The believer's chief troubles',

Back to Man's religion & God's religion 8

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As earth is but a valley of tears, the Christian has many 
tribulations in common with the world. Family troubles 
were the lot of Job, Abraham, Jacob and David. Sickness 
befell Hezekiah, Trophimus and Epaphroditus. Reverses 
and losses fell upon Job. Poverty and famine drove 
Naomi into the land of Moab. 

Trouble, then, is in itself no sign of grace; for it 
inevitably flows from, and is necessarily connected 
with, man's fallen state.

But we should fix our eye on two things, as especially 
marking the temporal afflictions of the Lord's family:
1. That they are all weighed out and timed by special 
appointment. For though "man is born to trouble as the 
sparks fly upwards," yet "affliction comes not forth of 
the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground."
Job 5:6 
2. That they are specially sanctified, and made to 
"work together for good" to those who love God.

But the believer's chief troubles are internal, 
and arise from . . .
the assaults of Satan, 
powerful temptations,
the guilt of sin laid on the conscience, 
doubts and fears about a saving interest in Christ, and
a daily, hourly conflict with a nature ever lusting to evil.