Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Robert Leighton
Keeps us Humble
It’s really hard to be full of pride when you’re in pain, so sometimes God allows us to suffer or go through adversity in order to humble us if we need it. We can either humble ourselves voluntarily or God will do it for us. Guess which one is more painful? God isn’t pleased with pride at all (James 4:6).
Keeps us Dependent
God doesn’t want us to depend on ourselves or our own strength, because it’s not enough. We need Jesus’ strength (Phil 4:13), because without Him, we can’t do anything of real value (John 15:5), so God wants us to be dependent upon Him and make our requests known to Him. Make your own declaration of dependence today…dependence upon God!
Refining by Fire
Gold is made more valuable after it passes through the fire because the fire burns off anything that isn’t gold, so that’s how God also uses adversity in our lives. He burns the dross off of us by allowing us to pass through fiery trials, but these are not meant to harm us but to help us. God won’t allow anything into our life that doesn’t work out for our very best (Rom 8:28).
Conclusion
I really like Robert Leighton’s quote that says “Adversity is the diamond dust heaven polishes its jewels with.” Speaking for myself, I need a lot of polishing, and it’s sometimes painful, but it’s also necessary. Even the great pearls in the ocean are formed under great pressure and irritation, but look what a precious thing that brings.
