What can I learn from my troubles? What good can come from times of trouble? - Trouble - TouchPoints

Romans 8:28And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Psalm 107:43Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

God is always working in your life. Although you may not see his plan or even his activity in the midst of your trouble, you can trust him to work on your behalf. When you look back through your own history, you will remember how God has faithfully shown his love to you, especially through times of trouble.

Acts 8:3-4But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.

Saul was going everywhere to devastate the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into jail. But the believers who had fled Jerusalem went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus.

Philippians 1:12-14And I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including all the soldiers in the palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become more bold in telling others about Christ.

Jonah 1:14-16Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death, because it isn’t our fault. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.” Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

Romans 5:3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure.

God can use your difficult circumstances for his kingdom’s growth and for the good of others.

James 1:2-4, 12Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For 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 strong in character and ready for anything . . . God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Trouble may bring growth. Times of trouble, which lead to the testing of your faith and the increasing of your endurance, help to strengthen your character and better prepare you to adapt to whatever the future holds. Use times of trouble to grow rather than give in to defeat.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 6All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us . . . So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.

Times of trouble can prepare you to minister comfort to others in their times of trouble.

1 Peter 1:6-7So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Proverbs 24:10If you fail under pressure, your strength is not very great.

Troubles can test your faith, proving it pure and strong.

2 Corinthians 6:3-7We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind . . . We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We have faithfully preached the truth. God’s power has been working in us. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves.

God’s power works within the lives of those who follow him.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Troubles can prove your character through lessons of obedience. Troubles are not good in themselves, but they may cause good things to happen to us.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger. And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us.

Troubles can help you learn to rely on God, because they first teach us that we can’t always rely on ourselves to solve them.