Suffering

Have you ever thought about how much we owe to sorrow and suffering? Perhaps you have never stopped to consider that tribulation has produced some of the greatest written works of mankind. Most of the Psalms, for example, were born in a wilderness experience. Most of the New Testament letters were written in prison. Even outside of the Bible, suffering has created enduring publications that have become the mainstream of Christian hope and encouragement. The best thoughts of some of our greatest thinkers have passed through the fiery furnace. So, take comfort. When God is about to make preeminent use of a man or woman, He turns up the heat. He puts pressure on his vessel, and squeezes out of them precious works of art.