When Hard Things Grow Good Fruit
Raindrops on glass with light breaking through, a quiet picture of pressure giving way to hope.
Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More by Ray Stedman
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Romans 5:3 to 5 says that suffering is not wasted. It becomes the workshop where perseverance is shaped, character is proven, and hope stands taller. Ray Stedman helps us see that rejoicing in trials is not pretending the pain feels good. It is trusting that God uses pressure to produce something solid in us because His love is already poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
I needed that. Some days the trouble is a pile of small annoyances. Other days it is a deep ache I did not expect. Stedman gently points out that we rejoice because we know something. Trials are not the end of the story. They are the setting where Jesus forms steadiness inside us.
That steadiness then proves out as tested character. Over time, we notice that we are not as easily shaken. We begin to think, the Lord really does hold me. People around us can tell. They find a safe place in our calm and kindness, not because we tried harder, but because the Spirit is at work in us.
And all of this leads to hope. Not vague optimism. A clear confidence that God is making us like Jesus. Hope does not disappoint because the Father has already poured His love into us through the Spirit. Thank You, Pastor Stedman, for pointing our eyes there today.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you in every pressure. I pour the love of God into your heart. I remind you that you died with Christ and were raised to walk in newness of life. I anchor you in the certainty that I am completing the good work begun in you.
When trouble comes, count it as an opportunity for joy because your faith is being tested, and the testing produces perseverance. As you remain under My hand, perseverance proves your character. Approved character strengthens your hope. This hope does not put you to shame because you are united with the Lord and I dwell within you.
Look to what is unseen and eternal. The present light affliction is preparing for you a weight of glory beyond comparison. For a little while you may be grieved by various trials so that the tested genuineness of your faith may be found to result in praise and honor at the revelation of Jesus. Discipline from the Father seems painful for the moment, but it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
I guide your steps. Abide in the Son and bear much fruit. In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, He has overcome the world. I comfort the brokenhearted and deliver the righteous out of many troubles. When you pass through waters, they will not overwhelm you, for I am with you. The One who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.
Scripture references: Romans 5:3 to 5, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:4 to 11, Philippians 1:6, James 1:2 to 4, 2 Corinthians 4:17 to 18, 1 Peter 1:6 to 7, Hebrews 12:11, Colossians 1:27, John 15:4 to 5, John 16:33, Psalm 34:18 to 19, Isaiah 43:2, Romans 8:28 to 29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 to 24.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a washing machine on the spin cycle. Clothes are pressed and pulled so the water can be drawn out. The noise is not pleasant, but the cycle has a purpose. Suffering works like that. The Holy Spirit uses pressure to wring out fear and to build steadiness, then you step out cleaner and ready for the day.
Try this today. When a hard moment hits, pause before replying to that message or stepping into that meeting. Quietly say, Lord, I trust You to use this pressure to grow steady love in me as You work through me right now. Then answer with a calm tone, clear words, and patient timing.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that Your love is already poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit. Thank You that in Jesus I am secure, and that every pressure is productive in Your hands. I receive perseverance as Your gift, tested character as Your work, and hope as Your steady flame. Lord, I trust You to turn today’s pressures into places where Your life shows through me.