It may be trite, but being trite doesn’t keep it from being true: inside every problem is a hidden blessing. It’s up to us to find it!
Every problem comes gift wrapped in a package that also contains a creative solution. Your job is to accept both gifts. [Marie T. Freeman]
Lord, sometimes, when we’re in the midst of turmoil, pain or sorrow, we find it difficult to feel your love or see your kindness. When we falter in our faith, forgive us; don’t let us quit believing in you. Please reassure us of your presence and help us see your hand in all that happens. Help us believe your promises.
It’s easy to support the local team when they’re on a winning streak. When they’re in a slump, however, the fans often change their loyalty and speak disparagingly about the owners, coach, manager and players. It’s easy to believe in and praise Jesus when everything is going smoothly in our lives. The real challenge is to remain faithful in the face of hardships and trouble. Jesus wants committed full-time followers, not fickle fans.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the encouragement and strength you give us when we get disheartened. Thank you for our failures and what we learn from experiencing them. Help us to remember that you measure success in an entirely different way than we. What we may consider losing is often what you consider a lesson well taught!
Winning isn’t anything. You can live an entire lifetime and never win, so it can’t be that important. But losing is as much a part of life as breathing. … Losing, and learning to go on and live again, is the only kind of winning that truly matters. [John R. Powers from “The Junk-Drawer Corner-Store Front-Porch Blues”]
It isn’t difficult to have faith in times of happiness and abundance; the real challenge is to find faith and joy in the Lord in times of misfortune or need. Although our circumstances can change at a moment’s notice, we need to remember that God never changes. The same loving God sends both blessings and trials and He is directing events according to His purpose, not ours. We can be confident that He will do what is right and that He will give us the strength to meet our challenges.
Father in Heaven, keep us from letting events determine our faith. Instead of concentrating on our troubles, show us how to focus on you so that we will always have joy in the Lord.
You will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way. Follow it, whether it turns to the right or to the left.” [Isaiah 30:21 (GW)]God sets a path before us, yet sometimes we’re discouraged before we even get started. All we see is the rough road, the steep climb, or the boulders blocking the trail. We need to trust the Lord and accept the route he gives us: just walk the road, climb uphill when necessary and work our way around the obstacles.
Dear Lord, let me hear your voice guiding me on my life journey. Give me the faith to take the route you’ve set, the endurance to make my way over the rugged parts, the strength to climb the difficult slopes, and the intelligence to find my way around any obstacles in my path. Please God, may I also have the vision to see the wildflowers and hidden blessings you’ve strewn along the way.
Devotions of the Heart 