Have you ever wondered why a loving God allows us to suffer and face trials? Would you like to understand the truth about trials?
It’s easy to imagine that when we become a Christian, our world will become perfect. Or as Katie says in the Dr. Seuss movie Horton Hears a Who, “In my world, everyone’s a pony. And they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies.” But unfortunately, this is not the case. Accepting Jesus as our savior means we will one day live with Him for all of eternity, where there is no more pain or tears.
But until we die and go to heaven, we live on Earth. Earth hasn’t been a perfect place since Adam and Eve ate fruit from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Now, sin and death reign over the Earth. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NIV).
Everyone Encounters Trials
Dear one, I wish I could tell you that because we have Jesus, we will never have to suffer or face trials. Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. That’s why Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).
In His time here on Earth, Jesus grieved. When Lazarus died, his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for Jesus. When Jesus arrived, knowing he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, He wept. “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept” (John 11:33-35, NIV).
Not only that, but Jesus suffered and died to save us. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18, NIV).
Isaiah explains it this way, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:3, NIV).
Therefore, it stands to reason that trials aren’t meaningless. If Jesus himself was not exempt from trials and suffering, neither are we. God allowed Jesus to suffer because He had a greater plan. God has a greater purpose for our trials as well.
God May Not Save Us From Trials, But…
Sometimes, seasons of suffering enter our lives as a consequence of our sins and mistakes. But more often, we go through them because we live in our fallen world. Either way, we cannot control whether or when difficulties will arise. However, we can control how we respond to them. Understanding why God allows them and how He uses them can help.
Honestly, my first impulse when encountering trouble is to pray and ask God to fix, change, or remove my circumstances. But that isn’t what God usually does. Usually, God uses the situation to correct, change, or remove something from me. And God has been doing this for a very long time.
God didn’t remove David from his battle with Goliath. He made him victorious in it (1 Samuel 17). Similarly, God didn’t remove Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. He kept them safe and walked through the fire with them (Daniel 3). God didn’t remove Daniel from the Lion’s den. He saved Daniel in the lion’s den. (Daniel 6) Finally, Jesus didn’t remove the disciples from the storm on the sea. He calmed it (Matthew 8:23-27).
Friend, God has given us these biblical examples so we can understand that God may not save us from trials, but He will save us in them.
God’s Refining Process
God uses life’s struggles as part of His refining process to grow our faith, help us grow spiritually, and make us better, stronger, and more like Jesus. God purifies our hearts by the tests and trials of life in the same way that gold and silver are refined by fire.
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-19, NIV)
The phrase “fiery ordeal” used to describe trials is an analogy for how gold is purified. First, gold is heated by fire. The gold’s impurities rise to the surface. Next, the impurities are scraped from the top. In the end, only pure gold remains.
Similarly, God allows trials in our lives to strengthen our faith and purify our hearts because faith and Christlike character are far more valuable than gold or silver. “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7, NIV).
The Results of Trials
Knowing that God uses our trials to better us doesn’t make enduring them any easier. But it does give us hope. Paul explains it this way: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4, NIV).
According to Paul, these are the three results of trials:
1. Perseverance
The Greek word used in these verses is “hypomonē”. It means to endure patiently. It’s the ability to remain stable in our faith amid difficulties, rather than running, hiding, or trying to escape. When we stand and face tribulations with God’s help, our resolve and confidence in God grow.
2. Character
Through our trials, we learn to depend on God and His strength. Thus, our knowledge of God’s ability expands and deepens our faith, and we emerge with a strength of character that didn’t exist before the ordeal.
3. Hope
As our trust in God grows, we experience and understand that God’s grace is sufficient when we are weak. We know that we can do anything with God’s help and look forward to His ultimate victory.
When Paul said to “glory in our sufferings” he meant that we can embrace the struggle, hopeful and confident in our God, expecting and thanking Him in advance for the ultimate good that will come from it, When we do, we will have a completely different outlook and attitude while walking through them.
