WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MARCH 05, 2026
TOPIC: BELIEVERS’ TRIALS AND SORROWS IN A BROKEN WORLD
BY T. O. BANSO
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 New Living Translation).
One of the things that gladdens pastors’ hearts is hearing testimonies of what God has done in the lives of members of their congregation or in the lives of people they have ministered to, or even testimonies generally about the results of God’s power in people’s lives. It energises them. It is motivating.
On the other hand, pastors become weak when they receive from their members or others news of deaths, accidents, miscarriages, divorces, loss of jobs, and similar negative reports. It is easier to celebrate with those who share heart-warming testimonies than to minister to those who have suffered one loss or the other. But pastors must do both. It is their job.
The pastor’s work is, in a way, unpredictable. He could be rejoicing with someone now, and not long after, he may be comforting another person. After a great celebration in the church, a sobering incident may occur.
The pastor could be a great preacher or teacher, but some people in the church are asking themselves why certain things still happen if God is powerful, God answers prayers, faith works, and so on. Some questions are hard for pastors to answer. Only God can give those asking such questions satisfactory answers so that they don’t lose their faith.
I heard of a Christian woman who refused to bury her only son, a grown-up child. It’s very painful. She believed that God would bring him back to life, so she left him in the mortuary. She was exercising faith in God as believers have been taught. Hebrews 11:35a says, “Women received their dead raised to life again” (NKJV). She must have heard reports about those who came back to life after they had died and were put in the mortuary. But sadly, her son never came back to life. What will someone say to such a woman who loved God, yet a calamity befell her? Will someone tell her that she didn’t have faith or that faith no longer works?
What will you say to the children who were praying fervently to God to restore their dead mother to life? They have been taught in church that God answers prayers. They have also read in the Bible and heard testimonies of miracles that God did. They expected it was their turn to receive their miracle. They were persuaded to allow the corpse to be moved to the mortuary while they continued to pray. Nevertheless, their loving mother didn’t come back to life. She was eventually given a befitting burial.
Pastors carry heavy pain in their hearts when sad things happen to their members. But they still have to minister to them: bereaved families, divorced couples, pregnant women who suffered miscarriages, those who lost their jobs, those whose businesses collapsed, or those who are sick.
But whatever happens to Christians, we must never lose hope. No matter the circumstances of death, God knows why He takes His children home and may not answer our prayers for them to come back to life. Yet, He remains a prayer-answering God. But His will is more important than our desire. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14 New King James Version).
All the painful things that happen to both believers and non-believers show that we are in a broken, imperfect world. No matter the good things of life we enjoy – successes, prosperity, miracles – we are still on earth. This is not a perfect world. No matter the anointed atmosphere in our churches and the miracles, we are not yet in heaven. Some negative experiences remind us that we are strangers and pilgrims on earth (Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11). Philippians 3:20 says our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There will still be some pains and tears on this side of heaven. This will make us feel uncomfortable on this earth, but long for heaven, where there will be no more pain or tears. Revelation 21:4 says, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (New King James Version). Earlier, in Revelation 7:17b, the Bible said that God would wipe away every tear. Also, Isaiah 25:8a says God will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces.
But death, sorrow, crying, and pain are part of this earth. Occasionally, we will experience them. After a servant of God suffered the death of one of his children, he said he appreciated better what bereaved church members he had ministered to in the past went through when their children died. He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches.
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, concerning Christians who die, that we should not sorrow as others who have no hope. While we grieve, we should be comforted that we shall meet again at the resurrection. Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 New Living Translation).
You may have lost a loved one or your marriage, business, health, etc., but never lose hope. You may have prayed and not got the answers you expected, but never lose hope. Your loved ones may not have survived the illness or come back to life despite your persistent prayer, but never lose hope. You may be facing a crisis at the moment, but never lose hope. Whatever negative thing has happened to you is not the end of life.
Don’t lose hope. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all (Psalm 34:19). Have faith in God. He will do something new in your life. Some people have experienced in the past what you’re going through or have happened to you, and can testify that after the darkness, there was light. David said, “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness” (Psalm 18:28 New King James Version). Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
You may be feeling terribly, the pain of what happened to you. You may not know why it happened, and everything that people have said to you to comfort you may not make sense to you. But never forget that God loves you and is near you. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalm 34:18 New Living Translation). God has said He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5b).
God loves you not because of anything you have done. Even if the trouble now is your fault, God still loves you. There is nothing you do that can make God stop loving you. He has a good plan for you despite what has happened. He knows the thoughts that He thinks toward you; they are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
God has no limits. Whatever has happened cannot stop Him from fulfilling His plans in your life. God will work all things together for your good because you love Him and you are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). He will do a new thing in your life. He will give you a new vision, a dream, a business, a home, or an opportunity. He will do a new thing in your life. What you lost is not your end.
Isaiah 43:19 says, “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (New King James Version). God will restore the hope you have lost. Job 42:10 says the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends; He gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Naomi lost her husband and two sons (Ruth 1:2-5). She completely lost hope. But through her daughter-in-law, Ruth, whom she had discouraged from following her from Moab back to Bethlehem, the Lord gave her hope again. Boaz, a relation of Ruth’s deceased husband, married her, and they had a child, Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. The women in the neighbourhood said, “There is a son born to Naomi,” and gave him the name Obed (Ruth 4:17).
A son will be born to you, too! God will visit you again. He will do something new for you that will make you rejoice. He will restore the hope that you have lost. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things you desire shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). In other words, “Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well” (New Century Version). Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, help me to overcome the trials and sorrows of life. Deliver me from the afflictions of this world. I receive the grace to endure to the end, and I shall be saved. Father, all those who are undergoing trials, deliver them, and give them victory. Holy Spirit, comfort all those who are sorrowing. Answer their questions, which nobody can answer. Restore lost hopes in Jesus’ name. Father, strengthen your servants to minister effectively to those who are broken-hearted.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
BE OUR FINANCIAL PARTNER
Account Name: Cedar Ministry International
Bank: United Bank for Africa
Account Number: 1027304911 (Naira)
Account Number: 3004481420 (USD)
Swift Code: UNAFNGLA
