastising us for our sin, it would mean He Himself did not believe Jesus had already paid the full price for it. The prophet Isaiah said the chastisement of our peace was upon Him — Jesus bore it. So when God allows difficulty and challenge to come our way, it is not because He is angry with us. It is because He loves us.

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth... Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

Hebrews 12:6, 11

Read the whole of Hebrews 12 and you find a Father's heart, not a judge's gavel. He allows us to face some challenge the way a loving parent lets a child stretch and grow. Without the challenge, the parts of us still ruled by fear and selfishness would never be confronted. We would never learn to walk in the righteousness and wholeness God has called us into. The trial is not God turning against you. It is God forming you.

How Jesus Saw Every Problem

There is a moment that captures how Jesus viewed all of this. His disciples pointed to a man born blind and asked the old question: who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born this way? Jesus answered plainly: neither.

Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

John 9:3

From the Father's point of view, this was never about assigning blame. God allowed it so that His works — His miracle — could be put on display. That is how Jesus saw the world. Every problem was an opportunity for the kingdom to advance forcefully. More territory to be reclaimed. More of God's promises to be received.

Imagine if we began to see our problems that way — as open doors for God's reign to advance in our lives, for promotion, for the recovery of ground the enemy had been holding. Picture two friends on the phone. One says, "I got a problem this morning, and I am so excited! It's a big one — you know what that means. When I opened it, I started praising God, because only He knows what it's going to lead me into. Don't you love that problems are open doors to increase? The kingdom is about to advance!" And then he asks his friend, "So what about you? You don't have a problem right now? Oh, I'm so sorry. You want to share mine?" It sounds absurd. But that is not far from what Jesus meant. Every problem is happening so that God's glory may be revealed, so that He may rule in the midst of your circumstances.

Who Takes Hold of It

So who actually experiences this forcefully advancing kingdom? Jesus said it is the violent who take it by force. He was not speaking of aggression toward people. He was describing a holy determination — people who make up their minds that the kingdom of God must advance in their lives, and who refuse to let go of that conviction. People who, even staring down what looks like certain defeat, put all their trust in God.

Think of the three young men in the fiery furnace, who declared that their God was able to deliver them — and even if He chose not to, they still would not bow. That is the posture. That is taking the kingdom by force: an unshakable resolve that in the face of the fire, my faith stays fixed on God.

And why did God take Israel the long way through the wilderness rather than straight into the promised land? Not so they would die for their sins, but so they would not be destroyed before they were ready for the battles ahead. It was mercy. It was love. The detour was for their protection and their preparation.

A Word for You Today

So here is the word. If you are not facing any challenge at all, that may be the strange thing to grieve — because promotion tends to come dressed as difficulty. But if you are facing a giant right now, hear this: the kingdom is about to advance in your life. God's rule is about to be established more deeply than before — in the midst of the opposition, not after it clears.

Let your prayer become simple and steady: God's kingdom has not only come — it will advance in my life, with force, in the name of Jesus. The only reason you have a problem in front of you is that God wants the power of His kingdom demonstrated through it. Take that position, and hold it. Fix your faith on Him like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and watch Him rule in the very middle of your enemies. God will reign in your life. He is faithful, and your promotion is on its way.