Tag Archives: Embrace the Trial

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Embrace the Trial – Part 7

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Understanding the “What” Question – “Embracing‘What’ God Desires”

The “Who” question leads us to the “What” question. Understanding more of Who God is brings us to the place of seeing our trial through the lens of Scripture from God’s perspective. From His vantage point we can begin to see what He desires—what He desires us to do.

Looking back on the days immediately following my Emergency Room visit, I lay in bed trying to come to grips with what exactly was taking place. During those first few days the Lord was challenging me to embrace the ministry of this trial. This tends to be a foreign concept in the way that we naturally think. The reality is that these custom designed trials are meant to impact far more than just the one it was specifically designed for. God seeks to use our personal trials in the lives of others as we seek to be used of God to minister to them. Consider Paul’s words to the saints at Corinth when he writes,

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”—2 Corinthians 1:3-4

A ministry to others?! I admit that in the throws of a trial this can be quite a challenge to wrap our minds around but I have found that there is a tremendous blessing in embracing the ministry of this trial. The Lord has given me a hope beyond simply enduring this trial—just trying to make it to the end. The reality is that, what if there is no end? What if these health struggles are God’s providential path for me to walk for the duration of my life? Simply enduring this trial would be unbearably frustrating and discouraging. I am convinced that God’s desire is NOT that we endure our trials but truly embrace them for our best and for His glory. To simply endure a trial is resignation to a never-ending reality while embracing the trial sees the value of the trial.

To simply endure the trial takes on a mindset that this is being done “to” me while embracing the trial takes on the mindset that this is being done “for” me.

I remember that I had many questions in those first few days, yet one overarching certainty was that God had a purpose in all of this (Romans 8:28-29). From this truth the Lord laid on my heart this purpose statement.

“Embrace the trial, that I may KNOW Him and GLORIFY Him.”

It was within these first few days I was drawn to the book of Job, finding this study to be both exhausting and refreshing. I sought to plumb the depths of truth in this Biblical account of Job’s suffering and was reminded that God’s desire for each of us is to respond in worship when confronted with adversity. It is true that there are certain lessons that can only be learned in the schoolhouse of suffering. Even still, I believe it is imperative to seek to learn all that we can through the trials that others go through. From Job’s experience, one of the precious truths the Lord has shown me, is how the Godly man responds to adversity—He worships! (Job 1:20-22; Job 2:10). This clearly stems from his right view of God. The book of Job shows us a wonderful example of God’s desire for us to ask the right questions in our trials. Job responds incredibly well, in fact, extremely well when he is confronted first, with the loss of all his possessions and his children (Job 1) and secondly, with the loss of his health (Job 2). In both instances he falls down and worships the Lord. This is a Godly example that we all should strive to emulate.

As I stated in part 2, “I genuinely believe that when we learn to look at our trials in the light of Who God is and what His purpose for our trial is, we will then embrace our trials, understanding that they are for our best and for His glory.” Although these trials often come with great difficulty, we must seek to never lose sight of God’s praiseworthy purpose that Peter speaks of in his first epistle.

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”—1 Peter 1:7

Through the trials of life, God’s desire for each of us is to respond to adversity in worship, giving Him glory, not only as an initial response but consistently and faithfully even as the trial wears on.

The purpose statement—“Embrace the trial, that I may know Him and glorify Him”—contains both a command, a purpose, but also a privilege. Obedience to the command to “embrace the trial” leads to the privilege of knowing the greatness of our God more intimately which guides us to the purpose of glorifying our heavenly Father more consistently. Embracing the trial is a spiritually maturing process. The more I learn about Who my heavenly Father is, the more I will grow in His grace and be more inclined to surrender to His perfect plan for me. This is a way of worship which glorifies Him.

Consider our Savior in the days leading up to His crucifixion. The shadow of the cross looms larger and darker over His path with each step He takes to fulfill His foreordained rescue mission He was sent from heaven to accomplish. He understands the full extent of the agony He would endure as He is to be crushed in this looming crucible of affliction. He embraces the reason for this mission, knowing each soul whose sin He will bear but also each soul whom He would save (Hebrews 12:2).

As He anticipates this impending suffering in sacrifice He does not, even for a single moment, rebel against the will of His Father. It is under this weight that He speaks these words;

“Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name”— John 12:27-28a

He embraced the trial because He knew His Father and desired to glorify Him at all costs.

Christ asks the question, “Should I ask to be delivered from this hour—this crucible of affliction?” The very reason for which He came to this earth was to walk this path of humiliating suffering; to die the cross-like death; to bear the sins of the world as our Chief Substitute; and to endure the wrath of a just and holy God against the sin of the world. He came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) and glorify His Father with each step of obedience He took to complete this rescue mission.

