While all Christians go through various trials on their walk with the Lord not all believers follow the advice of Scripture found in (James 1:2): “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” And even our Lord Jesus tells us that we are blessed when we are persecuted for taking a stance for Him, for we read: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).
Christian, no matter how difficult the trial you may be going through is, God wants us to trust Him to pull us through it, and rather than be anxious and fearful to rejoice! For trials are often God’s testing tools to build our faith up so we can give Jesus all the praise, honor, and glory as we overcome them. My friends, the choice is ours. We can either look at the trials of life as anxiety driven obstacles on the road of life, or as God’s training for eternity tools that we can use to bring glory to the Father.
How we react to trials basically tells us our level of trust in the God we serve. When we get anxious and worry about how we will overcome these difficult situations in life, we are telling God that His power is limited. I prefer to stand with the advice of Pastor Jim Cymbala who once said: “Doesn’t the God who created the universe out of nothing and put all the stars in place, have the power to take care of your situation?”1 We serve an omnipotent God who promises us that He will work all things together for good (Romans 8:28). Why should we be fearful if we understand that our God is always on our side, has unlimited power to get us through every difficult situation, and that He even allows our trials to build up our faith so we can give Him glory!
When we trust God and realize that all trials are stepping stones to grow our faith and learn deep lessons from them, I can clearly see why we should rejoice. My God is more than able to help us overcome the trials of life, and in the process allow us to bring glory to his name. And when we understand that the chief aim in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and that overcoming trials is a great way to bring Him glory, then no wonder we should rejoice.
When Jesus went through the greatest trial of His life, the crucifixion, Scripture tells us in (Hebrews 12:2): “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Notice what Jesus did here. Rather than look at the cross, as an instrument of ultimate pain and destruction, He chose instead to view it as an instrument of ultimate glorification to the Father. As a result, Jesus knew He was doing God’s will and bringing the Father much glory. No wonder He experienced great joy amidst the great pain.
So, the next time we experience a difficult trial, let’s rejoice, bring God glory, and turn the tables on Satan!
Amen.