Fast 40: Practicing the Ancient Spiritual Discipline of LentSample

There have been many moments in my life when I’ve sat back and painfully (even tearfully) wondered, “Why? Lord, why did You let this happen?” I think the answer is given to us in the book of James: maturity.

In Christianity, growing pains are called trials; we grow in God by enduring evil. Ultimately, I believe God desires to give us prosperity, but prosperity can only be sustained by maturity, and maturity can only be developed through adversity. So we need to stop looking at pain as an obstacle.

Pain is not an obstacle but an opportunity—an opportunity to grow, to mature, to become holy, to experience the glory of God in our lives. But let’s be clear: we shouldn’t become sadists. We shouldn’t rejoice in suffering for suffering’s sake. No, we welcome suffering only when it serves the purpose of God.

The Christian should be glad that God uses suffering to perfect him because he believes God “works all things together for our good” (Romans 8:28).