If you’re going through a difficult time right now, let Paul’s words encourage you. ‘We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralised; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorised, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken’ (v.8-9 MSG). Paul was talking to followers of Christ who were having a rough time. Here’s what he told them: ‘For all [these] things are for your sake…Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day. For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory’ (v.15-17 AMP). When we’re under pressure, our faith has an opportunity to grow. God knows exactly how much pressure to apply in order to help us grow. Sometimes He’ll let us get to 1) a place where we’re out of answers and our resources seem to be depleted, 2) a place where we’re tired of Satan stealing what we know God has promised, and 3) a place where we’re no longer willing to let other people’s opinions control us. (Remember, with God there are no hopeless situations, just people who are feeling hopeless about them.) It’s when there’s nothing more we can do that we start trusting God to do the impossible. As Paul says in verse 17, compared to the eternity and our everlasting reward in heaven, our trouble is fleeting. The challenges we’re experiencing now might actually be blessings in disguise – an opportunity to experience God’s unfolding grace and power at work.

What Now?

Share the Bible verses in today’s reading with someone you know who’s going through a challenging time at the moment. Pray that God would draw close to them and help their faith in Him increase.