You’ve probably heard this song. I think it’s true about life- that sometimes blessings come through raindrops. I once went through a difficult situation. I had been a Christian for some time and knew that I should “endure hardship like a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3). I knew that Jesus said that we would experience troubles on this earth and that God allows the testing of our faith to develop our perseverance. I knew all that and I believed it.
I couldn’t help feeling, though, that this suffering was unjust. I mean, my husband, friends, family, and I had been praying for a long time for something. We asked God in His name to answer the prayer. It was a good thing, too, not selfish or vengeful. He didn’t do it, though.
I kept thinking about those verses in Matthew 7 that say, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?…If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” If the Bible is true, then why was God giving me a stone when I prayed for bread? It just didn’t seem right. How could God do this when He promised otherwise?
I finally brought these concerns very honestly and brokenly to the Lord in prayer. My heart was touched when I felt him gently and kindly answer in my heart, “My sweet child, I cannot give you what you have asked for. In my all-knowing eyes, what you asked for is the stone and what I am giving you is the bread. What I will teach you through this difficulty is far more priceless than bread.”
I don’t know what you are going through in life right now or what you will encounter in the future. What I do know is that when you experience trials, hold on and don’t lose heart. The Lord teaches us things, priceless things, through trials that we couldn’t learn in other ways. Just hold on.
Loving Jesus,
Mary Nolen
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