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“Life is a ‘vale of tears,’ a period of trial and suffering, an unpleasant but necessary preparation for the afterlife where alone man could expect to enjoy happiness.” |
There is a reason that life has been called a “vale of tears.” Life in a sinful world, life with a fallen nature, is hard. Suffering happens. Bad things happen to good people. In Job, Eliphaz correctly observes, “For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:6-7)
But have you ever noticed how different people react so differently to trials? Some people lose their faith entirely, while others emerge from a “dark night of the soul” experience with their faith stronger than ever. The difference between the two is found in how the person chooses to view the experience. If you want to come through trials with your faith stronger than before, it is important to focus on the long-term gain, rather than the short-term pain.
It is natural to focus on the pain and difficulties of trials, but the eye of faith can choose to focus on the long-term gain to be had, and this is where we find the secret to increasing our faith through trials.
Trials are allowed for our benefit: to break us, to recreate us, and to bring us into alignment with Yahuwah’s will.
Trials break us
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
When life is smooth, we tend to rely on ourselves, but that does not teach us to rely on Yahuwah.
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How many people pray only when they have need help? When life is smooth, we tend to rely on ourselves, but that does not teach us to rely on Yahuwah. We see this in the experiences of the Children of Israel. Again and again, they were brought into desperate situations: they were trapped at the Red Sea with no way of escape, their water ran out, their food ran out, their water ran out again … all of these experiences were allowed to teach them to turn to Yahuwah.
Yahuwah could have sent manna before their food ran out. He could have provided water before they were thirsty, but then they would have missed the lessons they needed to learn. Independence and self-sufficiency takes us away from Yah.
These lessons don’t have to hurt. Life’s trials are meant to bring us close to the Father. When we cooperate, the sting of disappointment is replaced by the sweetness of trust.
Trials recreate us
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of [Yahuwah] has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)
There is a purpose to every trial. Jeremiah assures us that Yahuwah “does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” (Lamentations 3:33) The Father weighs every trial before allowing it through. He knows just how much we can bear and only allows the minimum to achieve the desired goal: dependence upon Him.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And [Yahuwah] is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
It takes faith to trust that, even in the chaos and confusion of loss and tragedy, Yahuwah is working for our good, but that is what Scriptures promises: “And we know that in all things [Yahuwah] works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
When we choose to trust through suffering, we are actively choosing to be recreated. We’re setting aside the doubts and fears of our fallen nature and choosing faith. This not only increases our faith but advances us in the process of transformation. These trials are what Yahuwah uses to mold us into His image. This is how believers gain strength, wisdom and begin to reflect the divine image.
Trials align us
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:8-11)
The devil, of course, means for trials to weaken our faith so that we lose hold on Yahuwah. However, the trials themselves benefit us in a number of ways, all of which transform us, bringing us into alignment with Yahuwah’s will. Trials reveal what is in our hearts to ourselves. They give us a chance to repent. They also show us weak spots in our faith, giving us the opportunity to turn to Yahuwah. Trials provide us with the opportunity for character growth, transforming us into Yahuwah’s image and bringing us into alignment with His will for our lives.
Suffering has a purpose. It’s not just pointless, it’s not arbitrary. It is for our eternal good. When we accept trials and choose to trust, when we allow them to break us, to recreate us, and to align us with the Father’s will, the trials we find so difficult will turn out to be our greatest blessings.
“Trust in YAHUWAH with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
