When It’s Too Hard for You…Be Glad

“Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle—it is miracle in its first stage. If it is to be a great miracle, the condition is not difficulty but impossibility.” (From Streams in the Desert Devotional)

Sometimes we can be easily confused by the enemy.  We are more susceptible to the tricks and schemes of the enemy when we are walking by our natural sight instead of walking and living by faith.  Our natural eyes tell us that when things get too hard for us, we are about to fail or be destroyed.  The eyes of our faith, on the other hand, remind us that when things are too hard for us, we should be glad.  For, when we reach our extremity, we are actually candidates for God’s great ability to be exercised in and through our lives.  God’s grace truly is sufficient; and God’s power is somehow perfected in our weakness (See II Corinthians 12:9).

Let us learn to rely upon Christ early.  Early in our lives and early in our situations and dilemmas.  The fact of the matter is, God will require you to wait, to suffer and even to cry – until you have learned to trust.  Trust is just that important to God; and it is of critical importance to anyone who will live a successful life of faith. So, as long as we trust ourselves more than we trust God; we should expect a difficult road.  However, the difficulty is purposeful.  It is intended to push us towards God.  When we see that we don’t have the wisdom, strength, goodness or power in and of ourselves to accomplish our goals or to please our Savior, then we can truly trust God.  We can trust God to work in us and through us to help us be better and do better.  And, rest assured that lesson is worth each and every tear that we may have to cry.

So, change your thinking about the difficult things in your life.  See them as the necessary ingredients for a miracle, not as a sign of defeat.  And, remember the words of Christ to His disciples: “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26 (NLT)). When it’s too hard for you…be glad.  God is always willing and able to help you. All you have to do is trust, obey and believe.