Passing Life's Tests

We all experience times of frustration, anxiety, pain, loneliness, and desperation. Sometimes those feelings are consequences of our own actions, and other times they are not.

All of life's experiences, both positive and negative, are God's way of molding us according to his will. As God says in Jeremiah 9:7 (ESV),

I will refine them and test them,
    for what else can I do, because of my people?

It might make us uncomfortable to realize that God constantly refines and tests us, including by subjecting us to various trials, but who are we to question his will?

How, then, do we pass these tests of life? The answer appears many places in the Bible, including Psalm 145:18-19 (ESV),

The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.

That's it! The answer is not complicated. Simply, we must give our lives to God and submit to his will. So in our prayers today, let us humbly ask God to forgive our sins, and let us dedicate this day to him.