With power outages, blown debris, and downed trees, recent storms left their mark around our town. While certainly not the devastation experienced by those enduring more significant and destructive displays of nature’s power, it was a mild reminder of man’s limited power. On our way to church the next day, my son asked why the thinner and smaller trees seemed untouched while the larger ones seemed to receive the greatest impact. Listening to my husband’s answer, I found a spiritual lesson as well. Flexibility facilitates endurance.

Life holds the guarantee of trials. While hardship sometimes comes as a consequence of our choices, not all difficulty can be traced back to sin (John 9:3). Scripture reveals that events of blessing or calamity do not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked (Matthew 5:45). God allows us to walk through the floods and the fires so that His glory and love might be made manifest in us, even (and especially) in times of great weakness. More important than the storm is God’s visible work in us.

The heart-shaking winds of life’s storms prove our need to stay rooted in God’s Word as we bend to His will. Difficulties, however, also reveal hidden issues in our hearts. And when we find our strength and security in our own resources, trials can topple the seemingly strongest of the strong. But for the one who places his trust in the Lord, God’s Word stands as his surety (Psalm 16:8-9; Hebrews 12:2-3), not for his own plans—but God’s. In God’s Word, we learn these truths about endurance in the face of trials:

• Worship gives us the strength to endure (Psalm 52:8).

• Godly endurance brings forth strong fruit (Jeremiah 17:7-8; Hebrews 12:11).

• Understanding His love for us is our source of peace (1 John 4:18).

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Nehemiah 2:1-20