“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the Glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance; character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” – Romans 5.1-5 (NIV)
I have often wrestled with the Prosperity Gospel, that is, if you are right with God he will pour “blessings” upon you. The truth is that suffering is the catalyst that is used to strengthen our faith, draw us closer to God, and help us to realize our great need for him and his great Love for us. The truth is that the true goal of trials is to increase our faith into a God-centered, God-dependent way of life. AND trials grow in us more hope. Then our hope in God grows in us an independent, unyielding, persevering faith in the face of struggle.
This hope that does not disappoint us sustains us. It is a hope rooted in the reality that God has poured out his love into our hearts. ”His love” is not “our love for God”, but rather “His love for us”.
So I say, as much as I hate it, bring on the trials. Because only in these moments do I find my faith truly alive, and only in these times am I truly aware of his great love for us and that hope that does not disappoint.
Derrak
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November 24, 2008 at 3:56 am
John Bodo
Right on Derrak. I would add to that how when we have prosperity we are also most prone to forget God and sin. It is definately true that suffering helps me cry out for God, and this causes me to grow. I would also add that any activity which takes the focus off of me (serving, helping others – doing what I was designed to do) helps me forget about my own issues and makes me feel alive. Either way, whether facing trials or doing noble things that get my mind off my troubles, these things seem so much nearer to God than when things are just ‘Peachy’.