In this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – which is of greater worth than gold, which itself perishes even though it be refined by fire – may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).
If we can see an enemy as someone who is an unwilling instrument of our blessings, it is easier to be forgiving and loving… We must discover that our enemies can never really harm us.
Don’t give up when you think God has abandoned you. Pray He gives you patience to see the situation through. Then thank Him in advance for what He is about to do.
He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit; and I will live to enjoy the light. God does all these things to a man – twice, even three times – to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him (Job 33:28-30).
Isn’t it strange that beggars and kings
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings
And common folk like you and me
are builders of eternity?
To each is given a bag of tools,
a shapeless mass and a book of rules,
And each must fashion ‘ere life has flown
a stumbling block or a stepping stone.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are renewed every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Struggling with life’s difficulties makes us a little wiser, a little more capable, enabling us to comfort others who experience pain. Difficulties are short lived; rewards are eternal.
The grass is not usually greener on the other side. There are just things on the other side you don’t see from your side. If you were where that other person is, you probably wouldn’t be happy on that side either.
Who is causing our troubles (if not our own sin) is not easy to determine. We don’t want to rebuke the devil for something God is behind, but don’t want to bear it if there is something we can do to end it either. Still, the response to adversity is far more important than the source of it. No matter where it comes from, God uses it to deepen faith. Our response to adversity determines if God can use it to accomplish His purposes.
Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live (Isaiah 55:3).
Look to my right and see, no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge, no one who cares for my life. [Only You] (Psalm 142:4)
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before You (Psalm 73:21-22).
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your Word… It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees (Psalm 119:67, 71).
When God comforts you, you have cause to fear that you might care more for His gifts than for Himself. But when He deals roughly with you and you hold on fast, it is to Him alone that you cling!
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