In the Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin wrote, “The Lord afflicts us in various ways because ambition, greed, envy, gluttony, intemperance, excessive love of the world, and innumerable lusts in which we abound, cannot be cured by the same medicine. True patience is the knowledge of God’s blessings. We may patiently pass through this life with its misery, hunger, cold, contempt, reproaches, and other troubles content with this one thing, that our King will never leave us destitute, but will provide for our needs until, our warfare ended, we are called to triumph. Such is the nature of His rule, that He shares with us all that He has received from the Father. Those persecutions, which we must suffer for the testimony of the Gospel, are remnants of the sufferings of Christ.”
Therefore, dear Christian, do not despise affliction and trials, but rather rejoice with all the suffering saints who have gone before us. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). God is using affliction to mold us more and more into Christ’s likeness, which is exactly the image every believer longs to reflect. One way or another, the Lord marches all His children down the same path towards the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Take courage, Christian! “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).
—Pastor S. Henry