Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. --Romans 5:3-4
A man named Parnell Bailey toured an orange grove once where an irrigation pump had broken. The season was dry and some of the trees were dying because they lacked water. The man giving the tour then took Bailey to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly.
He said, “These trees could go without rain for another two weeks. When they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now, my trees have the deepest roots in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at greater depths.”
The story above is a good picture of how suffering can produce the “roots” we as believers need to survive and thrive in any season of life.
But to grow these roots, you and I must plant ourselves in God’s Word to find comfort and strength when battling difficulties in life.
Being thrown into the “furnace of affliction” is a test of faith, as it forces us to rely solely on the Lord. Isaiah 48:10 says, “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
Whatever trial you may be facing today?be it illness, loneliness, financial difficulty, or family struggles?remember to stay rooted in the Lord. Then you can say as the psalmist did: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (Psalm 119:50).
PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to strengthen your faith when you are faced with affliction. Pray that He would comfort you with His Word in times of suffering.
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