God is our refuge and strength; A very present help in trouble - Psalm 46:1

“Every cloud has a silver lining”; meaning that in the midst of every problem, there exists side by side, a trace of goodness. This trace of goodness is a divine gem left behind by God, not only to heal the wounds of betrayal and disappointment, but also, like a compass, to show us the narrow path to perfect healing and restoration. Everyone would experience one form of suffering or the other in their lifetime. It does not matter whether you are a Moslem, Buddhist, Jew, Christian, rich, poor, black or white. For instance, there are natural disasters, accidents, terminal ailment, and death in most families. These things affect everyone no matter who they are. Scripture says in, 1 Corinthians 10:13 thus, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." This means that, suffering is a part of human experience, but God usually would bring forth His healing and restoration to us in a mysterious way. As believers, believe in your heart that God has called you for His purpose. Therefore, believe also that whatever happens to us in life, God has a purpose for it, and He knows about it, even before it happens. Interestingly, God is telling us today that He is ever present with us in the days of trouble. God is the silver lining which brings forth restoration and healing to us. Therefore, in the midst of pains and confusion, God does work out something good for us, provided we love God, and we are ready to glorify Him, even in our pains and disappointment. (Romans 8:28) There are many reasons why we suffer; sometimes God allows us to suffer in order to help us grow spiritually. This was how Jesus grew up. The scripture says in Hebrews 5:8, that Jesus, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered”.

At some other times, we suffer because of sin (Hebrews 12:5). Some life problems can be quite stormy, and can as well shake the roots of our faith. When we face the storms of life, we need to be able to find the silver lining, i.e. something to hold on to, something to hope for so that we do not end up allowing ourselves to blow away in the storm. How then do we recognize the silver lining and take advantage of same for our benefit:
1. Submit to God and realize for once that He is the central part of your life; therefore, He would not let you suffer without help.
2. Recognize the fact that the storms of life are the crucible for our faith. 1 Peter 1:7 says that, “so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ”. Therefore, trials are the crucible in which our faith is helped, tested, and purified.
3. 3. When we have been so tested and our faith is seen to be genuine, we receive a reward from God. Our faith becomes a “Living Faith” which allows us to walk by faith and not by sight.(1 Peter 1:8 )
4. The outcome of our faith makes the storms of life worth enduring. We are given a very strong spirit of endurance which makes us to bear the pains of persecution and tribulation.