I enjoy marveling at the many wonderful promises of God. I have promise books, promise cards, promise calendars and even promise devotionals. All of these tools are effective in providing me and my family with daily “life lessons” in God’s provision.
But sometimes, as we focus on the positive promises of God, we can become disheartened in the process of our trials. We ask, “How could this ever happen to me?” and we neglect the fact that Jesus promised we would experience tribulation…just as He promised salvation, healing and eternal life!
In the midst of times like this, we must remember that God is always making provision for us during the process of “trying of our faith.”
Jesus promised tribulation but He also promised to provide a way, through Him, to overcome it! He said, These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
We can be assured that temptation will come our way…but never beyond what God knows we can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 states: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
God is always with us, like a caring Father, providing for us in every situation we face.
It reminds me of when I was a little girl. I wanted to learn how to ride a bike (because everyone else was riding a bike!) but I needed help.
I can remember my father holding onto me as I wobbled and weaved. I felt so unsure, but his strong hands were there to guide me. When I asked my father to let me go so I could ride on my own – I crashed into his car, broke a tail light and laid on the ground crying.
My father ran to my side, picked me up, dried my tears and gave me the courage to try again.
Unfortunately, part of growing up involves the process of learning lessons the hard way. We scrape our knees and feel the pain…and become wiser and more compassionate through the process.
I remember a very difficult time in my life when I was seeking the Lord in tears and dismay. I was asking God to speak to me through His Word, because the Bible is Him – it is His character, His spoken word and His mode of dealing with people.
My desire was for God to show me a Scripture that would make me feel good (something that would tell me I was the apple of His eye and how He would smite anyone who would mess with me!). Instead, He spoke to me quite differently…
Like a wise Father, He led me to Romans 8:17: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Or, as the Message Bible states: We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with Him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with Him! That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times.
Quite honestly, this was not what I wanted to hear. But, as I thought how my little situation measured against the suffering of my Lord – I gained an entirely different perspective.
From that time on, I began looking at the provision instead of the problem, the hope and not the hopelessness. Jesus, our example, endured the Cross because He knew that the resurrection was before Him.
I began to realize, if we look hard enough…there are hidden treasures in our trials. In the process of receiving our answer from the Lord, not only can we learn, grow and become more like our Savior…but we can gain experiences that can be shared with others that will make their journey to wholeness much easier and minister to their deepest need as well.
It reminds me of mining for gold. In real life, a miner doesn’t find gold shimmering and shining in the walls of a cave somewhere. Gold is found in the mud, or in the dirt, and goes through an intense cleansing and refining process before it reaches its full potential and becomes the beautiful jewelry you see at the store.
When you and I can allow our faith to rest in the knowledge that we are His gold, being refined for His purpose – and He will be with us, overseeing the entire process, from start to finish – then the yoke of our trials and temptations will no longer hang like a noose around our necks. Instead, our trials will serve as simple reminders that we are on a treasure hunt for God – seeking God’s truth in all that comes our way and discovering His likeness.
