An Allowed Hardship

Let Your people sing holy… let all nations cry holy… You be lifted high.

So, here I am in the hospital dealing with an SBO (small bowel obstruction). Yet, God is so good. Look at this promise He gave me….again. You can read the same promises a hundred times but suddenly see them new.

Psalm 71:19-21 says:

“Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens... You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.”

It’s an allowed hardship. He has allowed it.

Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, hardship and purpose.

“We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.”

They were beyond their ability to endure. But "as a result"—what was the purpose? What did God teach them?

“We stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God.” (I Corinthians 1:8-9)

He is the God who raises the dead—is there anything more impossible than that?

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 says:

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you.

Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.”

We can patiently endure because of this wonderful Comforter. 

So the allowable hardship is an invitation for the comfort of God.

We seek the comfort of God through His word, what He promises. Let Him comfort, encourage, and strengthen you today.

My prayer for you dear reader.:

"I pray that you would know the God who saved you—the One who longs for you to come to Him and who loves you unconditionally. I pray that you would truly know the God of all comfort. Lord, help us not to get stuck in the hardship, but instead, fill us with Your amazing comfort so that we can patiently endure. Amen."

Hallelujah!!

Love, Mary