ROM 8:28-30 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."
For the Christian, in all things, God works for our good. Therefore, there are no "bad" things. When bad things happen to "good" people, the "good" people aren't saved! Hard things happen, sad things, happen, Satan tempts us, God tests us, but for the people depending on Jesus Christ, all things work together for our good. That said, how do we cope when we encounter hard, sad, tempting or testing trials?
Satan tries his best to push us down and beat us up. How do we recognize the difference between simple circumstance, God's testing, and Satan's attempts to interfere with the will of God in our lives? Regardless of the source of our trials, they all have one thing in common: They work for our good. As we work through the trial, the source will become more evident to us. Our attitude and our perspective towards the trial is what shapes the outcome, whether we are strengthened in our walk with God or pick ourselves up once again, battered, bruised and bleeding. According to John Maxwell in Developing the Leader Within You, it's what we believe about a situation that controls the outcome. What exactly is the definition of the word trial that God uses so strongly for Christians?
trial \ n 1 : the action or process of trying or putting to the proof : test 2 : the hearing and judgment of a matter in issue before a competent tribunal 3 : a source of vexation or annoyance 4 : an experiment to test quality, value, or usefulness 5 : effort, attempt syn cross, ordeal, tribulation, affliction C trial adj 8 1995 Zane Publishing, Inc. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary 8 1994 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
And from the Thesaurus:
Trial - noun
The state or fact of being tested (as by suffering)
syn affliction, calvary, cross, crucible, ordeal, tribulation, visitation
rel.: agony, distress, misery, suffering; anguish, grief, heartbreak, sorrow, woe; adversity, misfortune; difficulty, hardship, rigor, vicissitude
idiom: crown of thorns, fiery ordeal, trial and tribulation
2 source of vexation or annoyance
syn.: care, trouble, worry
rel.: complication, difficulty; annoyance, distress, misfortune; ordeal
3 syn see EXPERIMENT 4 syn see ATTEMPT 8 1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Inc.
So, what does the Bible say about trials and how we should view them?
1THES 3:1-5 "So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless."
So, we are not to be unsettled . . . The word unsettled also means restless, changeable, doubtful, and pending. Merriam-Webster says: unsettled \ adj 1 : not settled : not fixed (as in position or character) 2 : not calm : disturbed 3 : not decided in mind : undetermined 4 : not paid <~ accounts> 5 : not occupied by settlers 8 1995 Zane Publishing, Inc. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1994 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Accepting of the fact that trials will come regardless. Also that: I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. So, trials that start out as circumstances could end up as an opportunity for Satan to tempt us. Let's go on . . .
2THES 1:3,4 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
Thank God! Paul tells us to thank God for each other as we endure each trial. Why? Because we grow ever stronger because of it. Not only that, but Paul boasts of those who endure such trials. Could it be that God boasts of us? We should boast of each other too!
JAMES 1:2-8 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
1PET 4:12-17 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Ah . . . Now we're getting somewhere! Consider your trials pure joy. OK, what's joy? I know it's elementary but indulge me. 1. joy \ n [ME, fr. OF joie, fr. L gaudia] 1 : a feeling of happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being 2 : a source of happiness syn: bliss, delight, enjoyment, pleasure 8 1995 Zane Publishing, Inc. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1994 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Bliss? Delight? Enjoyment? PLEASURE!? Give me a break! In TRIALS??!! You mean, the thing I am going through that's got my face in the dirt? The thing that's got my life and is RUINING it? That THING that I can=t seem to find a solution for? The reason I'm in jail? In poverty? Getting a divorce? Putting me in a wheelchair? Hurting my children? Killing my loved one? (Yes, I know, you get the picture.) YES! Joy. But why (again)? "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." But Lord, it's so hard . . .
JAMES 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
OK, so I'm trying to be joyful about all this . . . I accept it, I'm blessed! What next?
JAMES 1:13-15 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Wow. It doesn't say if we're tempted, it says when we're tempted. You mean we have to be tempted by Satan? How do we deal with this too?
MATT 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: . . . "
MATT 4:7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: . . . "
MATT 4:10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "
1PET 5:8,9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1PET 1:3-9 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Get into the Word of God! Praise Him! Be self-controlled and alert. Don't let yourself get into compromising situations. Be confident! Satan can't win, in fact, he's already defeated.
JER 1:17-19 "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land‑‑against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
JER 15:20 I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you," declares the LORD.
He is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never changes. The word that He spoke to Jeremiah holds true for us today. OK, I'm humbled. What else can we do through our trial while we're rejoicing about it!?
2COR 8:1-7 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
To sum it all up, We shouldn't be surprised when it comes, 'cause it's gonna. When it does, we should be glad and have an attitude of joyfulness and confidence about it. We should also be on guard, alert for the temptation of Satan which is sure to come. Encourage others. Finally, instead of wallowing in self pity, we should give even more of ourselves while in the middle of our trials. For again, what is a trial? 1 : the action or process of trying or putting to the proof : test 2 : the hearing and judgment of a matter in issue before a competent tribunal 3 : a source of vexation or annoyance 4 : an experiment to test quality, value, or usefulness 5 : effort, attempt syn cross, ordeal, tribulation, affliction C trial adj 8 1995 Zane Publishing, Inc. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary 1994 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.
"Trying, or putting to the proof." Are we really who and what we say we are? Hearing and judgment of a matter before a competent tribunal. I don't know of any more competent tribunal that the Triune God. Besides, with Jesus as the lawyer, and God as the judge, and If we have a personal relationship with Jesus, we can't be convicted! An experiment . . . hmmm . . . Are we really going to stand firm, are we really as strong as we think we are . . . Satan just wants to find out. Not for his own purposes but to make us doubt ourselves and ultimately God. Isn't that what he's been doing since Eden?
GEN 3:4,5 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
And lastly, we are to encourage each other so that others won't be unsettled either. Cool. So tell me again . . . There are NO bad things, only hard and sad things that all work together for our good, because we love Jesus and are called according to God's purposes. As we go through our lives and successfully stand firm and overcome in the Lord, we grow stronger, more mature, and complete in Him. You GO girl! (Or boy!) You're doing great! Woo hoo!!
1JOHN 5:1-5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
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