Would the Apostle Paul have acquired the wisdom needed to write two thirds of the New Testament had he not been placed into prison several times? Don’t we receive the most poignant and beautiful revelations from God’s Word when we are locked into a position that renders us immovable? It is during times of restraint we glean the most revelation from the Word (John 1:1-3). These times deeply increase our faith in Jesus and our respect for His death on the cross. Gross hardship causes us to reflect on the divine purpose of His ministry and why He had to give up everything to cover us in His blood.
Sometimes we must be contained by circumstances so we have opportunities to dwell on what the Spirit of the Lord is trying to teach us about Him, about Jesus, and about the Father. It is in these times of captivity, during the quiet, when all other voices but His are silent we receive from Him the fresh manna that we need to press forward towards another day. These times are usually precluded by sorrow—situations that arise in life that cause us to lay prostrate at the feet of Jesus crying out for wisdom, for compassion and for His love; but mostly, during times of deep sorrow we merely want understanding. We want to know why we are faced with a particular situation and how to come to terms with it. It is in these moments we acquire what is needed to endure hardship and grow. It is during great grief and deep sorrow that we allow the Father to enter into the quiet of our situation so He can give us the understanding we need to cope while He puts all the broken pieces back together.
Therefore, do not despise the hardships. Don’t allow yourself to become the victim of your circumstance. Use circumstance as an opportunity to acquire revelation and wisdom from God. Allow yourself to be captured by Holy Spirit so He can pour into you what is needed to help you grow and to help you to better understand who He is. Revelation comes with sacrifice. None of us will access the deeper things of God without experiencing difficulty and painful circumstances; but the revelation that will be gleaned from our trials will far outweigh the hardships. Be willing to seek Him through the difficult places and take the wisdom He provides to help you grow and do not reject the instruction of the Father during difficult seasons. Wisdom cannot speak to you in a powerful way unless you’re willing to pay a price for it. Do not despise the affliction of pain; for momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17). Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).
Be blessed dear friends.