Recognizing The Good That Comes From Suffering

My suffering was good for me, 

for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.

Psalm 119:71 NLT

Of course it is easy to look back at our sufferings and see the hand of God at work in our circumstances.  It is easy to say, after the fact, that our suffering was good for us.  We have had time to adjust to the changes and we can see the areas that improved because of the challenges we faced.  Usually we are drawn closer to God through our suffering and we are more than willing to praise Him for bringing us out of our pit and for improving our life in some way.  I love to share with others how God is at work in my life.  I really enjoy sharing my hard times and finsihing with the wonderful story of how God helped me throught it.  It  is our testimony!  Our sharing of God's work will encourage others' trust in the Lord.  

When we suffer we tend to get desperate in our need for God and when we finally see our problem as something only prayer can answer we are excited to hit our knees with anticipation of God's fix for us.  That is why this scripture touched my heart this morning.  Not only because I recieved it twice from two different sources (that's what we call confirmation) but because it brought me back to all the times God made my suffering right.  It made me think of my often desperate situations that ended up being good for me because of what I learned in the process.

Dear God, thank you for my suffering.  Help me to see, with your eyes, the goodness that can come from my circumstances and give me the courage to trust you with my problems right away.  Forgive me for my complaining.  Take my doubts away and give me boldness to believe in your saving power through every circumstance I find myself in.  Give me patience and wisdom to wait on you and to recognize your presence in my suffering.  That I may see your authority in my situation and learn of the great love that you have for me.  Let me be sure of your ability to save me, all the while teaching me and growing me into the woman you want me to be.  Amen