“Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”. Isaiah 41:10

We live in a fallen world and as a result trouble comes to all of us. Sometimes adversity comes suddenly and out of our control leaving us unexpectedly devastated as we experience physical and emotional pain.

As we reflect on our lives we can recall many times when we were faced with adversity and sometimes we even ask ourselves, “Why would God let this happen to me?”,  as we begin to feel sorry for ourselves. I recall one of my most crushing adversities at the age of 14 when I suddenly lost my beloved mother. I was devasted, lost and fear overcame me. I will never forget my Dad pointing to a plaque visibly displayed in our living room that said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, Philippians 4:13. This was my mother’s foundational verse that she lived by. It was then that I embraced this verse as my own foundational verse as I prayed and asked God to give me the strength to endure the loss of my mother.

As I grew in my faith in the Lord I learned that God doesn’t let terrible things happen to me but He sometimes allows adversity to happen so I can strengthen my faith and grow in Him.

Friends, adversity can open doors of opportunity for us to get closer to the Lord and feel His presence as He promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. In times of adversity God can strengthen our character as we strengthen our faith in Him.

The scriptures are filled with examples of people who faced adversity, and on the other side of the experience, discovered how God worked through their situation to bring about good. For example, we recall Joseph who experienced betrayal, slavery and impoverishment before becoming second in command to Pharaoh.

It’s easy for us to be grateful when everything is going our way but as 1 Thessalonians 5: 18 reminds us “In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus for you”. I believe that the Lord desire us to have a grateful spirit in spite of our circumstances. Romans 8: 28 tells us that God promises to work everything for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. So brothers and sisters in Christ, I encourage you to stay focused on the Lord and not on your circumstances. We are not alone, God is with us, He walks with us and He will bring us through!

So friends remember the good news is, with God’s help you can overcome adversity and rise above your circumstances. Amen!