Many years ago I was in Nepal, when I heard the news that my wife had almost died from a haemorrhage, due to an ectopic pregnancy. It was hard for me being overseas and even harder for my wife. As leaders, we’d like to think that God would keep us from the valleys of trouble and pain, but one thing God wants to do is to teach us that he is God of the mountain and the valleys. When the spies went into the promised land they discovered fruit growing only in the valley. If you like – God doesn’t prevent every trouble – He doesn’t step in and stop every challenge and difficult time coming our way, but He will help us out of the troubles or through those troubles. The Bible says “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers us from them all” God wants to be biggest and best part of your life; to be in your life. He wants to be the wind beneath your wings and to have involvement in your challenges and He simply kept us from every trial and trouble, it would inevitably keep Him locked outside your life. God does not always control circumstances on the front end but he always gets involved and delivers on the back end. This is how we grow. As His children we don’t just go through trouble; a believer always grows through troubles. David was convinced that God never left him nor forsook him. That conviction changes everything.

Friend, heaven is no place to grow kids. There has to be some resistance; some things to overcome; some trouble to bear in order to grow up strong and capable. A strong faith cannot be achieved by weak or small challenges.