Sifting and pruning

The Lord allows the hard times in our lives, sometimes really hard times. He has even been known to let Satan have his way with us (Luk 22:31-32). We are never out of his control, though. He is constantly pruning, shaping, strengthening us so that we might be the instrument that he wants us to be. When we are sifted by Satan, when we, in weakness, deny our Lord, when God prunes out the dead branches of our lives, let us not lose faith. When we have turned again we will be all the more capable of strengthening our brothers and bearing fruit (Joh 15:2).