Scripture Reading
Romans 5:3-4
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
Reflection
Paul traces a chain of transformation: suffering, endurance, character, hope. None of these steps can be skipped; each one forges the next. The suffering we try to escape often contains the very material needed for our growth. We do not rejoice in pain for its own sake, but because we trust in what God is making through it.
Prayer for Today
O Lord, I give you my worries and concerns and I ask for your guidance. You see it all, the outer circumstances, the inner turmoil. I know that you understand my life, that sometimes my heart weighs heavy with trouble. Right now I lay all these things before you. I breathe in, safe in the knowledge that I am held by grace. I breathe out, knowing that I am held secure in your arms. And I wait on you. For you are all truth, you are overflowing love, you are a beacon of hope and a fortress of faith. Lord, I choose to be attentive to your voice. May I be alert to your Spirit's guiding as I journey onwards with you. I love you Father. Amen.
Amen.