Hard times can produce endurance, character, and a hope that does not disappoint.
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”Romans 5:3-4 (KJV)
What does “Refined” mean in Romans 5:3-4?
Paul lists a chain: trouble leads to patience, patience to proven character, and proven character to hope. He does not say suffering is good, only that God can use it.
Going deeper
Paul writes, we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope. It is a chain of growth. Trouble builds endurance. Endurance builds a proven character, the kind you can trust because it has been tested. And a tested character leads to a deeper hope. Paul does not call the trouble pleasant. He says that God can use it to shape something good.
If you are in a difficult season, this verse does not ask you to pretend it is easy. It offers a lens: what might God be building in you through this? Perhaps patience, perhaps a steadier faith. Ask Him to show you, and thank Him for one thing you are learning. Hope built in this way is strong, because it has been through fire. Hold on, and let Him do His refining work in you. Hope grown in hard soil is not easily uprooted, and God is patient with the growing.
Reflect
What might God be building in you through a current difficulty?
Pray
Lord, use the hard things in my life to build endurance, character, and hope. Help me to trust You in the process. In Jesus' name, amen.
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