SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:3-5 NIV We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
THOUGHT: The thought of glorying in suffering doesn’t have much traction in our hearts and minds, but what else are we going to do with it? Get bitter or give up? Demand or pretend that whatever happened didn’t?
Paul knew a lot about suffering – physically, vocationally, relationally, and even spiritually. He begged God for healing that never came. Grace was God’s answer; Paul’s sufficiency was going to come through grace, not perfection.
Through his suffering (and God’s grace), Paul learned deep perseverance – not bitterness, control, or positive thinking. He allowed it to develop character, and watched a hope be born in him that just couldn’t be shaken. A hope that “never disappoints or deludes or shames (v. 5, AMPC).” He began to see that pain could play a part in developing the hope he needed.
PRAYER: Oh God, we need hope to be born anew today. Help us focus on perseverance, while you do your work of shaping our character and delivering a hope that never disappoints.
Amy released a full-length book in early 2021, Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. Maybe you’d like to check it out here.
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