“But now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love… for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.” (1 Thessalonians 3:6-7)
Paul was going through his own affliction when Timothy returned with the report about the Thessalonians. And what comforted him wasn’t that their circumstances had improved. It was that their faith and love were growing despite the persecution. This is a radically different way of thinking. We tend to celebrate when the hard times end, when the diagnosis is good, when the job comes through. But Paul celebrates something deeper: he celebrates that they’re standing firm in the Lord no matter what they’re facing.
When someone you love is going through a difficult season, what do you pray for? Do you only pray for the situation to change, or do you also celebrate and pray for the faith and love that’s being refined in the fire? There’s a mother who was once asked what she would give for her children to follow the Lord, and someone responded, “What if this hard time is that anything?” It’s a sobering thought. Sometimes the very thing we want to escape is the thing God is using to draw us closer to Him. Let’s learn to celebrate what God is doing in the midst of trials, not just pray for them to end.
Reflect:
- Who in your life is going through a hard time right now, and how can you celebrate the faith and love you see growing in them?
- Are you able to see what God might be doing in your own difficult circumstances, or are you only focused on getting through them?
- Thank God for the ways He’s growing faith and love in someone you know who’s facing affliction, and ask Him to help you see your own trials through this lens.
