“God will make our obstacles serve His purposes. …
“The obstacles may be untruths told about us; a difficult occupation; ‘a thorn in the flesh’ (2 Corinthians 12:7); or our daily cross. And often we pray for their removal, for we tend to think that if only these were removed, we would live a more tender, pure, and holy life. … These are the very conditions we need for achievement, and they have been put in our lives as the means of producing the gifts and qualities for which we have been praying so long.
“We pray for patience for many years, and when something begins to test us beyond our endurance, we run from it. We try to avoid it, we see it as some insurmountable obstacle to our desired goal, and we believe that if it was removed, we would experience immediate deliverance and victory. This is not true! We would simply see the temptations to be impatient end. This would not be patience.
“The only way genuine patience can be acquired is by enduring the very trials that seem so unbearable today. Turn from your running and submit. … There is nothing in your life that distresses or concerns you that cannot become submissive to the highest purpose. Remember, they are God’s mountains. He puts them there for a reason, and we know He will never fail to keep His promise.” —F.B. Meyer
Craig T. Owens 