If God always takes you into problems, then he must not know what he is doing. If God always brings you trials, he must not care about you. If God constantly brings you challenges, then he cannot be trusted. That is the typical response of most people.
But what if God brings problems into your life for a purpose? What if he uses trials as a teachable moment?
In Exodus 15:18-18:27, the nation of Israel faced trial after problem after challenge. They encountered an oasis where the water was bitter. Then they had nothing to eat. Following that they were thirsty and had nothing to drink. Then they faced an enemy who wanted to destroy them. After that, Moses experienced fatigue and burnout.
In one sense, Israel was in God’s kindergarten where they were learning to depend on him. In the first situation, God healed the water and made it sweet. In the second trial, God provided manna from heaven. In the third challenge, God provided water from a rock. In the fourth situation, God delivered the people through prayer and battle. In the final trial, God provided sound advice from Moses’ father-in-law.
Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-12 both explain that God uses trials to shape our character and teach us to depend on him. If we have everything we need, we will never learn to trust God. If we never have trials, problems, needs, challenges, issues, questions … we will never learn to depend on God’s strength. We will never learn to trust God until he leads us into trouble.
If you want to grow spiritually, if you want a deeper faith, then pray for empty pockets. Pray that God will meet your needs and teach you to depend on him alone to provide what you lack. Pray for empty pockets so that your faith might grow.