Nobody knows the troubles I've seen . . .

Those words from an old song, the kind that we used to call "spirituals," (but I guess we aren't supposed to call 'em that anymore) are a plaintive reminder that in this life, we will face adversity. The life of believers is not promised to be the "bed of roses" that some would have us believe. But in the midst of difficulties, we can thrive -- we can experience the fullness of God's peace.
How?
By embracing the fact that God can accomplish His purposes through our troubles.
Let's dig in again and talk more about this . . .
Last time we looked at some verses that showed difficulties can encourage us to focus our attention on our weaknesses and our need for the Lord; we can cry out to Him for the help we need.
Difficulties also are an assurance of God's fatherly love and care.
HUH?
Yep. Let me see if I can make it clearer "than mud," as my grandma used to say. Wise guidance, and yes, even discipline brings a young person to maturity. Just as a loving parent helps children learn and grow by the discipline administered to them, so God can use adversity to help us grow. We may need to grow in holiness, or perhaps we need to focus on being more like Him. When we persevere through hardships, rejoicing and giving Him the glory for our very survival, we are proving that we are His children.

Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. (Deuteronomy 8:5)

Am I a daughter of the King? Yes! I will give Him the glory and accept His guidance and discipline as assurances that He cares for me as a father.

Troubles also motivate us to reverence the Lord. Hardships remind us that God is present with us, and that we are accountable to Him -- for every action and reaction, for every thought and word. God's Word tells us that the reverence of the Lord (the fear of the Lord) is the key to life, achievements, and wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,    turning a person from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)

If we lose our awareness of the presence of God and begin to think and act as if He is not with us (or perhaps even as if He does not exist!) then God will often allow reminders of our need for Him. Sometimes they are small nudges. Sometimes they are pretty painful. Let's look back at that passage in Deuteronomy:

Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God,.........You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:11-14a, 17-18)

We are prone to make the same mistakes that Israel did. Perhaps we don't make them so dramatically, but humans certainly do find it easy to forget that God is the source of all of our blessings. Then, like the verse says, our hearts become proud and we look around us and think that "we did all this!" NOT. It's God Who gives us the blessings, and He gives us the ability to make wealth and use our talents, too.
Difficult times draw us back to the compass; they point right at God and teach us to reverence Him.

Adversity also brings us to examine ourselves, and then to hate the sin that we see revealed. Troubles are NOT always caused by our sin, but we should examine ourselves when we face adversity, to see if we have caused our problems by sin in our lives. Let's not be like the complacent souls in the church of Laodicea, whom Jesus warned: "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." God's Word is our guidebook -- many cause-and-effect lessons are noted in the scriptures. They are there for our instruction and our warning. When we experience difficulties in our lives, we can search the Word to discern if they are consequences of sin.

When we realize how sin keeps us from living in a way that honors God, we will hate sin and want to root it out of our lives. Sin can damage our own lives and the lives of those we love. It can cause someone who watches our life to turn away from the Lord and the salvation He gives. If we could see those costs of our sin, we would shrink from it. The pain of adversity can spur us to look honestly at ourselves to determine if un-confessed sin is the cause of our troubles.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)

Adversity can motivate us to examine ourselves; if we find sin in our lives, He is "faithful and just to forgive us" when we repent.
There might not be any human who knows "the troubles I've seen," but God does - and He offers His mercy and love.
Praise Him!