The question He asks brings a startling rebuke to my own heart as I consider the thought of refusing what God says is best for me. The Father had determined Christ’s painful path and He has also providentially determined my path. Should I say, “Father, save me from this hour—this trial”? Jesus’ heart’s desire was that His Father would be glorified at any and all costs. Nothing was too great a sacrifice to see His Father magnified. As a recipient of God’s amazing grace and mercy and object of His immeasurable love, should my desire be any different?

What then will be my response? When I surrender daily to God’s Word, “grace and peace [are] multiplied unto [me] through the knowledge of God” (2 Peter 1:2). These transforming truths—knowing the heart of my heavenly Father Who has lovingly designed this path for me brings me to respond, “Father, glorify Thy name”! When I take on the mind and heart of my Savior and follow His example of obedience, my response will be, “Father, glorify Thy name”!

This journey is marked by mountains and valleys. It is marked by paths riddled with twists and turns, with paths that seemingly have no end, accompanied by temptations to doubt the purposes of God. With each step I must, in reliance upon God’s Spirit, remember that this path is one that leads to heights of truth that only this trial will bring me. Yet on this journey the Lord has also brought me to depths where I have seen the heights of the mountains of truth before me. The perspective is different in the valley. From the valley these truths seem even more transcendent as if reaching to the heavens from which they come.

I must embrace both the beautiful sights from the mountain top as well as the beauty of God’s perspective in the valley below.

What then is the path that will bring my heavenly Father the most glory? What opportunities are laid out before me—opportunities to display God-honoring attitudes and actions—opportunities to speak God-honoring words and think God-honoring thoughts? On this foreordained journey laden with obstacles and opportunities how will I respond? I must learn to allow God’s all-sufficient grace to be a practical reality in my life. I must daily surrender, intentionally letting Christ’s “strength [to be] made perfect in [my] weakness.” Then and only then can I begin to echo Paul’s words saying,

“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”— 2 Corinthians 12:9b

Through this process the Lord shows Himself mighty and will advance His kingdom through my story. This is an amazing thought to consider.

Do you find yourself in a similar narrative of difficulty with different characters and circumstances? How are you responding? Let me remind you, of what I so often need to be reminded of myself.

Know somethings about God

Know that our loving God in His sovereignty (His absolute control) and His all-wise providence (His purpose and plan to complete that purpose) allows all things to take place at their exact moment in time. The problem is that we want to be in control having things done when and how we want. Yet as we learn to wait on God, because of Who He is and Who He is to each of us personally, we will then see that all things are done at their beautiful and right time and we can truly rest quietly while we are waiting.

Do something about what you know

Embrace the process as you see it from to God’s vantage point. Refrain from simply enduring the process for with this mindset we miss so much of what God intends for us to learn—truths that we will only learn when we truly see the worth of the trial and therefore reach out and whole-heartedly embrace it.

When I know and trust Who God is—that He will not make this suffering last any longer than is necessary and that He desires my best for His glory—I can submit and wait for His perfect time to complete the process. Again, this is a continual, repeated exercise of the mind as I daily re-embrace the trial that God in His loving providence and sovereignty has custom designed for me.

When “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,” fret or fold. For as we learn to trust the Lord and let Him be our “refuge and strength” we can “be still” because we “know that [He is] God,” we see the reality of His trustworthiness. The result is that He will be “exalted” and glorified in and through our trial (Psalm 46:1-2a,10). This is what God desires.

“So, embrace the trial, My dear child, My best is what you’ll see, Beyond the suffering you feel, My Son they soon shall see.”

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Embrace the Trial – Part 5

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Understanding the Struggle – “Embracing the Tragedy or Triumph”

“I give up! This is too hard! What’s the use in trying anymore!”

I don’t recall having actually stated these words, but the truth is my attitude, at times, has spoken these words loud and clear. Although my prayer and desire is to “embrace this trial,” the reality is that it is a continual, and grueling struggle. Embracing the trial is not a one-time-event-kind-of-lesson-learned where you “get it” and never have to go back to it. This is a process—a continuous, repeated action, repeated commitment, repeated surrender. My desire is to be faithful in this process, but often my attitude and actions betray my intentions.

We have considered the why and Who questions which help us to embrace the trial, yet I am reminded of the need to understand the almost ever-present struggle of this process. With this understanding comes the reality of the choice of whether to embrace the triumph or the tragedy, dependent upon my embracing the truth.

As the trial continues, there are days of frustration and defeat. Often, at the end of the day, as I pillow my head, my thoughts are arrested by the battle between my flesh and my mind. The emotional, physical, and spiritual struggles of any trial often bring noise into the soul. Through this process, God in His mercy, seeks to rescue us from these noisy areas of defeat that emerge, seemingly at every corner. For me, He is using this trial to open my eyes to areas of sin that I need to address. Like curtains, He is pulling down to reveal something in the dark corners of my heart that I have yet to realize or have been refusing to address. This “ripping down of curtains” is part of the painful, purging process by which God uses to refine us, purifying us like gold.

