Gracious Father, as your Word teaches, we live in a broken world that presents trying challenges. We confess these trials often threaten our desires for good physical health, closeness between our loved ones, safety, emotional balance, success, a good reputation, and a sense of significance, among a plethora of other things. While we bring great thanks for these earthly blessings when present, we know they are not permanent. And when we suffer loss, we grieve as your beloved children knowing that you are fully aware, embrace us, and care. We know we will face trials of many kinds until heaven bound.
Lord Jesus, when these worldly comforts are threatened, interrupted, vanish, or are even taken from us, through the powerful hope found in Christ alone, supernaturally empower us with hope that yields peace and strength that replaces worry and instability.
Lord Jesus, our natural response is to fight against these trials. We are likely to say, “God, why are you allowing these things to happen?” and “How can they be good?” and even “How can you be a good God and let this happen?” We confess we shortsightedly fight for our perception of what is good. It is even more peculiar to our natural way that you invite us to embrace our trials with spiritual joy—a pure spiritual joy—rather than with frustration, questioning, or anger.
We cannot do this in our fleshly strength! We invite you, Lord, to supernaturally saturate our heart with this faithful perspective. Bless us with faith to face various trials with joy, knowing we are not alone. Remind us that it is in these times of the greatest trials that we experience your greatest presence. In the face of trials, ingrain in us the knowledge that the weight of our trials serves to push us to exercise faith in Christ alone which never disappoints. Bolster our spiritual joy, Faithful Father, knowing that trials serve to untether us from unreliable worldly dependence and provide a grand opportunity to experience your faithfulness and freedom.
May our very real losses send us to the feet of our Most High God who is sovereignly in control, totally aware of our reality, and willing and able to meet us in our time of need. Lavish on us perseverance that will lead to a more mature and complete hope in what is absolutely stable and assured—our hope found in Christ alone. It is through these trials that you, Abba Father, are always faithful and purposefully turning us into the image of your Son.
And because of this, as Christ followers, we ask in the face of our losses and grief that you supernaturally give us rejoicing hearts, knowing that Christ’s presence and faithfulness during our suffering will create greater spiritual endurance; His spiritual endurance will produce deep abiding character and deep abiding character produces expectant hope and expectant hope in you is always secure and dependable.
And all of this is only possible because you, our Blessed Father, have poured your love into our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit which guarantees what is to come. Use life trials to protect us from being lured into dependence upon earthly things and seeking to find hope and comfort in them. Use the trials to draw us closer to you, Lord. Use them to point others to hope in Christ as they see us walk through our loss with hope and peace.
In Christ,
Blessings!
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. … In this world you will have trouble. … But take heart! I have overcome the world.”.
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Romans 5:3-5
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
I Peter 1:6
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof [same word] of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:28-29
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Psalm 73:25-26
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”