Suffering and Showers of Blessings

Do you ever feel like you are over-blessed? I do. I come from a great home background that is made complete with a great family, amazing church, impeccable health, and adequate financial support. I go to a wonderful school where my education is paid for and I am surrounded by loyal friends. To be completely honest, I want for nothing. I have been given everything I need, and then some!

I have met so many people who are entirely "less fortunate." I met kids at camp who were experiencing things in their family that I never could even imagine in my own life. I have worked alongside people in Bowling Green who do not even have dinner on their table every night. My own family members are struggling through severe physical complications. In each of these instances, I have seen people learn incredible lessons on faith in God. Death, sickness, and the like are opportune moments for God's people to learn to depend on Him wholeheartedly- and there are multiple instances in the Bible that support this (Job, Romans 5:1-5, James 1:2-4).
I have seen the phenomenal ways God has spoken to His children when they rejoice in their sufferings and hardships, and the faith that is produced from this kind of experience is something I want so badly! I have consistently cried out a prayer much like the disciples did in Luke 17:5, in which they cry, "Increase our faith!" Because of my observations, I began asking God if He might allow me to suffer in order that I would have the faith. He didn't answer in the way I expected.

In my search to find the answer to this, I was led to Proverbs 30:7-8. It says this:

"Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread."

After reading this passage, I get it... or, at least, I think I do. God is the Giver of all circumstances, whether they are blessings or hardships, and He uses each of them to increase our faith in Him! Rather than praying for suffering or for blessings to come upon us, all of mankind should be asking God for just enough to remind us to depend on Him. Although I may often see my blessings as a crutch to total dependence on my Heavenly Father, I should continue to be thankful for each of them and seek to depend on Him even still!

It's okay that I am not going through some harrowing experience that causes me to impulsively run to God, my strong tower. He is my refuge and my strength, the Giver of my daily bread. So rather than asking for suffering, I will ask God for just my daily bread, that I may learn to have increased faith in Him.

More on this soon... I'm currently intrigued by the book of Job, and you will be hearing about it soon :)