Life is hard, but God is good.

God in His infinite wisdom knows exactly what adversity we need to grow more and more into the likeness of His Son. He not only knows what we need but when we need it and how best to bring it to pass in our lives. He is the perfect teacher or coach. His discipline is always exactly suited for our needs. He never over trains us by allowing too much adversity in our lives.

I grew up in the 1930s Great Depression when many families struggled to make ends meet, and in an area where old-fashioned country gospel music was popular. Later, as an adult with a more mature outlook on Christianity, I realized that a lot of that music was rather shallow.

If any adversity coming across our path were not beneficial, God would not allow it or send it: "He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone" (Lamentations 3:33, NIV). God does not delight in our suffering. He brings only that which is necessary, but He does not shrink from that which will help us grow.

have written it as a Bible study about God and His sovereignty, wisdom, and love as they bear upon the adversities we all encounter.

life is filled with such little events, little frustrations, little anxieties, and little disappointments that tempt us to fret, fume, and worry.

so the faith to trust God in adversity comes through the Word of God alone. It is only in the Scriptures that we find an adequate view of God's relationship to and involvement in our painful circumstances.

purpose is for us to become so convinced of these truths that we appropriate them in our daily circumstances, that we learn to trust God in the midst of our pain, whatever form it may take. It does not matter whether our pain is trivial or traumatic, temporary or interminable. Regardless of the nature of the circumstances, we must learn to trust God if we would glorify God in them.

But that which should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful and all-loving God; our suffering has meaning and purpose in God's eternal plan, and He brings or allows to come into our lives only that which is for His glory and our good.

Rather than being offended over the Bible's assertion of God's sovereignty in both good and calamity, believers should be comforted by it.

Adversity is difficult even when we know God is in control of our circumstances.

Whatever our particular calamity or adversity may be, we may be sure that our Father has a loving purpose in it.