Down, But Not Defeated

"Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged. We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed. For we, the living, are given up continually to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence." - 2nd Corinthians 4:8-9, 11

As I prayed today for someone very close to me, I started to think about people who continually struggle in their lives. The bad things just keep on coming and when they think they'll finally be able to pick themselves up, they get knocked down again. Now, I know a lot of people tend to look for God at these moments, but how about people who have always been by God's side and can't catch a break? Isn't the idea that praying to God will make everything better?

The answer depends on what you consider "everything" to be. Plain and simple, praying to God and following Him won't guarantee that bad things will never happen to you or those you love, because they will. That's life. What God does for us is something so much bigger and better… He brings us comfort and peace through this life and leads us to the salvation of our souls. When we suffer through trials, we recognize the power of God and the need for Him in our lives. We don't take Him off a shelf and put Him back when we're done. Instead, in humility we learn what it really means to walk with Jesus and make His life, our life. Jesus' apostles, His closest friends, were persecuted and killed, yet their glory shines forever. God gave them strength and suffering had great merit.

You and I will struggle as long as we're in this world and we can't run from that. Asking "why me?" won't accomplish anything. But what matters is that we have a God who, through every up and down, is there to uphold us and give us the courage we need to get through and grow stronger. Take a leap of faith and realize that the most important thing to lose is our souls, not things of this world - as long as God keeps and protects our souls, everything will be ok.

Today's Prayer:
Father, through hardships, be my guide and rock. Let me never despair, never lose faith nor confidence in You. Help me to always put the salvation of my soul before all else. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.