The troubles of life are good for the soul.

Ps. 34:19 The righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one.

Anyone who says that the righteous can live trouble free lives is not reading their Bible. God's Word is full of accounts where the godly endure all kinds of trouble. The way to heaven is a difficult one and very few actually walk it. Why? Because we don't like troubles. We want as little trouble as possible in our lives. We want everything to go smoothly and for everyone to like us. We want as much as possible heaven on earth.

Life is full of trouble for the righteous because we live in a world that is not our home. We are on Satan's turf and there is conflict everywhere. Satan is a master at harassing God's children and he is relentless in doing it. If we stay true to Christ we will always be at war with Satan. If you live a trouble free life you are not living a life that is pleasing to God.

The good news is that we don't face our troubles all alone. The Lord is with us and saves us from all of our troubles. He doesn't let us alone in our struggles. If He did, we would not make it; we would crumble underneath the pressure and stress of it all. The Lord helps us through our troublesome times. He uses people and His Word to give us the strength to overcome. He whispers to our hearts to reassure us that He is near and we will make it.

The troubles of life are good for the soul. They cause us to turn to the Lord. They help to develop our faith and make us stronger. They help us to appreciate the Lord and his people more. They help us to know even more deeply that every promise of God is true and that He never leaves or forsakes us.

Yes, the righteous face troublesome times. Life sometimes gets very messy and complicated. Sometimes we are so troubled that we see no way out. Yet, the Lord's promise for the righteous is that He will save us from our troubles. We may stumble our way through them, but we will never crumble if we trust in Him.