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

When we have lost all hope, hope is still there. When we feel like love is far away, it’s as close as a breath! When it seems like the fruits of the Spirit have all rolled away, they are still within reach. No matter what bumps in the road may have done to our once contented lives, the Holy Spirit still speaks and prays and pleads on our behalf (Romans 8:26-27). God is the hope that never abandons (Deuteronomy 31:8), the promise that never wavers (Romans 4:20), and the truth that will never change or lead us astray (Hebrews 13:8).

We all go through periods in our lives when we feel helpless, where hope seems a million miles away. But helpless and hopeless aren’t bad places to be, because helpless and hopeless are what force us to our knees. Helpless and hopeless are what make us cry out to Jesus. Whatever we are going through may feel beyond fair and it may not make sense, but God is in all, over all, and above all. His plans will prevail whether we can see the big picture or not. He is good, even in our pain. He is good, even when our prayers seemingly go unanswered. 

God doesn’t cause your suffering, but He will use every bit of it to pull you close to Him. He doesn’t celebrate when you are lost and desperate and hurting, but He does celebrate when, through all your struggle, you turn your heart to Him. Sometimes, the only way to truly comprehend God’s strength is when you look back and see that it was Jesus that pulled you through, Jesus that kept you afloat through the storm, and Jesus that held you tight through your darkest nights. Your greatest growth will always happen in the hardest places, because those are the times you will lean the hardest into Jesus. Peace is not the absence of struggle. Peace comes when you focus on God and find Him right in the middle of every single one. You are held, and you are deeply loved!