Friend, it’s not that God wants us to suffer; he wants us to grow and mature. Therefore, He may not take away our difficulties. However, He won’t abandon us to go through them alone. Additionally, God promises to strengthen and sustain us through life’s storms. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Although God Allows and Uses Trials to Better Us, He Does Not Create Them
While taking classes to earn an endorsement in teaching reading, I had the opportunity to take part in a literature circle. Today, we refer to this as a book club. Our instructor knew that once we had experienced the value of this activity, we would provide class time for our students to participate in one.
We read a historical fiction book about the Dust Bowl. While discussing it, I shared my adverse emotional reaction to the unfairness of the intense tragedy the character’s family experienced. The book made me angry because it seemed so unfair.
After class, while riding home with a classmate, she asked if I was a Christian. And when I said yes, she suggested that I had some unresolved anger issues with God and that I should read Job.
I remember feeling pretty put out. I admit that it took me some time to pull out my Bible. But I did reread Job, from start to finish.
What I learned was that God never inflicted any of the pain and suffering on Job; Satan did. Satan questioned Job’s righteousness and challenged God’s sovereignty. Satan argued that Job’s devotion to God was because he had an easy life. So, God allowed the enemy to test Job’s faith and inflict suffering by taking away his possessions, family, and health. In the end, Job maintained his faith, and God restored and blessed him. However, Job learned a valuable lesson about God’s nature and emerged with greater wisdom and faith.
Knowing God’s Heart & Character Helps Us Interpret His Word
God didn’t cause Job’s trial. I say that despite this verse, where Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21, NIV).
When this verse is taken out of context, it leads to a misconception about God and His nature. One could easily assume that God is cruel and might throw us into disaster for sport. But this is not the case. God is loving, merciful, and compassionate.
It is true that Job said, and believed this statement before he came full circle, repented, and acknowledged God’s authority and wisdom. Job’s statement reflects his thoughts about God during his time of suffering. However, it is not a true reflection of God’s character.
God allowed Job to endure hardship because Job had wrong beliefs about Him. Job believed that God was giving him pain. God saw something of value that Job could learn from the experience, which would change Job’s wrong views, so he allowed the enemy to attack.
Dear One, we must settle in our hearts that God does not inflict suffering on those who love Him. Suffering is the result of a fallen world, the enemy, or our own mistakes. When God allows us to endure it, He always uses it to make us better.
Our Choice In Trials
We can choose to allow trials to make us bitter or better. We can choose to shake our fists at our circumstances and God. Or we can look to God and consider what He is doing in and through them to make us better and stronger. We can be open to the work that God wants to accomplish in and through us. Additionally, we can view them as an opportunity to grow our faith and learn about God. Finally, we can remember that God is on our side and always has good plans for us. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).
Admittedly, it’s not easy to choose to embrace our trials joyfully. But we can remember that even though difficulties don’t feel good, God can use them for our good. When we turn to Jesus and take His hand during life’s storms, it makes walking through them a little less painful.
Remember, Storms Don’t Last Forever
Friend, are you walking through a storm right now – an illness, a setback, a betrayal, a rejection, a financial fiasco, the loss of a loved one, or the unraveling of your plans and dreams? If so, you aren’t alone. I know what it feels like when life inflicts a sucker punch. You feel as if you can’t breathe or go on. Your faith is at an all-time low, as you whisper, “Why God?”
Whatever you are going through right now, no matter how difficult it may be, remember that these challenging seasons aren’t meant to destroy you, but to build you up. Someday, God will bring beauty from your ashes.
I can’t tell you why you are walking through this storm. I can’t tell you it will get better the moment you pray. But I can tell you:
- God sees you. – Genesis 16:13
- God hears your prayers. – Psalm 18:6
- You can rely on God’s love – 1 John 4:16
- And God is close to the brokenhearted. – Psalm 34:18
Finally, friend, remember, storms don’t last forever. In the end, Jesus wins.
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