In this sermon, Basilia Shlink discusses the role of difficulties and problems in our lives. She emphasizes that God uses these challenges to show us our failures and sins, and to bring us to repentance. Through prayer and faith in the blood of Jesus, we can experience redemption and transformation. Shlink also explains that God allows difficulties to pile up in order to wake us up and turn us away from relying on our own abilities, and instead rely on Him alone. These difficulties provide an opportunity for us to glorify God and give Him honor before the visible and invisible world.

God lives and works today, but perhaps you can't see him at work in your life because you can't see beyond the mountain of your problems and difficulties. God wants to help. However, often we have to experience that he lets the difficulties pile up without sending help. Why does he do this? Listen to today's meditation by Basilia Schlink called, When Problems and Troubles Arise. God's promises come true, whatever he says he'll do. My heart no doubt can hold about what he has told. I have often experienced that God let difficulties pile up in order to wake us up to see what displeased him. Whenever we came into such situations, our first prayer was, Lord, enlighten us through your Holy Spirit of Truth. Show us what is grieving you. Show us why you are placing so many problems and troubles in our way and why you have to chastise us. And such prayers for the Spirit of Truth have the greatest promise of being answered. He always showed us our sore spot very clearly. Then, claiming the redeeming power of the sacrifice of Jesus, we fought an intensive battle of prayer against it. God wanted to reach a certain goal. He wanted to bring us to repent of the things which he had shown us to be our failures and sins. He wanted us to turn over a new leaf. If he succeeded with us, the difficulties disappeared by themselves after a while. God took them away because he had attained his purpose. The Lord also leads us into such difficulties to teach us not to look at the visible things, even if they are great difficulties, and not to reckon with our human possibilities. He wants us to reckon with him alone, with the Almighty Powerful Lord, the Caring Father. He wants to give us a special blessing through such prayers of faith in the midst of difficulties. He wants to give us an experience with the Living God which we seldom experience in other situations. Such prayers of faith in the midst of impossibilities give us the greatest possibility to glorify him and give him the honor before the visible and the invisible world. That is why I can only be thankful for the many difficulties which God has placed in my way and in the way of the sisterhood. They showed us our sore spots. They led us into repentance. Through prayer and faith in the blood of Jesus, they let us experience redemption and transformation. The difficulties also brought us into a deeper faith in his power and help, which we experienced then due to our prayer. They filled our hearts anew with the adoration of our Lord. They let us testify to who our God and Father is, so that others could be set afire to give God the glory. For God loves all his children. For God loves all his children. God bless you.