Tribulations and Trials

Trials ~ what can they do for you?  Trials test your faith and your endurance.

Jesus said in John 16:33, “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.”  James 1:2 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.”  These things are going to be a part of life and no one will be exempt from them, everyone will partake in them in some form or other.  Now we can either rejoice in them or we can get bitter about them and cry, “woe is me.”  Trials and tribulations should not come as a surprise to anyone, they are part of life.

Think about it, many times we bring these things on ourselves by what we do and other times they just seem to occur randomly.  Many times we mess up our lives so badly by our choices and actions that we always seem to experience difficulties.  The Word says in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.”  How many can say that they live this verse out in their lives?  These trials and tribulations will either drive you into the arms of God or in the other direction, you will either overcome them by faith or you will buckle under them and become bitter towards God blaming Him for everything.  Jesus warned us ahead of time about these things so that we could be prepared for them when they occur in our lives or in other people’s lives so that we could encourage anyone going through difficult times.

We in the United States have been so blessed over the years that it is easy to think that the blessings will always come and we will not experience any major difficulties.  Christians especially fall into this deception by listening to the prosperity preachers and the inspirational speakers that paint a rosy picture of wealth, security and bliss.  These are easy things to take in but the truth is that Jesus never promised us a rose garden, in fact sometimes life seems like the pits, but it is all in the way you respond to it that makes the difference.  

Jesus said that we should be of good cheer when tribulations come our way but that is much easier said than done.  That seems like a strange statement, “be of good cheer,” but He went on to say, “for I have overcome the world.”  Do you think Jesus went through life unscathed?  Of course not!  There were many people that hated Him because they were jealous of Him.  There were times when men tried to kill Him.  He was rejected by His own people, ridiculed, mocked and laughed at.  Even some of His own brothers didn’t believe in Him.  Once He said in Luke 9:58, “And Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’”  It also says in Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

The thought of being the sacrificial lamb had to be on His mind all the time.  He sure experienced trials and tribulations but He said He overcame the world.  He overcame because of the attitude He had.  He took everything in stride and made the best out of every situation knowing His purpose in life wasn’t going to be easy.  But even though He experienced trials and tribulations He accomplished everything He came here to do. When Jesus said, “it is finished” there wasn’t anything left undone.  So no matter what He had to experience the end result is what really mattered to Jesus, not what would happen prior to the plan God the Father had for His life.  

Jesus didn’t have His eyes on everything that was going on around Him, He kept His eyes on the goal and purpose for which He was sent.  I think He was saying that we can overcome also if we don’t let ourselves get knocked out by the trials and tribulations we must face and keep our eyes on the task set before us and finish our course victoriously.  Let trials strengthen your faith and endurance.  Look at them as blessings and not curses and if they were brought on by our own actions take responsibility for them.  Either way don’t let them get you bitter and angry and don’t blame God for them.  Stand strong, keep the faith and in the end listen for those words, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.”  Praise God!!  God bless and have a great day.