Rough Patches Bring Opportunities....

 During the video portion of Priscilla Shirer's study on Gideon, she shares a story about a charity that fights against human trafficking. This charity was working in a foreign country when the local police department ran out of money. Once the funds were depleted, they were unable to rescue the young girls that the charity had located. The group was devastated but decided to pray and ask God for a miracle. They prayed specifically that the men who entered the brothels would be compassionate toward the young girls and rescue them instead of taking advantage of them. That seemed like an outlandish prayer but the next day, the police department called to inform them that some of the girls that had been forced into sex trafficking had been dropped off at the department. Apparently the men who were supposed to be enjoying the girls were instead heart broken when they realized that the girls were being held against their will. The men rescued the girls, just as they had prayed.

That story is proof that God answers prayers! He even answers those prayers that seem impossible! The folks that witnessed that miracle will probably never be the same. They will always pray more fervently and believe whole-heartedly because they know God is listening and He's willing to answer their prayers. But what if they never needed to pray? What if everything always worked out perfectly? They would never see God perform miracles because there wouldn't be the need for any miracles. The same is true for us. We spend our time asking for peaceful, easy-going lives but if God kept us from experiencing rough times, we'd never have the opportunity to see Him at work. If our lives are already absolutely perfect, we'd never be looking and waiting for God.

There is no reason for God to do something amazing in our lives if our lives are already completely amazing.

As I've pondered this today, I am grateful for uncertainties, difficulties, and hardships. Of course, I would rather enjoy those moments in life were everything is just peachy but the rough patches bring opportunities for us to truly see God at work. When life is easy, I think we often overlook what God is doing. We're so consumed with what we want or how we feel or what others think or what we're doing tomorrow. But when the storms of life come, we are wide-eyed, watching and waiting for God's activity. I don't long for difficulty but I do long to see God's activity in my life.