There’s a gap in our understanding of one of the Bible’s most important passages to believers. God promises, even over-promises, abundant life far above and beyond what we can even imagine. The problem is that we’re down here saying to ourselves, “Oh, I’m not experiencing that.”
We keep going to church and hearing their encouragement, “This is the year of overcoming” or “This is the year of prospering.” We start out thinking, Okay, God. Maybe this year is the one where I’ll see your promise of abundance. By the end of the year, though, it hasn’t been a year of breakthrough or flourishing. Maybe it’s been harder than the year before. We’re left confused, discouraged or even angry. There seems to be this gap between God’s promise of abundance and our reality.
In order to really understand God’s abundant life, we need to go to another set of promises that Jesus made to his disciples. “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32-33, ESV). The Son of God promises you that you will have tribulations in this world. If you think that abundant life means trouble-free, pain-free life, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
Israel’s promise of abundant life from God was “I’m leaving five enemy nations in your land to test you” (see Judges 3:1-6). The word ‘test’ here means something closer to a contest like a boxing match. God was setting up opponents for Israel so he could show them how to fight and that he was going to make them victorious, if they trusted and followed him.
A lot of us don’t expect trouble in life. When it comes, we get discouraged and withdraw. We think abundant life means no need to fight.
Abundant life actually means getting into the arena. It means getting scarred up in the fight because we know that Christ won the war. This doesn’t mean we don’t have to fight in the battles; we must engage.