Hope through hardship
The devotions for this week are featured in LCA International Mission’s 2025 ‘Pentecost Devotional and Prayer Guide’ and are written by mission partners from around the world. LCA International Mission invites you to pray during Pentecost for the connections and ministries of our international partners. As we mark 50 days after Easter, may this guide encourage you to reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit in your own life and how you can respond to God’s love. An electronic copy of the full devotional is available to download at the LCA International Mission website. Please email lcaim@lca.org.au or phone 08 8267 7317 to request a printed copy.
by Luke Andrew
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… suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3b,4).
Read Romans 5:1–11
My father used to be an engineer earning a good salary; however, after receiving God’s call, he gave up everything to serve as a pastor. In Myanmar, pastors earn very little, and at one point, our family faced severe financial hardship. I was 17 years old, my mother was battling a brain tumour, and my father was struggling to provide for my mother’s medical expenses while feeding his children.
I vividly remember days when my sister and I searched every possible place to find even a small amount of money to buy dhal curry to eat with rice. Our life was filled with sorrow as we watched our mother suffer in her final days while we searched desperately for small change just to afford one meal.
Though we endured financial struggles as a family, we never once had to skip a meal. Every day, we found just enough money to buy food. We trusted that God would provide, and he did – every single day for a long time. Amid hardship, our faith was refined, our character shaped, and our trust in God strengthened. Despite our circumstances, we never lost hope because our hope gradually became anchored in God’s unfailing love.
As God miraculously provided for the widow in Elijah’s time, so he provided for us, one meal at a time. We never missed a meal, but my siblings and I learned from that suffering to love, trust and place our hope entirely in God. That season of hardship shaped our faith.
Dear friends, we have hope that is not fleeting or shallow but is rooted in the assurance of God’s love, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Even in our darkest moments, we can cling to the truth that God is with us, working all things for our good and his glory.
What trials are you facing today? How can you shift your perspective to see God’s hand at work in your suffering? Take a moment to thank him for the hope he provides, even amid difficulty.
When have you noticed God’s support and sustenance in moments of suffering?
Pray for Luke Andrew that the Holy Spirit will use his experiences and learning to point people to the love and hope of Jesus.
Luke Andrew is an LCA International Mission scholarship recipient.
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