I absolutely love the following quote from John Piper: “You should never count God out. What He has planned and dreamed for your life far exceeds the circumstances of your day. He is always at work, painting on a canvas bigger than we can see or imagine. Not only is this true today; it’s been true of our entire story to this point.”1
My friends the next time you get discouraged because the circumstances of life seem to be stacked against you always remember that our God is using these circumstances to help us learn to be more dependent on Him, to teach us valuable lessons in the school of life, to test our faith in Him, and for our ultimate good and His glory.
Too often we fail to realize that while we always want to lead comfortable lives, the purpose of life is to allow God to mold us to be more like Christ and that by definition trials and uncomfortable circumstances are His tools to accomplish this. The day I realized that sacrificing my comfort in order to help build up the kingdom of God, was the day I discovered that God uses the trials of life not to harm me but to help me become a more useful servant of the Lord.
I am learning more and more that God always has my back, that He orchestrates the difficult circumstances of life to allow me to see them as stepping stones to overcome, and that He has a master plan in which He wants to use even my tragedies for His glory.
(Psalm 16:11) tells us: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” This verse is very special to me because, first, as I trust God I know He has a wonderful path of life He wants me to travel on. Second, He draws me, through all of the difficult circumstances of life, closer to Himself, which allows me to experience fullness of joy. And third, I am learning that when I give up temporary pleasures and comforts, I can expect to receive eternal pleasures!
God has a very special plan for each of His children. And while trials and suffering are part of the package we call life, so are great peace, joy, and meaning to those of us who are willing to let God mold us through these difficult times into His ambassadors for Christ. Christian be encouraged for our great God is always there to pick us up when we fall, to tell us how much He loves us, and to always cheer us on as we journey through life!