James 1:2-4 NLT 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT) Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
It’s God’s will for us that that we pray and give thanks (praise) in all situations and under all circumstances.
James 1:2-4 NLT 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
God Can Turn Your Hurt Into Hope
When you're hurting and crying out for help, God hears you. When you are struggling, God is walking next to you. When you feel the most alone, God is working to turn your life around.
If you feel you have no hope in your life, turn to God. He is so powerful that He can transform even the worst of situations into something beautiful. God is working behind the scenes for you to turn your pain into hope, here’s how.
God is Always in Control
It can be difficult to imagine why God would ever let someone suffer, but the truth is that God is always in control. Nothing happens in your life that He is not aware of. God has a great plan for your life! He knows that you will struggle through painful situations, but He can sustain you during the worst of times. We can rely on God when, like the Apostle Paul, are struggling, because we know He is in control and as a result we don't have to rely on ourselves but on God who can even raise the dead.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 NLT [8] We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. [9] In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
God Won’t Fail You
God promises that He will never let you know or let you fall. Even when terrible things happen in your life, Jesus is by your side. There is absolutely nothing that He can’t take on and win.
1 Peter 4:19 NLT So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.
Even the enemy trembles when you say His name!
James 2:19 NLT You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
While things may seem dark and bleak now, we can find hope that one day we will be with our Father in heaven.
Romans 8:18 NLT Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Think of how great our lives will be when we leave this earth and enter our eternal home! This hope is all that we need to get through any thing we are dealing with today.
Purpose For Your Pain
You might not see this now, but God has a purpose for the pain that you are going through. Everything you go through in life leads you to something greater. Christians are born for glory, kept for glory and we are being prepared for glory.
1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV [6] In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
All that God allows in our lives is preparation for what He has in store for us in heaven. He is preparing us for the life and service yet to come. Nobody yet knows all that is in store for us in heaven, but this we do know: Life today is a training ground. This explains the presence of trials in our lives. It’s okay to ask God what His plan is, and to reveal His purpose for it. He might not answer right away, but through dealing with your circumstances you will begin to see it.
You Aren’t Alone
Even when you feel like God isn’t there, He’s really standing next to you planning the next steps of your life. He is not letting you go through the pain alone! You can find hope that you have an advocate and teacher walking with you each step of the way.
Hebrews 13:5-6 MSG Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?
Instead of letting the pain push you down, you should use it as a way to increase your faith in God. God has a purpose for the pain you are going through and will turn those struggles into something beautiful.
James 1:2-4 NLT [2] Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. [3] For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Speak to God and ask for Him to help you cultivate hope through Him.