Life often sends us through a crash course at the School of Hard
Knocks. We feel overwhelmed and hopeless, because of the weight of
disappointment smothering the life right out of us.
As authentic Born Again Believers, we have Father God,
Brother Jesus and their Holy Spirit - who defend, protect, advise, guide, provide
for and love us so much that Jesus laid down His own life for us (1 John 2:1;
John 14:16, 15:13).
We can have faith in God's faithfulness, because He proves
His love for us each moment of every day. He provides a miracle to accompany
every trial, such as: spiritual growth, lessons learned, or blessings, which
come in spite of our suffering.
In our trials, God surrounds us with His ministering angels,
provides for our needs, builds our faith, gives us wisdom to share with others,
and uses us as an example of one who maintains faith in God (Hebrews 1:14;
Philippians 4:19; 1 Peter 1:7; Luke 22:32).
God's Spirit uses trials to shape in us the fruit of His
Spirit: love, joy, faith, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness,
self-control and faith (Galatians 5:22-23; James 1:3).
God also teaches us contentment, which fills our heart
regardless of the severity of the circumstances (Philippians 4:11-12). God
continually abides in us through everything we ever experience (Galatians 2:20;
Colossians 1:27).
At times, Satan tempts us to blame God for our losses and to
feel anger towards Him for what we perceive as Him letting us down. However,
God sees the big picture and He allows trials for our ultimate good.
Prayer:
Father God, as we live through the school of hard knocks,
remind us to adopt an attitude of joyful acceptance and thanksgiving. Help us
to focus on Your sovereign purpose in everything we experience (Romans 8:28). Remind
us to trust in Your foreknowledge and grace (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 4:16).
Your infinite ways exceed our finite human understanding;
therefore, we can always trust that You have our good at heart. We trust in Your faithfulness to fulfill all of Your
promises, even when the circumstances appear hopeless.
Thought for the Day:
Praising God in and through trials helps us to feel
contentment in spite of them and gratitude for His presence in us through each
one of them.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18; John 17:23
