Trials Define Who We Are in Christ

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It is very easy to become frustrated, concerned, depressed, or even angry, when things seem to be piling up against us.  We must recognize and celebrate that God works in all things.  He is not absent during the bad times.  He is taking every element of our circumstances and using them to sculpt who we are.  As we mature in our relationship with God, we learn to understand that the work that He does in us during the times of trial defines who we are in Jesus Christ.  Even more so as we grow in Christ, we learn to find comfort, even joy, in every step that we take under the divine care of Almighty God.

This supernatural joyful comfort that we come to experience in the face of the pressures of the world defies the emotion that our flesh demands.  Through our trials, our faith carries us and builds us up where carnal men lose hope and are broken down.  We come to learn that God has allowed us to be where we are and even though we cannot see it at times, He is controlling all things in our lives.  Ultimately, regardless of what external ministry to which He may call any of us, He calls each of us by His special grace from darkness to light and from bondage to liberty according to the eternal purpose that He has set aside for us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your sovereign rule over our lives.  We rejoice in knowing that we can find peace in You when the world is offering us none.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will will strengthen us when the world tries to weaken us.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will turn us back to the light of victory when the world is trying to turn us to the darkness of defeat.  We pray that through it all our trust in You will be complete as we are delivered into Your will and plan for our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.