Testing

The testing of your faith produces endurance.
-James 1:3

I have learned much through studying God's word and meditating on God's promises. But I also learn by the way I see God working through the experiences of my life. For instance, after a long series of tests and illnesses, I learned that our walk with Jesus Christ goes through valleys of loneliness and suffering, shadows and light, that lead us to green pastures where our God feeds us.

When I have felt abandoned, God's word has said to me: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). After reading that, I felt new strength. At dawn one day, when deep pain in my leg was keeping me awake, I felt Jesus' consolation and peace. After that, I was able to fall asleep.

Through trust in God's promises, which are reinforced by my own experiences, I have learned to wait patiently for God's answers to my concerns. Even when the storm surrounds me and my ship looks like it is about to sink, I can be patient because I know that Christ's light will lead me safely to a peaceful harbor.
(Jesús Quintanilla Osorio)
Read Romans 5: 1-5

Little is much if God is in it.

(evening sun in Cades Cove)

Dear God, thank you for letting us feel your protection and the light of your love in the midst of our struggles. Amen.
(from the upper room)