Last week, a horrible act of unspeakable violence occurred in San Bernardino, California. With people consistently killing each other, it seems like the world is just getting worse as time progresses. When trials devastate our lives, it is easy to point a finger at God and demand to know why He is not doing anything to help. Sometimes it's even easier to allow the enemy to get a hold of us and drag us down until the gap between us and the Lord feels larger than it has ever felt before. As Christians, it is essential to remember that we will face many trials over the course of our lives here on earth. What often comes with these trials is a misunderstanding: God is the one who has been giving you all of this hardship, and has abandoned you to handle them all by yourself. As Billy Graham pointed out, trials will either draw us closer to God or push us further away; it all depends on how we respond to them.
God does not tempt us. The Book of James tells us that, “when tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone” (James 1:13). That being said, whatever trials you are facing, do not ever place the blame on God because He is not responsible for the hardship you are experiencing. God might allow trials to come, but “He didn’t necessarily cause them, nor is He . . . punishing you for something you did wrong” (Graham). As a Christian, I used to often wonder why I found myself struggling so much every day. But God told us specifically in the Book of 1 John, that we should expect to receive trouble and hardship in this world. The world will hate those who are truly seeking and following Christ, so hold fast and remember that the world hated Christ first, and He overcame it. The enemy hates those who are striving to grow closer to God; therefore, he will try to distract you by attempting to manipulate your thoughts. You might see or hear about all of these heinous acts of violence happening around you, and you might hear people in protest, asking why God is not doing anything to help them. The enemy could use this to try and get you to think in the same manner and cause you to step off the path that leads to Christ. Do not let Satan win. As a result of being reckless human beings, when trials hit us hard, we either lash out in rebellion or we turn to the Lord in repentance, seeking His help. I pray that we would all learn to choose the latter.
If trials are something Christians must accept as a way of life, then how do we deal with them? We endure the trials by changing our perspective: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). Instead of viewing our trials as the source of all our sorrows and pain, we should endeavor to see our trials as a blessing, for they are a clear reminder that we are weak and frail and in desperate need of our God. By recognizing that our lives are futile without Him, we can start to comprehend that God is truly the center of everything. Nothing and nobody should ever come before Him, and, by understanding this, we should repent of our sins, and give Him all of our attention, all of our praise, and all of our love. “In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 3-5). How do we cope with the trials? By recognizing that our struggles do not come from God but from the enemy and from our own sin. God is not tempting us, nor is He simply watching as we struggle and suffer in this dismal, bleak world that we live in. Rather, He suffers alongside us.
Human beings--as treacherous and corrupted as we are--are not the ones who suffer most in this universe. Imagine the agony and gut-wrenching pain of seeing your beloved child, fall and crumble to their death as a result of the lost battle between them and their own sin. For God to see His beloved creation losing their battle with sin and turning on one another with bombs and blades and bullets, must grieve Him deeply. In Isaiah 63, we see that God loves the people of Israel and when they become distressed, He is distressed right alongside them. And when they rebelled and went against His Word, He was grieved. If we only praise and honor God when times are easy and painless, what kind of faith is that? "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10). Consider Job and all the trials he was subjected to: all of his sheep, oxen and camels were taken from him, his seven sons and three daughters were killed, and he was struck with painful sores all over his body.
After experiencing so much devastation, he eventually questioned God and his very own existence. After God reminded Job of who He was and is, Job said, "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:3). Only after humbling himself and repenting before the Lord, did God restore all that had been taken from Job, giving him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10). With how sinful we are and how much we have the tendency to disobey Him every day, we are in no position to blame God for our trials or demand to know why He is not helping us. But we can thrive by rejoicing in them, keeping God’s commands, and placing Him before everything and everyone, including ourselves. Life as a Christian will not be easy. To be loved by the world because you conform to it is to have no love for the Father, and be on the path that leads to destruction. But to be hated by the world as a result of your unwavering faith in Christ Jesus, is to be blessed and on the path that leads to everlasting life with Him.
