Faith During Adversity

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) 
 
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10) 
 
One of the hallmarks of our history as followers of Christ is the capacity to endure even in the face of adversity. It’s how we as a people have come this far, because we’ve been able, solely through the power of the Holy Spirit, to walk through struggles, trials, and suffering.  
 
We have learned from those who have gone before us, whether it be our parents and grandparents who were believers or whether it’s our brothers and sisters we read about in Scripture, that our help comes from the Lord. There is no way that by our own power, our own strength, or our own intellect that we can deliver ourselves from the evil and the trouble of this world. But because we serve an almighty, all-powerful God, we can not only stand, but move through whatever tough circumstances come our way.  
 
As believers, we are guaranteed to face adversity. There is no doubt about that. However, adversity is not the time to abandon the faith that has brought us this far. Instead, we should ask the Lord to use the adversity as a tool to strengthen our trust in Him. Let us pray that God will give us courage, boldness, wisdom, and faith as a result of walking through adversity. And then let us watch and see all that He will accomplish in and through us as a result of us staying close to Him in the midst of our trials and difficulties.