through many hardships

As we pray for beloved people who are going through hardships, we certainly can ask God to give them His Presence and perspective in the trouble.  However, in routinely asking God to remove hardships from others, or from ourselves, we might find ourselves at odds with the Work of God.

In Acts 14, as Paul and Barnabas strengthened the disciples, encouraging them to remain true to the faith, they said, "we must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).  Given the way this was said, and given the experience of most believers, and given that this statement is recorded in God's Word, this is a Word for us and for all believers.  Paul himself was struck blind by God, and recovered his sight at the hands of Ananias who was told by God, "I will show [Paul] how much he must suffer for My Name" (Acts 9:16).  Even Jesus Himself "learned obedience through what He suffered" (Heb. 5:8).

As someone once said, "the heart of your life in Christ is how you deal with your pain".  It is particularly in our hardships that we learn to surrender our lives to God, and commit ourselves to entering a Kingdom which isn't a comfort station of our fantasy, but rather a rescue station of God's Design.  His plans will include hardships, ours and those of others.  May we respond to this hard truth with submissive compassion and attentive wisdom, and may we see the Grace and Mercy of God in it all.