In the book of Romans 8:31-32, the Apostle Paul writes,

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Truer words have not been spoken. God is for us.  He is the one on whom we can rely.  He is the one to whom we should ask for help.  Sometimes we make the mistake of relying on people, instead of on God.  Unfortunately, no matter how much our friends and family love us, they are human.  They are fallible.  They will make mistakes.  They will say and do things that hurt us, either intentionally or unintentionally.  And they won’t always be there when we need their help.  But God is always for us.  No matter who is against us, no matter what challenge we face, God is for us.

The amazing thing is that when we do have challenges, God ultimately can use them for our benefit, if we do our part.  What is our part?  Our part is to try to practice the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23)) at all times.

Admittedly, it is hard to practice the fruit of the Spirit when we are under stress. When faced with a problem, we may not feel very peaceful.  Our instinct may be to feel frustrated and blame others.  Or we may be hopeless instead faithful.  Or we may succumb to the temptation to complain instead of counting our blessings.  As a result, when faced with a challenge, we need to ask God for help to keep a good attitude.  If we do so, not only will He refine our character, but He also eventually will use our setbacks for our benefit.

When dealing with problems, we also need to exhibit another quality – patience. So often we want God to solve our problems NOW.  For instance, I am facing an issue this morning.  I’ve prayed about it, and I keep hoping (even expecting) that God will present me with a solution by lunchtime.  Yes, I’m not even willing to give God 24 hours.  That sounds silly, doesn’t it?  And it is also immature.  Yet, we do that all the time.  We expect immediate solutions to our problems.  But our ways are not God’s ways.  He will work things out for our good, but it will be on His timeline.  In the meantime, we must do our part by keeping a positive attitude and waiting patiently in faith.

When we wait in faith, we know that eventually God will turn our greatest problems into our greatest assets. As we wait, it is important that we stay on the right path.  We have to cast our cares to God and keep doing the right thing, even when our problems seem insurmountable.  By staying on the right path, we pave the way for God to do great things in our lives.

Staying on God’s path as He leads us through a challenge may involve sacrifice. For instance, we may have to give up certain things if we are facing financial difficulties.  Or we may have to end a relationship if it is unhealthy.  We even may have to change our lifestyle if we’ve developed habits that aren’t working to our benefit.  But when we eliminate negative things in our life, be assured that God will fill those gaps with something far better.

None of us goes through this life without facing challenges. But know this: God is for us.  He is a creative God who can turn even the most difficult problem into something good for us, if only we will let him.  We simply have to walk His path and wait in faith.