Did God give you more prosperity before? It was to prepare you for affliction. We should look at all our outward prosperity as a preparation for afflictions. If you had done so, then it would not have been so difficult for you to endure afflictions now. If when you had great wealth, you made use of the mercy of God to prepare you for your afflicted estate, then the change of your estate would not be so grievous. Every Christian should say: 'Have I wealth now? I should prepare for poverty. 'Have I health now?' I should prepare for sickness. 'Have I liberty?' Let me prepare myself for imprisonment.
'How do I know what God may call me to? Have I comfort and peace now in my conscience? Does God shine upon me?' While I have this, let me prepare for God's withdrawing from me. 'Am I delivered from temptations?' Let me prepare now for the time of temptations. If you would do so, the change of your condition would not be so grievous to you.
Know that this is the excellence of Grace in a Christian, to be fitted for any condition; not only to say, if it were 'this' or 'that', but if it were any.
Now, if a sailor has skill he does not say, 'If it were any other wind but this, if the wind blew in any direction but this, I could manage my ship, I could show skill in other directions but not in this.' Would not sailors laugh at such a one? It would be a shame for him to say that he has skill in any other direction but this.
So, it should be a shame for a Christian to say that he has skill in any other affliction but this. A Christian should be able to manage his ship, if the wind blows any way; to guide his soul any way.
~Charles Spurgeon
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