Trials, Part Two

The tests and trials of our lives are not accidental, but designed for each of us.

Tested by God

We children of His are tested by God
To see if our faith is real or fraud,
And that is the first of many tests we'll take,
But never at any time will He ever forsake us.
Whatever length and depth and difficulty we face,
He'll be there with His sufficient grace.
He tailors the test to the student
And remedial work may assign,
But every step on our way with Him
He knows the work for our mind,
The strength our spirits need to increase,
The time we can stand before we give way.
He knows and will give strength for the day.
What comfort it is to be so known
By the One on heaven's throne!

One of the most encouraging verses in Scripture is Hebrews 4:15: "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."

How is this possible? Go back to Hebrews 2:9-10: "But we see Him who was for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him though whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings."

Philippians 2:5-11 gives us a glimpse into what Jesus willingly experienced on our behalf: "who, although He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Every knee, every tongue, without exception--did you see that? How I look forward to that Day--every knee, every tongue, as Christ's glory is sung, as the Father is blessed, by the called and the rest.

Paul would later writer: "If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness" (2 Corinthians 11:30). The apostle explains: "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Paul saw contentedness in multiples of weakness, insult, distress, persecution, difficulty, because he recognized that in these, if he experienced them on behalf of Christ, he would have the indwelling power of Christ through them.