What’s the Purpose of a Trial?
For God to explain a trial would be to destroy its purpose (Alfred Edersheim)
Trials Will Come
When bad things happen the devil tries to crush us. But in the midst of our trial Jesus is actively working to bring good out of evil.
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. (Romans 8:28 NIV)
Turning to Christ doesn’t make our struggles suddenly end. We may still walk a darkened, painful path for a time But running toward Jesus when a traumatic event occurs is the wisest thing we can do.
Several years ago, my only brother attempted suicide. The paramedics rushed him to an Intensive Care Burn Center in Detroit. I flew up to Michigan because I was his closest living relative. But emotionally I’ve never been in such excruciating pain. I soon realized the doctors and nurses were fighting a losing battle. Chris had damaged his body so badly he couldn’t live long. Even worst, my brother was an devote atheist.
In tears, I prayed two prayers which made all the difference.
The first was,
Lord, I hate what I’m going through right now. It hurts horribly. But I trust You.
I’d had enough experience as a Christian by then to have seen God bring good out of evil during rough times. So I was able to pray this prayer in faith, even through my tears.
The second prayer I prayed was a loving gift from the Holy Spirit. It’s a variation of Psalm 27:13.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:13-14 NIV)
I cried out to Jesus while walking through Detroit Airport, and said,
Lord it’s so dark. I need to see the goodness of God in the land of the living.
Spoiler alert; it worked. I saw concrete examples of God’s mercy and goodness every day in the hospital.
My Spiritual Point
I never want to live though such a traumatic event again, but during that dark time, Jesus deepened my faith as a believer. I became more convinced of the Trinity’s tender care and the Holy Spirit also launched this ministry.
Resources:
Check out The Pit Dweller series. I list all the ways Jesus walked with me in the darkness.
