1 Peter 5:10 – But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (KJV)

Fiery trials of life can be very hard, to the point of causing illness or death. When we come out of them, we may feel toasted from the heat. For the Christian, this is the testing of our mettle. It challenges our resilience and steadfastness on two battlefronts: spiritual and physical. Sometimes, this causes great distress, pain, sorrow, and anger. These seemingly unfair adversities can come from anything that presents a threat to our well-being. During these trials we develop godly character, which doesn't usually happen when all is going well.

Scripture tells us that we will have troubles and sorrows in our life. When they come, it is painful as we let go of our aspirations and dreams and pick up our cross to follow the Lord. But God is with us, because He never leaves us or forsakes us. We look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three young Israelites who refused to bow down to the king Nebuchadnezzar. Even though he threw the boys into a fiery furnace, God was in the fire with them. They came out of the furnace unsinged. Sometimes, it doesn't feel like God is with us, but He never abandons us.

Have you suffered what appear to be unfair losses? God wants us to say, "Thy will be done, Lord." When everything that we have worked so hard for collapses, it is hard to understand when God tells us that we will prosper. God does promise that after we have suffered or been in the fire awhile, He will make us perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us.

Prayer: Dear Father, help us to be faithful servants, even when we are suffering and in pain. Regardless of our circumstances, may we submit to Your will, trusting that You will not abandon us. Amen.

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About the author:

Karen Milam <karenbmilam@gmail.com>
Penn Valley, California, USA
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