“–we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.”—Romans 5:3-4
A man named Parnell Bailey toured an orange grove once where an irrigation pump had broken. The season was dry and some of the trees were dying because they lacked water. The man giving the tour then took Bailey to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly.
He said, “These trees could go without rain for another two weeks. When they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now, my trees have the deepest roots in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at greater depths.”
The story above is a good picture of how suffering can produce the “roots” we as believers need to survive and thrive in any season of life.
But to grow these roots, you and I must plant ourselves in God’s Word to find comfort and strength when battling difficulties in life.
Being thrown into the “furnace of affliction” is a test of faith, as it forces us to rely solely on the Lord. Isaiah 48:10 says, “Behold I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”
Whatever trial you may be facing today-be it illness, loneliness, financial difficulty, or family struggles-remember to stay rooted in the Lord. Then you can say as the psalmist did: “This is my comfort in my affliction; for thy word hath quickened me” (Psalm 119:50).
Ask God to strengthen your faith when you are faced with affliction. Pray that He would comfort you with His Word in times of suffering. (from Senior Living—changed to KJV)
