Read Proverbs 20:24

Tests are never wasted.

God never says, "Oops, made a mistake on that one. I shouldn't have given you that. I meant that for Frank. Sorry, Bob."

It's as if the Lord has our name on specific trials. They are specifically designed for us, arranged with our weaknesses and our immaturity in mind. He bears down and doesn't let up.

And we groan and we hurt and we weep and we pray and we grow and we learn. Through it all we learn to depend upon His Word....

The common response to trials is resistance, if not outright resentment.

How much better that we open the doors of our hearts and welcome the God-ordained trials as honoured guests for the good they do in our lives.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way (Nashville: J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001). Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.