It Is Finished: A 5-Day Pilgrimage Back to the Cross by Charles MartinSampel

# For God's Glory If you’ve lived any length of time, you have certainly encountered hardship. Adversity is often enough to make even the most faithful believers doubt God’s provision and love for them. But Scripture tells us that God has a greater purpose for our hardships. When Jesus and His disciples met the man who was born blind, the disciples saw only what was in front of them: a man facing adversity. They assumed he or someone else had done something to deserve it, and it was as simple as that. However, when they questioned Jesus, He replied, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus saw the greater purpose in this man’s adversity. And after he was healed, the man gave credit to God and worshiped Jesus as the Son of Man, boldly pointing even the naysayers to Him. Later Jesus performed an even more miraculous act when He raised Lazarus from the dead. Although it made no sense to the ones who were with Him, Jesus waited after hearing that Lazarus was sick. As Lazarus’s dear friend, He could have hurried to heal him; however, again, Jesus had a greater purpose in mind. He declared, “It is for the glory of God.” Even though this miracle angered the Jewish leaders even more, deepening their desire to kill Him, Jesus was not deterred by the adversity. He was fully focused on glorifying God. When we are tempted to look around us at our difficult situation and listen to Satan’s voice saying, “Did God really say…?” (Gen. 3:1), we must remember that God uses our hardships to bring Him glory and redeems even our deepest hurts. Pray God, I know that You are always with me, even in my hardest moments. Please help me to remember that You can redeem my hurts to bring about Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.