New Life Out of Suffering 

There are times in life when you may feel like you are walking across a hot desert. You are emotionally drained, squeezed dry by life. Your mouth is parched, your body weakened. It seems no one is there to give you a cup of water to revive you. 

It may be hard to see, but in that moment God is inviting you to draw closer to him. You may feel like crying out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me (Mark 15:34, NLT).” But God is there, ever present. He has never left your side. 

Your present suffering is an invitation to new life. “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth (Hosea 6:3).” Dying to self opens our eyes to a deeper relationship with Christ. It draws us closer to God. 

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. – Romans 5:3-4, NIV