By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

“Oh! His grace and goodness towards us is so immeasurably great, that without great assaults and trials it cannot be understood.” – Martin Luther

We use a lot of different phrases to describe our circumstances:

“I’m going through a rough patch.” “I’m going through the fire.” “It’s been a bad day.” “Everything seems to be falling apart.” “I’ve fallen on hard times.”

Each one of these phrases gives perspective on our situation. They describe how we feel and we use them to tell others what we’re going through.

What if I told you that adding three words to these common phrases can completely change the meaning of our difficult times. Just three words added to the end of our sentence transforms the perspective of our situation.

Intrigued yet?

See if you can guess what those three words are. Read this verse from Ephesians chapter 1:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 1:1-6).

Do you have it yet?

In this passage, Paul describes himself as a “prisoner for the Lord”.

You see, Paul saw his circumstances from a greater perspective. He wasn’t simply suffering through prison. He was a prisoner for the Lord.

Even though Paul was going through a bad time, he never ceased to see the hand of God at work in His situation. He saw every direction his life took as part of God’s greater plan. He saw every tribulation he experienced as being “for the Lord”.

Paul understood that even though his life seemed to be falling apart, he needed to continue to seek God’s will and allow God to use him and guide him through His Spirit.

The same can be said for you. Just because you’re going through the fire right now doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want to continue to use you. Allow Him to guide you and build his Kingdom through you. God can use you and your difficult circumstances for good!

Think of it like this: “I’m going through a rough patch for the Lord” “I’m going through the fire for the Lord.” “I’ve fallen on hard times for the Lord.”

Parents: Ensure that your children know that God can use them even though they are going through tough times. Share with them this verse from Ephesians and tell them about Paul being a prisoner for the Lord.