“We were troubled on every side” (II. Cor. vii. 5).
Why should God have to lead us thus, and allow the pressure to be so hard
and constant?
Well, in the first place, it shows His all-sufficient strength and grace
much better than if we were exempt from pressure and trial. “The treasure
is in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and
not of us.”
It make us more conscious of our dependence upon Him. God is constantly
trying to teach us our dependence, and to hold us absolutely in His hand
and hanging upon His care.
This was the place where Jesus Himself stood and where He wants us to
stand, not with a self-constituted strength, but with a hand ever leaning
upon His, and a trust that dare not take one step alone.
It teaches us trust. There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It
is God’s school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust
God than to enjoy life.
The lesson of faith, once learned, is an everlasting acquisition and an
eternal fortune made; and without trust even riches will leave us poor.