Lately, I have had more than a few people share their struggles with me. In reflecting on those conversations, I realize none of us are immune from trials.
Poverty isn’t the only cause of suffering. Wealth and abundance do not exempt one from hardship. Adversity is not dependent on one’s age, social status, or position. Here’s what I do know:
As long as we are blessed to breathe, we can expect difficult times!
I know, that doesn’t sound very positive.
Proponents of a “name it and claim it” philosophy will want to chastise me for not having enough faith or say that I am too cynical. On the contrary…
…My confidence and assurance that God is present with me in each circumstance, season, and every situation in life, is stronger than ever!
The trials I’ve faced, am facing and will meet in the future encourage my dependence on God and strengthen my faith.
In our Western culture, we are encouraged to seek self-gratification. We desire pleasure more than pressure, gain more than pain, and comfort above conflict. However, in God’s kingdom, faithfulness is more essential than our convenience or preference.
Trials are the soil in which faith grows. Faith is not developed by winning a lottery, gaining prestige, power, or a quick-fix to my problem.
One of the virtues of the Christian life is endurance. Paul, the Apostle reminds us: “…suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…” - Romans 5:3-4.
None of us enjoys trials. However, when we allow our struggle to strengthen our faith, we gain endurance, which improves our faithfulness. And, we encounter God’s faithfulness to us in the trial.
If you’re tired of the struggle, I want to encourage you with this promise of God:
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…” – (Deut. 7:9).
Praying for you!