Facing Trials

"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The Lord is with  you, mighty warrior.'" (Judges 6:12) Gideon countered this statement with a question. He wanted to know if the Lord was with them, then why were the Midianites oppressing them? He wanted to know where God's wonders were, like the ones that took the people out of Egypt. He wanted to know why the Lord had abandoned them. (Judges 6:13)

Most often when we face trials, we want to know why we are facing them. So Gideon's questions are not a surprise. Sometimes our struggles are a result of our own disobedient choices, as was the case for Israel. They had chosen to disobey God and participate in idol worship. Charles Spurgeon said, "The Lord does not permit His children to sin successfully." God is a holy God and He demands a holy character in us like that of His Son. His chastening is needed to lead us to repentance. It is a sign that we are His children and that He loves us. (Warren Wiersbe)

But unlike Job's friends, we should not always assume that our hardships are due to our sin. God did not find any fault with Job (Job 1:8; 2:3; 42:7); yet He allowed Satan to afflict him. This shows us that God is sovereign; there is nothing that happens to us without God's permission. "God is on the throne and has everything under control". (Wiersbe) Satan believed that if Job lost all of his blessings, that he would curse God. God allowed Job's suffering to prove Satan wrong. Job knew he was righteous before God and refused to say otherwise. Even though Job did not understand why God was allowing his suffering, he continued to believe in and trust God.

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Another reason for suffering I believe has to do with our character. Phillips Brooks said, "The purpose of life is the building of character through truth". God desires for us to be more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). Scripture tells us in several places what the results of facing hardship will be. James 1:2-4 tells us that we should consider trials a joy because the testing of our faith will produce perseverance. If we persevere, we will be mature and complete and not lacking anything. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says that trials come to prove the genuineness of our faith; that the end result will be praise, glory and honor when Christ returns. Romans 5:3-5 says that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope; and our hope will not disappoint.

We are certain to experience trials at some point in our lives. May we not waste time dwelling on the whys. May we not become bitter or angry at God for allowing the struggle; but trust His sovereignty and know that He is in control. May we learn and grow from the experience; and be willing to use it to encourage others who may face the same thing. And most importantly, may we be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

-Warren Wiersbe quotes taken from The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, The Complete Old Testament p. 440

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