Suffering Does Something
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Romans 5:3-4
Am I a woman of great faith? Well, you tell me: I wake up every morning empty; I plead with my helper to pray for me. And when I’m in pain and my faith is failing? I gotta stop and run to the Word. It’s like one need after the next. So, look, if there’s anything great about me, I’m needy. I must have Jesus. And it’s true for you. So, please, keep persevering through your hardship. Because God will use it. Your suffering does something.
Persevere and it glorifies God. It testifies to his grace. It blesses others through you. Gives credence to your witness. And suffering, when gladly accepted, shows us things about Christ and his Word that you’d never grasp otherwise. But! None of it happens without you needing Jesus. And that alone may cultivate in you… great faith.
Pressing On: How to Lean on Christ through Suffering
After more than 55 years living with quadriplegia and chronic pain, Joni Eareckson Tada knows what it means to “press on” through suffering. Joni encourages you to join her in living out Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
