30 Days of Praise - Day 20

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5

I praise God for the powerful truth of this scripture.

All of us have struggles and trials. Everyone, both those in the Lord's family and outside of it. But only those who belong to the Lord have this promise. The end result of our trials is HOPE, joyful, wonderful, blessed hope.

And that hope is not just for the outcome of the trial, but for the transformation of the person through it. The road between trial and hope is PERSEVERANCE and CHARACTER. We pray to God and sometimes He changes the trial or the circumstance, but He always does a work in the person.

I know for certain one of the greatest trials we ever went through was the adoption of our son. It was a nightmare 3 1/2 years to arrive at the day when he was as much legally ours as he was in every other way, emotionally, spiritually, and the many ways I cannot define in a word. It was a long hard road filled with pain and anguish. But on that road we learned to believe and trust God like we never had before. We had to daily persevere through challenge and opposition, we had no choice but to press through; and God changed us in the process. We came to be a people who knew Him in a deeper and more tangible way; He built a testimony of our entire family. We became truer to our faith, and our faith became more real to us. As I look back on that season now, I know I became a woman of greater hope. As new trials come, I may still struggle, but my hope is stronger, and I know as He brings us through each new trial, that hope (and the assurance of it - which is faith) becomes stronger still.

I praise God for the miracle of that entire process, one that does not exist outside of His world.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1