How Can We Rejoice in Our Sufferings? (Romans 5:3)
By: Amanda Idleman
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. - Romans 5:3-5
While facing hardships in this life is inevitable; there are some surprising lessons to be learned when we are forced to walk through seasons filled with difficulties.
What is most unexpected, is that as believers we have access to unexplainable joy, even in the most difficult circumstances.
Where is this unreasonable joy found?
We find it when we fix our eyes on Jesus in our moments of need. Hebrews 12:2 says, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
We pause in the midst of facing life’s scary unknowns and we quiet our hearts in prayer before the Lord. Let his Word, filled with truth, permeate our minds. Take time to invite him into the scary places and grasp for the peace that he promises us.
God is the only one with the power to protect our lives, guide our steps, and give us joy beyond our circumstances. If you are struggling, replace the voice of fear and negativity with God’s words of hope and truth for your life.
In times of confusion, loss, or suffering we are most in need of God’s wisdom for our lives.
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” God knows the unknowable and he generously will reveal to us what we need to know, if we are willing to humbly ask him to direct our steps.
The leader of our lives should be Jesus. He is the one that guides us in big ways and tiny ways. Once we surrender to his plan for our lives, we can let go of the angst that comes when we are trying to navigate our lives all on our own.
A result of loss is gratitude.
Our short-sighted minds often struggle to see the full value of something until we experience separation from it. Sometimes, suffering develops a deeper sense of appreciation in us that gives birth to new joy in our life.
It is like the changing of the seasons: we cannot appreciate the beauty of spring without experiencing the barrenness of winter. God gives us new eyes to see our lives through fresh lenses when we walk through trials and suffering. He does not let our brokenness go to waste but uses it as a teacher. He allows these moments to be redefined as places where we see His faithfulness in our lives, his mighty peace at work, and where our faith rises up in a new way.
God gives us supernatural joy that acts as our strength when we rely on him in the dark seasons of our life. This does not mean that we ignore the sadness around us but He can actually give us the strength to lean into the dark places and be the light of Jesus to those suffering around us. This is all true because as Christ-followers, we have access to the one true hope for our world.
As you face trials of many kinds, the prayer for you is that the joy of the Lord will be your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.
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