Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 1 Peter 5:8-10 and James 1:1-18

1 Peter 5 outlines the spiritual battle that goes on whenever a believer faces trials and suffering, and Peter’s advice to the beleaguered and suffering believers is: “Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

When we suffer hardships, we humans experience the almost incessantly nagging thought that somehow God should have kept us from this situation. Why is God allowing this? If God loves me, surely He should intervene miraculously? Worse yet, sometimes the nagging thought is that somehow God is the very one who is causing our suffering! Where do such thoughts come from? They come from the Accuser – Satan – whom Peter calls “our great enemy, the devil”. And by inspiring those thoughts in our minds he aims to discredit the Lord and devour our faith.

In a similar vein, James makes the point in v.13: “When you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” It is not God’s heart to trip us up by sending hardships our way. Quite the contrary, God is the source of that which is “good and perfect” (v.17). When hardships come our way (and in this world they will) God is immediately at work to strengthen us to endure them and to help us to figure out the solution. As Peter said, God is at work to “restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”

Essentially, when trials and troubles come, we have a choice to make. Either we turn from God or we turn to God in faith. Turning to God is the key to finding joy even in the midst of troubles, overcoming our circumstances, and becoming everything God desires us to be – and that’s precisely why the devil so vehemently resists us and works to turn us away from God. Resist him today. Turn to the God who loves you and is at work for your highest best.

Heavenly Father, I choose to turn towards You today. Please be at work in my life to turn every trouble around for my good and for Your glory. Restore, support and strengthen me, and place me on a firm foundation I pray, so that I may endure every difficulty to the glory of Your name. Amen.