Building Endurance

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

Everything was falling apart. So why wasn’t I?

A few years earlier I had been drowning in depression and anxiety, reduced to tears by the smallest thing. How would I ever deal with a major life crisis if I couldn’t even hold myself together through everyday misunderstandings or disappointments? As I grew stronger, however, I sensed God challenging me to trust Him. If He allowed a crisis, it would be because He knew I was strong enough for it. And amazingly, I experienced many and survived! Trials increased in intensity, gradually strengthening my faith, including my faith in His ability to keep me strong no matter what came my way.

But in this current situation, peace seemed almost unnatural considering the hugeness of what was going on. Was I in denial or experiencing a peace that could come only from God and several years of seeing Him at work? Suddenly I understood what Philippians 4:7 says when it mentions how the peace of God surpasses all understanding (ESV). Yes, life was falling apart in ways that seemed beyond repair. I needed to prepare for the worst-case scenario, but I didn’t need to give in to despair. As I’d seen firsthand so many times, God wouldn’t allow anything unless He was prepared to ride it out with me, provide for me, and keep me strong through it.

It doesn’t require much faith when every prayer is answered immediately, bills are paid ahead of schedule, and everyone we love is in perfect health and making the right choices. We experience growth spurts of faith not when life is going smoothly, but when it’s so out of control that only God can fix it.

God’s Word provides answers not for if we face trials, but for when we face them. He also promises to use each trial, from daily disappointments to heart-shattering losses, to increase our faith as we seek and obey Him. Reflect on how past tests have prepared you for any current crises.

Rest Assured

Thank You, Father, for never wasting a crisis, but for using each one to deepen my relationship with You and strengthen my ability to trust Your plan.

Rest in Him: Romans 5:1-5