Daily Devotional

When was the last time you were happy to be going through something really tough? Maybe it was a loved one that was dying, or maybe you yourself are going through a really hard medical issue that tested your faith. Could be a strained relationship with family or friends or crippling emotional pain. Whatever it is or was, were you happy going through it? I think most of us, if we are honest, would say absolutely not! We don’t like pain or trials or hardship, they’re not fun, make us feel good, or uplifting. We generally try our whole lives to avoid such things.

However it is exactly the hard things in life that define who we are and what we are made of. Paul makes this very point here in Romans chapter five, where he says that tribulation produces perseverance and thus character and thus hope. You don’t magically get perseverance, character, and hope without the trials and tribulations. I know many people who have absolutely gone through the wringer over the last few years, but as a result, on the other side, their faith has grown tremendously, their resolve has deepened, and they are a vastly different person. It’s amazing to watch it happen.

Now of course learning to have joy in the midst of what seems like the hardest test you will ever face is daunting for sure. But taking our focus off of ourselves and our suffering will help us see God through it all and thus build hope that better days are coming, whether this side of heaven or in eternity. It doesn’t mean being happy while you are going through hard things, but rather maintaining the hope in the knowledge that ultimately this will be for good and God’s glory. Therefore do not despair when trouble and hardships find you, for we were not promised an easy life as followers of Christ, but rather glory in the fact that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.