I want to encourage you today that if you are going through a situation that is causing you to suffer, though it is not of the Lord, He is ultimately going to use it to bless you (Romans 8:28). One reason He does not take you out of the difficulty immediately is because it produces hope.
Hope is defined as an expectation of what is sure or certain. In the New Testament it is always an expectation of good (http://biblehub.com/greek/1680.htm). It is one of the three great qualities that will remain along with faith and love when all the other gifts have passed away (1 Corinthians 13:13). It is the substance of our faith (Hebrews 11:1). God is the God of hope (Romans 15:13). It is part of His character and it is one of the traits that the Lord wants to develop in us. So how does suffering enable us to grow in this wonderful quality of hopefulness?
Well the bible teaches that we can glory in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4). The Greek word translated glory in Romans 5:3 is kauxáomai which likely comes from the root, auχēn meaning “neck”, i.e. what holds the head up high thus it has the meaning of living with “head up high”, God-given confidence.
So if you are suffering right now, hold your head up high with God-given confidence. You can hold your head up high because you are looking to the Lord for deliverance and trusting in His promises. And in doing so you will grow in godly character and become filled with hope. The person who is full of hope is full of the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
So man or woman of God, hold your head up high today and let the Lord produce in you a confident expectation of good! You will not be disappointed!!
Romans 5:3-5
3Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 15:13
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.