trials

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I have decided to be grateful for my marital difficulties.God is not satisfied to give me lesser things.

The principle stated here is that the trials of this life are designed to mature us in the Lord. As we mature in the Lord, He draws us closer to Him. In His presence is joy, hope, love, and peace. What more could you want?

Not that I don't want my story to be a story of God's redemptive power of healing on a marriage.

But over the years, I recognize that the pain that God allowed drew me to Him. In His presence has been joy, peace, love and His comfort.

Without this trial, I would not know Him as well as I do.His love satisfies my soul as nothing else. His relentless love pursues me. In Psalm 23,He states that His goodness and mercy follow me, this follow me means that he pursues me with His goodness and mercy and they are inescapable.

Romans 8:31-39New Living Translation (NLT)

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God pursues His children with His relentless love, grace and mercy.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.John 1:9

His forgiveness is inexhaustible.

No matter how many times I fail God, he forgives me. 

His love is relentless and He can not fail to love me as stated in Romans.

Isaiah 61:3New International Version (NIV)

3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

God says that, "All things work together for good to those that love the Lord and are called according to His purposes."

God even creates beauty from the ashes of our sin. 

If He could not do that, there would be no beauty in us.For all have sinned.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans3:23

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that  He gave His only beggotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do

Notice that in verses 8 and 9 faith is the gift of God. We can ask God for faith. We only need faith the size of a mustard seed. God will increase our faith if we ask Him. 

Trials are God's way of drawing us to Him.

Imagine a life without pain. There would be no impotus to seek the God of comfort that can provide everything you need.

2 Peter 1 New International Version (NIV)

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christhave received a faith as precious as ours:

2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductivein your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Phillipians 4:19

For my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

PHillipians 4:13 For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

HIs promises are great and many.

He promises salvation and everlasting life to those that name Jesus as Lord of their life.

He promises goodness and mercy to those who follow Him.

WE can live victorious live here as we relinquish are problems to Him

He is a great and powerful God.

2 chronicles 20:17

You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'"
New Living Translation
But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD's victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!"

Therefor I am grateful for all the trials of my life.

When Rachel had a severe psychotic reaction to Bupropion, God used it to show Himself to her. As a result she became saved and walks closely with Him now. 

Schizophrenia runs in our family. I was so afraid that she had developed that disease. Thank the Lord for His mercies. She's fine now. Once the medication was out of her system, she was back to normal and now saved by God

s grace!

The Lord is faithful to fight for us!

Zephaniah 3:17

17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

God delights in you.

 Let Him love you with HIs everlasting love. You will never regret giving your choices and life to Him.

He is the source of all good things.

Romans 8

30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?…

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

All good comes from God.