Psalm 34:18 NLT
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
That is an incredible verse that I have shared many times. Most recently I shared this in a message in the “treasure” series I am preaching at The Community Fellowship. That Sunday we talked about the fact that God turns our difficulties in to great treasure.
How do we look at the struggles we find ourselves in? Each can be a time for growth. Each can guide us to new adventure. Each will be used by God to strength or grow or allow us to experience more of Him.
Yesterday I got an email from Vernon Williams and his inspiring weekly emails. He shared the following quotes that caught my attention:
"Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God in the midst of trouble.” Sheila Walsh
"Don't tell God how big your problem is. Tell your problem how big God is.” Owen Orr
"Every setback is a setup for a comeback.” T.D. Jakes
"Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.” Billy Graham
"Suffering is part of the human condition. The key is how we react to it. We can turn away from God in anger and bitterness, or grow closer to Him in trust and confidence.” Billy Graham
"We want Christ to hurry and calm the storm. He wants us to find him in the midst of the storm.” Beth Moore
"Stay strong. Your test will become your "test-imony" and your mess will become your “mess-age." Max Lucado
"Nobody likes hard times. But it's the unpleasant experiences that are often the catalysts to build the character required for our destiny.” T.D. Jakes
"Since God intends to make us like Jesus, he will take us through the same experiences Jesus went through. That includes loneliness, temptation, stress, criticism, rejection and many other problems.” Rick Warren
"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Chuck Swindoll
"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers away.” Corrie Ten Boom
"If we only see the problems, we will be defeated. But if we see the possibilities in the problems, we can have victory.” Warren Wiersbe
"God never allows pain without a purpose.” Jerry Bridges
Each of those stuck out to me. Some were more than others. But what is most obvious is that every one of us goes through pain and struggles. Giving those things a reason makes us fight less against the growth.
May God help us as we deal with the pain we experience in life!
Romans 8:18 NLT
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
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