James 5:7-11

Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10

Matthew 11:2-11

Ponder this:

There is value in suffering. the legacy of the saints is a treasury of witnesses who show us with their lives that we usually grow closer to God in our suffering than we do in our happier times. Sometimes deliverance from suffering seems excruciatingly slow. That is when God shows us His power and His providence and His love. If we let him, He draws us closer to Him and He strengthens us spiritually.

Just like the saints of old, we learn more in our valley experiences than on our mountaintops—more through suffering than we do from success. Any time you experience adversity, it is because God wants to show you His power and love. He may be freeing you from emotional bondage or destructive habits, or perhaps there is some precious quality that He wants to develop in you. Whatever the reason, God never means it for your harm. Rather, it’s for your benefit so that you can become everything you were created to be and experience His abundant blessings. Is God speaking to you in a stretch of difficulty? Has He shown His faithfulness in times past? Listen carefully; take notes.