Suffering Leads to Hope
A friend in another country told me recently that he was questioned by the local security services. I asked if these conversations make him afraid. He responded,
“No, I’ve been dealing with this since I was a child. Because the government didn’t want people meeting for worship at my parents’ house, they stationed a police officer to live in our yard for a year.”
It struck me that his life demonstrates the truth of Paul’s statement in Romans 5:3-4,
“we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Rom. 5:3-4)
Here is a brother who, to some extent, has turned his suffering into endurance, character, and hope.
Are you viewing your suffering today as part of this process? There is nothing easy here; no quick fixes; no instantaneous acquiescence in hard situations. But have the difficulties you encounter helped you to grow in endurance, character, and hope?
If not, what’s holding that back? Sometimes it is an expectation about what God must give us. Sometimes it’s an inability to see beyond the current crisis because the pain seems too great. Sometimes it is because we believe other people have it so much easier. And sometimes it’s because we think that of all people, we deserve better.
Paul exhorts us to let suffering build endurance by learning to trust the sovereign God who cares for us in every situation, and who has given us hope already through the work of Jesus Christ. And we observe that this trusting leads to a solid, proven character that is filled with hope. We have examples of this from history, from around the world, and in this very church.
If you are in Christ, God has good plans for every difficulty you encounter. And to see that in every situation is part of our fight for faith. This reminds us of the need to confess our sins…
Prayer of Confession
You tell us, Father, to “Count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2-3). And we need great faith to believe this.
Lord, forgive us for how we doubt your good purposes, for how we complain about our circumstances, and for how we stop seeking contentment in what we have.
We ask you, holy Father, according to your love for us in Jesus Christ, to fill us with hope in your steadfast love, confidence in your leading, and certainty in your good will toward us, and shown to us in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Forgive us, O God, for these and other sins, and give us insights into our own souls during this time of silent confession…