If you think you have troubles, consider My apostle Paul: He was whipped on five occasions and beaten with rods on another. He was stoned and left for dead. He was shipwrecked three times and spent a night and a day in the deep. He went through perils at sea, perils in the wilderness, and perils in cities. He suffered at the hands of robbers, his own countrymen, and strangers, and was wrongfully accused and persecuted for My name’s sake. He was imprisoned and deprived of basic needs many times.1
Yet through all that, Paul kept trusting Me and pointing others to Me with such declarations of faith as: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed,” and “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”2
Paul had great faith, but don’t forget that he was as human as you. Millions have revered how he was able to carry the gospel to so many and reach the world of his day, but what many people fail to realize is that his commitment and faith were strengthened by the troubles that befell him. He learned to trust in Me and put his faith in My Word in his time of need—and you can too.
Will you allow yourself to be distressed by present or future troubles? Or will you hold on to Me for dear life, as Paul did? I will always be there for you, as I was always there for him.