Romans 5:3-4: (NLT): Trials and God’s Blessings

Romans 5:3-4: (NLT): Trials and God’s Blessings

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance helps develop strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:3-4).

A friend of ours recently went through a difficult divorce.  Betrayal and cheating, secrecy and surprise, and difficulty and defeat were all emotions she experienced.  As a witness to her trials, I noticed a few things. First, there was an initial sense of hopelessness and anger. After time, however, she became less angry and developed a sense of perseverance, strength, and confidence: She had to carry on and be strong for her 12-year-old daughter. And she did. Fast forward two years and she met a man who is kind, loving, and treats her and her daughter well.  Happiness and trust once again reign in her life. Her situation now, according to the visible fruit of their relationship, far exceeds that of her life before the trial she bore.

Life doesn't always work out as it did for our friend, but we must have faith in God’s plan. Our “problems and trials . . . help us develop endurance.” Sometimes in the thick of our trials, however, God’s blessings are hard to see or even imagine. But when we look with the eyes of faith, hope, and love, God’s presence is made manifest.

Let us keep each other and our special intentions in prayer this week.  

May you all be blessed and encouraged in the love and peace of Christ.  

Stan