Tough times are good opportunities for people to toughen up. Just like school exams, tough situations gauge our readiness and ability, as well as our character and personality. God uses these situations to build us up and make us stronger, tougher, and better than we currently are.
David, the "man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) is also known as a skillful warrior who fought many battles victoriously. But contrary to how other warriors and soldiers are trained during his time, David received his training from tough situations away from boot camp: fending off and fighting against bears and lions that attack his father's sheep (1 Sam. 17:34-37).
David himself said in Psalms 18: 32-34, "It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze." He clearly knows that above any human training institution, God uses all tough times to train His people for greater works in the future.
Are you facing tough situations that seem impossible to sort out? Here are some ways God uses tough situations to toughen you up.
1) Tough times activate faith
Gideon learned that numbers do not mean victory when it comes to war – God brings the victory. In the book of Judges we read that God called Gideon lead a small army of chosen Israelites against a huge army of Midianites.
God didn't want Israel to have a reason to boast after the victory, so He made it humanly impossible for them to win by themselves, and shrunk their number into a meager 300. Still, the Lord gave them victory after Gideon obeyed the Lord in faith.
2) Tough times reveal our flaws
We all know that after Jesus was arrested, Peter denied Him three times. We also know that the other disciples deserted Him too, except for John who stayed beside Him. We also read in the letter to the Galatians that Paul rebuked Peter for acting in hypocrisy because "because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group" (Gal. 2:12).
God uses tough times to reveal our character flaws so that we could work on them. We are not perfect, but the truth is that God is more committed than us in making us like Christ (see Philippians 1:6).
3) Tough times prepare us for ministry
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 that when we face troubles, God comforts us so that we can comfort others in trouble, too. We will surely go through hard times, but God comforts us as we go through it. Because of this, we are given the opportunity to minister to those who face hardship as well.
