Trials are hard. They’re not fun, right? When was the last time you had a difficulty in your life that you didn’t cause and you were so glad that it happened to you? That’s just not the way our human nature works, is it? But there are many reasons that we have to be very grateful for trials. Let’s look deeper into the purposes behind trials and some of the reasons that God allows them into our lives and even uses them to draw us closer to Him and increase our faith.
First off, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
If we are His, nothing can come into our lives that does not specifically pass through His providential care. He will use all of the situations that He allows to come into our lives for our good and for His glory.
Sometimes, however we make foolish decisions and have to deal with the consequences. The Bible says that we reap what we sow. Some difficulties in our lives may be the consequences of our own actions. That doesn’t mean that God may still not choose to mercifully deliver us from them, but often we have to deal with our consequences, of course with the grace and strength that He gives us.
And we don’t always know why God allows certain trials into our lives. We don’t always have to know – we just know that God knows best and He will never allow anything that He will not supply everything we need to get through it – and we must trust Him. We do live in an broken and sin-cursed world and when we became Christians we were not automatically freed from that. Christians do get sick and die. Things still happen. But what we know is that God always, always has a plan in mind and will use them for our good even if we cannot see that right now.
Let’s look at some ways that our trials can be a blessing:
1. They increase our faith.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; {different kind of trials} Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:2-4
It is a precious thing to know that God was there with you all the way through a trial. Beforehand you believed that He would be, but afterwards you could say it by experience.
2. They help us grow to be more like Jesus.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Hebrews 12:3-11
3. They help us be more dependent on God.
…there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
I have had quite a few trials in my life, frequently having to do with health struggles, but I’m grateful to the Lord for them and how He’s used them in my life. I’m so grateful for His grace and teaching me that I can’t do it myself but rather to depend on Him! This dependence and fellowship has been so sweet and precious, that I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I would encourage you to stop right here and identify any big trials or struggles in your life. Surrender them to the Lord. Ask Him to make it a blessing to you and others and to use it for his glory. Rest on Him for the strength and grace to come through it.
Here’s some verses from one of my very favorite hymns, How Firm a Foundation:
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
4. They help us to relate to others in the same situation and comfort them.
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
5. They help us see the shallowness in the things of this life and help fix our eyes on Jesus and live with eternity in mind.
6. They allow us to see the deliverance of God in our lives and experience the triumph of overcoming.
The plan that God has for each of our lives, even through trials, will be full of joy in fellowship with Him if we seek Him. To be without Him is way more dangerous than the hardest trial where we can lean hard on Him and know that the All-Powerful, Wise God is caring for us and guiding us. I’d much rather follow Him, wouldn’t you?
I will close with four “anchors” from Andrew Murray’s Formula for Trials, that have helped me tremendously.
1. Say, He {God} brought me here. It is by His will I am here in this straight place in that fact will I rest.
2. He will keep me here in His love and give me the grace to behave as His child.
3. Then He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends for me to learn.
4. In His good time He can bring me out again – how and when He knows.
So let me say: I am (1) here by God’s appointment (2) in His keeping (3) under His training (4) for His time.
