Let It Bring Me Closer to Jesus
- Aug 21
- 5 min read
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2–4 I've been thinking about something quite a bit lately.Whatever I have to walk through in this life, I always want it to bring me closer to Jesus.Every battle. Every trial. Every unexpected season. Every place where my faith is tested.Of course, I pray for God to bring me through. I pray for His help, His strength, His healing, His provision, and His direction.But I don't want my only prayer to be, "Lord, get me out of this."I also want to pray: “Lord, while I'm walking through this, do something in me."I don't want to simply survive a difficult season and be relieved when it's over. I want to come out stronger in Jesus than I was when I went in. I want my faith to be deeper, my prayer life to be stronger, my dependence upon the Holy Spirit to be greater. I want a deeper hunger for God's Word.And more than anything, I want to know Jesus more. Praise Jesus; by His grace, I am an overcomer!!
James tells us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance.That reminds me that even in the seasons we would never choose for ourselves, God can still be at work in us.The waiting can teach us to trust.The uncertainty can teach us to surrender.The weakness can remind us where our strength really comes from.The battle can teach us to pray in ways we never prayed before.And sometimes, the places where we feel the weakest become the places where we discover just how faithful God truly is.There may be times when we become so focused on asking God to bring us out of something that we miss what He may be doing in us as we walk through it. Of course, we pray, “Lord, bring me through. Heal me, restore me, make a way.” But my prayer goes deeper than that. Lord, while You are bringing me through, change me. Strengthen what needs to be strengthened, remove what needs to be removed, deepen what needs to be deepened, and teach me what I need to learn. Above everything else, use this season to draw me closer to Jesus.
Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings...”
There is something about those words that speaks deeply to my heart: “I want to know Christ.” Not simply to know more about Him, but to truly know Him. The longer I walk with Jesus, the more this becomes the desire of my heart.
I want to know Him when everything is going well, but I also want to know Him in the valley. I want to know Him when the answer comes quickly and when I have to wait. I want to know Him when I understand what He is doing and when nothing seems to make sense. I want to know Him when I feel strong, when I have come to the end of my own strength and realize once again how completely I need Him.
Whatever the season, whatever the battle, whatever the journey may look like, I want it to move me toward Jesus, never away from Him. I want to come through knowing Him more deeply, trusting Him more completely, and depending upon the Holy Spirit more fully than I did before.
I've learned that coming out stronger doesn't always mean feeling stronger. Sometimes strength looks like deeper surrender. Being able to say, “Lord, I don't understand, but I still trust You.” It is continuing to pray when nothing seems to be changing, holding on to God's Word when circumstances say otherwise, and recognizing that we were never meant to walk through these seasons in our own strength.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Sometimes it is in our weakest places that we discover just how sufficient His grace really is.
Romans 5:3–5 reminds us that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. That doesn't mean everything we experience is good, but it does mean God can still produce something good in us while we are walking through it.
That's what I desire. If I have to walk through a difficult season, I don't want to waste what God can use. I want to come out trusting Him more, depending upon the Holy Spirit more fully, loving Jesus more deeply, and living with an even greater determination to live my life for Him.
Maybe you're walking through something you didn't choose, and you've been asking God to bring you out. Keep praying and believing. But perhaps add another prayer:
“Lord, while You're bringing me through, draw me closer to Jesus. Teach me what You want me to learn, deepen my faith, and help me come out of this stronger in You than I was when I went in.”
I don't know everything I may have to walk through in this life. None of us do. Jesus told us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
But I have settled something in my heart: whatever comes, I want it to bring me closer to Jesus.
If I must walk through a battle, I don't want to come out the same way I went in. I want to come out trusting Him more, depending upon the Holy Spirit more fully, and knowing His Word more deeply.
I want to come out stronger in Christ, with deeper faith and an even greater assurance of His faithfulness. Above everything else, I want to come out closer to Jesus.
Heavenly Father, whatever I walk through in this life, let it draw me closer to Jesus.Don't allow me to become so focused on getting through a season that I miss what You desire to do in me while I'm walking through it.Strengthen my faith. Deepen my prayer life. Give me a greater hunger for Your Word. Teach me to recognize Your voice and depend upon the Holy Spirit more fully.When I am weak, remind me that Your grace is sufficient. When I don't understand, help me to trust You. When I am waiting, help me to remain faithful.And when I come through, let me be stronger in You than I was when I went in.Let me know Jesus more deeply, love Him more completely, and live for Him more boldly. Whatever I walk through, let it bring me closer to Jesus. In Jesus’ Name! Amen.
If you are reading this and you do not know Jesus, or you feel far from Him, this is your moment. Jesus taught that to enter the Kingdom of God, we must be born again, made new through faith in Him. If you are unsure what that means or have never made that decision, I encourage you to connect with a mature believer who can walk with you as you place your faith in Jesus Christ, grow as His disciple, be baptized, and begin your new life in Him.
Get planted. Find a Bible-teaching, Holy Spirit-filled church family that will pray for you, love you, disciple you, and walk alongside you. Pursue Jesus with your whole heart and watch Him transform your life.
Pastor Satise Roddy, MTh, ThD
Come Expecting … Leave Transformed
Satise Roddy Ministries