(By Ben Godwin) Jesus never promised us trouble-free living. In fact, He predicted the opposite—“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The psalmist added another dose of reality, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps. 34:19). Believe it or not, we need our problems to help us learn, grow, mature and become stronger. Otherwise, we’d get complacent.
Paul Evans said, “Adversity is God’s university.” How true! It’s the hardships we face that teach us the nature of God and allow our faith to grow. How could we know God is a healer if we were never sick? How could we know Him as our provider if we never had a need? How could we know Him as a Comforter if we never experienced loneliness or grief? How could we know Him as a Savior if we were never lost? Without a battle there is no victory and without a test there is no testimony! READ MORE
