Trials & Tribulations

Firstly, if you think that because you’re a Christian you’re not going to face any trial, then you need to reread your Bible and reinform yourself, and possibly/probably rethink being a Christian. Because the Bible makes it clear that because you are a Christian- you will be persecuted—meaning- you will have problems (ie: trials and tribulations). (John 16:33) So we must accept that we will have problems, BUT with Christ, we will overcome them. (1 John 5:4-5)

Now, that being said- we’ve all had trials we’ve had to face. Some horrific, some just tedious; ranging from losing a child, to losing your car keys. Why does God allow these things to happen; or even give them to you? There are multiple reasons He puts these into our lives. One of the biggest, realest reasons is to grow His relationship with you, and in essence grow you in Him. Think about it- when you hit rock bottom, what do you do? You lean on Him. You look to the only place you can—up. You pray; you seek Him; you end up relying on Him, because quite frankly, you have nothing else to lose. And when you finally reach out to Him in your trial, He grasps for your right hand. (Isaiah 41:13) When you have nothing but God, you finally realize that God is all you need. And that’s when things finally start looking up.

Not only should you expect trials, but you should ‘ask’ for them (Luke 9:23-24) and be grateful when they come. (Ephesians 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, James 1:2) Seems pretty ridiculous doesn’t it? Almost masochistic. Except, when you recall that Jesus died a horrific death; took the blame for our sins as an innocent man; then it seems honorable and heroic. As a Christian, we should hope to be faced with such persecution to honor our God and Savior. I am absolutely not saying that we should hope to be killed for our religion; I am saying that how we handle our persecution is the hope we have to honor Him. God doesn’t want us to suffer; but He draws us closer when we do. (Psalm 34:18) And isn’t that worth the pain? He’s not saying that He wants you to be grateful and enjoy the pain—He’s saying you should thank Him for whatever this trial is about to show you; because it will show you something. It will show you a sin you’re fighting, but accepting. It will show you where you’re failing at His service. But above all, it will show you His love. The love He has for you that sent His Son to die on a tree. The love He wants from you in return. When thinking of Jesus on the cross, is it really so hard to accept that your ‘mini’ trial is nothing in comparison?