November 13, 2023 - James 1:2-4

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 NLT

Lord, we thank you for how you use the troubles and hard seasons in our life for our good. Thank you that even when we don’t understand why you have us in certain places, there is always a plan to grow us and use the circumstances for our good. I think of David and Goliath. You didn’t start by dropping David directly in front of Goliath. No, you started small with him and worked his faith up to that level. Maybe he hated being stuck in the field day after day with the sheep. Maybe he felt he was called to more than that. Maybe he wanted to be out with his brothers where the exciting action was. But it was in that field tending the sheep that you prepared him for what was to come. Help us learn in the seasons that we don’t understand that you have your reasons. You are preparing us for what is to come. You are growing our faith and our endurance. Prepare us, Lord. Mature us. Get us ready for all you have for us.

We give you permission to use the troubles and the situations that we don’t understand to mature us. We declare that we will trust you, even if we think we have more potential than where you have us. When your ways don’t line up with our plans, we will not grow impatient, but put our trust in you. We will not only learn to endure, but we commit to learning to endure with a joyful attitude. Thank you that you will work in us and make us perfect and complete, needing nothing. You are such a great God. It is so rewarding when we fully put our trust in you.

In Jesus name, amen.