Overcoming: Devotions from Time of Graceनमुना

Perseverance During Times of Loss

No one who has ever built a successful business got everything on the first try. Businesses that make money too easily at first tend not to listen to their customers very closely. Competition and struggle, setbacks and challenge all make businesses better, more efficient, and stronger in the long run.

And so when we don't get everything we think we want and need from God right away, this is not a sign that he doesn't care or that prayer doesn't work or that we are permanent losers. Sometimes God waits to give us things to make us tougher, more perceptive, more humble, or more patient. As we learn to live with some pain, we become more compassionate to people around us who live in pain.

The ultimate prize that God is preparing for you is so big, so good, and so easily lost by foolish sinners that he will put you through almost anything to make sure you make it. Here's his promise: "Blessed are they who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12).

Hang on. It's worth the wait.