Have you ever thought about how the hardships we go through — the loss of a loved one, a job, our health, or someone we care about being ill — often make us question God? It’s a natural, human response. But have you ever stopped to think: what if we lived in a perfect world?
A world where no one was sick. No one was poor. No one went hungry. No one ever died. Imagine a world where flowers bloomed in every garden, and every vegetable patch produced enough food to feed the world.
In a world like that, would we still turn to God?
Because if we're honest, most of us only go to Him when we need something. Most often, it's in the middle of struggle or pain. How often do we pray with the same urgency and passion when things are good?
Sometimes, it's the trials — the unexpected breakdown on the road, the grocery bill that stretches too far, the unanswered prayer — that actually bring us closer to God. They grow us. They shape our hearts. They produce spiritual fruit.
As Paul wrote in Romans 5:3–4:
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
And James 1:2–4 reminds us:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
We don’t live in Eden anymore. We live in a broken world. But God doesn’t waste pain. He uses it — not to punish, but to transform. He meets us in the valleys, where our prayers are unfiltered and our hearts are open.
Life isn’t meant to be easy. As much as we crave peace, it’s rarely in peaceful times that we grow the most. But that doesn’t mean we walk alone.
Because here’s the truth: if we have to walk through valleys, wouldn’t you rather know Jesus is walking them with you?
So today, and every day, I encourage you to not just run to Him in the storm...
But walk beside Him in the sunshine.
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