When life becomes difficult, when living for the Lord and loving Him entail hardship, when obeying Him means trouble or suffering, we know that our faith in Him is being tested.
Some of us have learned to trust the Lord through tough and trying times. Others are still learning, hoping that something good could come out of those trials. A few of us may have stumbled along the way not quite ready to pass through difficulties on account of our faith in Christ.
Wherever you are in your spiritual journey and however you may have responded to the troubles that come your way, we may not doubt the Lord's providential care for us, His people.
Yes, in His divine wisdom, He may send us problems and painful experiences. And yes, He may not spare us from emotional or spiritual distress as His dear children. One thing we can be sure of though, and this has been proven by many saints who have lived before us, that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28, NIV).
Israel of old may have been chastised by the Lord by sending them away from the land of promise to a foreign and strange land. Fear may have gripped the hearts and minds of God's people, wondering whether or not God still cares for them.
Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord has assured His people of His presence and protection to be upon them even as He disciplines them. The Lord says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isa. 43:2, NKJV).
The fire of suffering and the water of trials may overwhelm us or throw us off. The word of the Lord, however, will keep us strong and make us stand firm through it all. God will give us the grace to bear the pain and to persevere through trials. "My grace is sufficient for you," says the Lord to the apostle Paul, "for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9a, ESV).
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