“The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him.” – Ezra 8:22 (NIV)
ONE morning after a violent autumn storm, I awoke to find a large tree fallen in our backyard. Standing at the kitchen window, I surveyed the scene with dismay. All that work! I thought, as I contemplated the clean up. My husband came into the room and stood next to me at the window. “Look at all that firewood!” he exulted.
I was immediately struck by our differing points of view. While I saw the tree only in terms of the mess and damage it had created, my husband looked ahead to winter nights by a warm, crackling fire. I saw a disaster; he saw a blessing.
When faced with unexpected trials, many of us can be so overwhelmed by the immediacy of the problem that we are unable to foresee any possible benefit or good outcome. However, as Christians, we can turn to the many passages in the Bible which remind us that God cares for us and desires good for us, even in the midst of trials. Where the physical eye sees challenges, the eye of faith sees possibilities.
Later, our son and son-in-law helped my husband cut, split, and stack the firewood. When we all sat down to enjoy a meal together, the fallen tree didn’t seem like such a huge problem. In much the same way, amid the trials of our lives, our faith can give us a new perspective.
By DeVonna R. Allison (Michigan, USA)
PRAYER
O God of comfort, when trials come, help us to remember that you care about us and desire to bless us and help us. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Every ending can open onto a new beginning.
ICHTHUS Ministries 
I agree. I believe that you can find benefits out of the trials and tribulations that we go through. With me, the first thing I ask the Lord is what am I supposed to learn. No matter what, you can always find something good from all the bad that happens. Thanks for sharing.