Anyone can be thankful when things are going well. But it takes the Spirit of God working in the soul of a man or a woman to show them how to be thankful in the trials. The maturity of a saint is never revealed in the good times but in the bad.
Circumstances do not define who we are; they reveal who we are. “…you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith…though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NKJV).
God will sometimes give you what you want, but He will always give you what you need. What we need is most assuredly not always what we want. When things go wrong, God is often doing something right that will change us for the better.
Jesus came to save your life, not to make it easy. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT).
The good times make us happy with where we are, but the bad times will change us into something more. Spiritual growth comes through natural adversity, and the saint is made higher when they are brought low. The upward path begins when we are brought to our knees.
When God has you on your knees, it is there He can change you. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3 NKJV).
Nobody prays for a trial, but they will come without us asking. Everyone prays more during a trial, and the Lord knows that is where He has our full attention. No matter what you are going through, He is there to help you along the way. Every pain has a purpose, and every tear matters.
Often, the things that are tearing you apart are what God is using to build you up. “…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV).
It’s easy to understand that God is sovereign when things are going well. But it takes a higher faith to understand that a sovereign God is loving even when He allows such trials to happen in your life. When you can see His love in the trial, it is there that your spiritual eyes have been opened.
Your trial isn’t your biggest challenge; trusting God is. “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8 NKJV).
If you show me a man or a woman given over to God and made useful for His kingdom, then I will see they have been through the valley of darkness and came to know Him deeper in all they have been through. The hard road is what makes the sweetest of saints.
It’s in the bitter trials where the Lord makes the sweetest saints. “My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be” (James 1:2-4 ERV).
You would not be who you are apart from all that you have been through. It’s easier to see the value of pain in the rear-view mirror than it is through the front window. Let the education of your past be the lesson for your future, knowing all that God has done for you.
Don’t be bitter about the trials that God is using to make you better. “You will have to suffer only a little while; after that, God, who is full of grace, the one who called you to his eternal glory in union with the Messiah, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you and make you firm” (1 Peter 5:10 CJB).
Be thankful in the trials, knowing what God will do with them. You don’t have to understand to trust God because He can always be trusted. It will be as you trust Him more that you can endure more of anything that stands before you.
The Lord sometimes sets us free in a trial before he sets us free from the trial. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19 NKJV).
Be thankful in the trials that your life would be a message to those around you. When people see the hope that we have, even when it seems we should have none, they will see just how amazing it is to be held in the loving grip of a caring God.
Let your trials prove your faith. “…Even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine…” (1 Peter 1:6-7 GNT).
Be thankful in the trials, and let God shine His light through you and into the world around you. Let your trial be your testimony of what it looks like to have faith in the God who can do anything. When you’re thankful in the trials, it is there that your faith is being perfected.
In whatever trial you find yourself in, this too will pass. “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NASB).
Blessings to you always, and may the God of comfort always be with you,
Paul Balius
Thank you for the words of encouragement . I am going through so much and i know i wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for God providing everything i need . Praise God Always! 🙏☮️🕊️💕
We are so blessed when we have the Lord with us when we go through the valleys in our life. I don’t know how people can make it without God, and well, they don’t fair very well. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
My trials have been many, but my God is greater! What God has done for me is greater than any heartbreak I endured. I look forward to these weekly emails, keep writing!
What a wonderful testimony you have shared here! This is what faith looks like, that even in the face of adversity, it looks to God who is sovereign over all. Thankful that your life is a message being preached with how you live.