Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, (Romans 5:3-4 ESV)
In writing to the Romans, Paul says that we should rejoice in our sufferings, because through suffering we learn to have endurance, through endurance we gain character, and through character we gain hope.
For first century Christians, suffering was the rule rather than the exception. Perseverance in Greek means “to abide under or stay under pressure”. As believers, suffering teaches us to endure or persevere the pressure, because it is under pressure that we grow as Christians.
When we endure under pressure we gain character and a deepened trust in God. Hope grows as we learn all that God has in mind for us, and it gives us the promise of the future.
Remember these sage words, “We may not know the future, but we know who holds the future.” It’s God who holds the future, and we can rest without fear or anxiety as believers because we are children of God. Praise God!
"I learned as never before that persistent calling upon the Lord breaks through every stronghold of the devil, for nothing is impossible with God. For Christians in these troubled times, there is simply no other way."
- Jim Cymbala