Might I ask you an uncomfortable question today? How good are you at suffering? No, it goes further than that – how good are you at cooperating with God in the midst of suffering?

Good times come, good times go. Troubles come … and sometimes they seem to linger on and on … and on! So we struggle against them. We cry out to God to take them away. We lose heart, we throw our hands up in despair … God, WHAT are you doing?

But what if all along, God is up to something good? What if in all our struggling we’re working against Him, rather than working with Him to achieve the good result that He’s trying so hard to bring about in our lives?

Romans 5:3-6 And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us. Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us.

Here’s the thing … when, during those troublesome times, we decide to rest in God – to trust that He knows what He’s doing – that builds patience into our hearts. And that patience opens the door to hope – real, certain, rock-solid hope that will never disappoint us … and then all of a sudden the Holy Spirit shows up, and pours the love of God in Jesus Christ into our hearts.

That’s the power of patience.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.