March 12

We also Rejoice in Suffering . . .

"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access to faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us." Romans 5:1-5

Frequently life offers us hardships and trials. When our flesh cries out, "Why?", may our spirit know that the answer to that question is not at all the issue. Clinging to God through those hardships, learning to trust Him to see you through, and witnessing the deeper shades of grace in your life: those are the real issues. When God says He will see us through, we can believe it, because we have seen Him at work in our lives. The real question of importance is, " Will we let go of the need to control?" Control is something with which every human being struggles. It is not an easy thing to let go. We think if we are in control of our lives and our surroundings that everything will turn out as we plan. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! It is a lie from Satan, one that keeps us from God. We need to remind ourselves daily who controls the universe and our destiny. Faith is not believing that God will give us what we want when we want it, but that He has control of our lives. As His WORD tells us, He is faithful to direct our paths and give us the grace to walk through the trials life offers us. When we learn to have that kind of faith in our Father and to let go of our need to control our lives, we begin to see that life is not just black and white, and that there are not just good or bad experiences, but only necessary experiences. We begin to see the deeper shades of grace in our lives. It is because of His love and mercy for us that we face trials and hardships, for these are the very things that shape us and eventually will transform us into the very image of Christ, if we let them. We then can look back at our difficult experiences and praise Him for what his grace has accomplished in us! We can live in hope, knowing that come what may in our lives, He is there working it our for our good.

Father, reveal to me the deeper shades of grace in my life. Teach me through the struggles. Transform me through the pain. Help me to cling to You when life becomes unbearable. I pray that You will help me to become like Christ in all areas of my life. I know that cannot come without pain. Help me to embrace the pain and persevere through it, developing character, and ultimately cling to the hope that will not disappoint me. Amen