At times I feel overwhelmed by this process, as if it will never end and it’s just no use in trying. I feel like Paul in Romans 7 where he bares his heart’s struggle in his battle against his flesh. It is a tiring battle—one that is strong and unrelenting—one that seems to gain the upper hand when I am the most vulnerable, one that has no mercy. Paul writes,

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will [the desire] is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would [I want to do] I do not: but the evil which I would not [I don’t want to do], that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. O wretched man that I am!”—Romans 7:18-20, 24a

Maybe go back and read those verses again. It has taken me some time, repeatedly reading, meditating, and asking the Lord for understanding about them to be convinced that I finally have a handle on them.

With these words, Paul express what my heart seems to say, all too often in this trial. Frankly, even when I am not in a trial like what I am going through now. It is the tug-of-war of my flesh and mind. I know what I am supposed to do, the attitudes I’m supposed to have, the example I’m supposed to set, but all too often I find myself doing what I know I shouldn’t, having the attitude that is opposite of what I should, being the example that is against what I should set. This battle is real and it rages with such strength that often victory seems hopeless and beyond the horizon, so far out of sight and beyond my reach, while defeat seems all too real, breathing down my neck, with its death grip embracing me.

What can I do? The truth is that I’m often simply tired and worn out with no fight left—or so it seems. Paul concluded, “O wretched man that I am!” The idea is that Paul cries out in exhaustion, as if he has been exerting his fullest effort in hard labor in this battle. Does this sound familiar? It is at these times that we fall prey to half-truths that can lead to whole-untruths. These are the times where we are often tempted to wonder, “Does God really care or even know what is going on?” Or maybe, “Is there really a purpose to all of this pain?” We might even ask, “Is the praiseworthy purpose of Christ-likeness even worth it?” These are the times that we need to fight these lies with truth.

Consider Paul’s word as he cries out for help, desiring victory for a problem that only presents defeat. He says,

“O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”—Romans 7:24-25

In these verses I find great hope and encouragement. Paul sees victory in Christ. I picture in my mind as the great apostle lifts his eyes heavenward and asks the question, “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Then with a sigh of relief he smiles giving thanks for this transforming truth with which he triumphs, saying, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is through Christ my Lord, as I surrender to His way that I triumph.

And then with loving, gentle voice, the pain He cuts right through,
“My Son will come alive in you, when yieldings’ what you do.”

What is the way of Christ that Paul is thankful for? Notice the triumphant path that Paul speaks of here at the end of Romans 7. He says, “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Paul draws attention to the question of masters. The key to triumph or tragedy is determined by whom I choose to serve. With a renewed mind I serve my Savior but with the natural mind I will give into my flesh and serve self.

The truth is that I can either embrace the tragedy or the triumph. I can either serve self as I give in to my flesh or serve my Savior as I embrace the truth of Who He is.

The realization that I am reminded of is that in order to faithfully embrace the trial, I must faithfully embrace the truth. This exercise at times, is moment by moment. This is the deliberate exercise of my mind being renewed with truth, as Paul writes in Romans 12:2 that we are “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.” In Colossians 3:10, he uses the illustration of changing clothes as he writes, “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after [or based upon] the image of Him that created him.” This renewal process is a replacement process.  The old mind needs to be exchanged with a new mind—just as dirty garments needs to be replaced with clean ones, thoughts of sin and deception must be replaced with thoughts of truth and righteousness.

There is a positive and negative side of this truth. The negative side is that I must embrace the truth that this struggle is real and relentless, raging stronger at times more than other times. There is one who seeks to defeat, destroy, and devour us, using our flesh as the battering ram to bring us to our knees in surrender. Jesus warns us of the devil’s intentions saying, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”[1] while Peter calls for vigilance “because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”[2] We must never forget, “that we are [not] sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”[3]

The positive side of embracing the truth answers the painful reality of the trial. Yes, the truth is that our struggle is real and relentless, exacerbated by the enemy who roars and rages, yet our loving Savior stands ready and answers saying, “I AM come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly: I AM the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.”[4] Our great “I AM” further infuses words of truth saying, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.”[5] He is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear.”[6] He says, “Be still, and KNOW that I AM God.”[7]

With these words, my tired soul is strengthened, my hopeless heart is revived, my depressed mind is renewed to once again take on the fight.

I must deliberately “Cast down,” destroying these “imaginations” or deceptive thoughts, “and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”[8] I must daily, “set [my] affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”[9] I must be diligently “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith”[10] “holding fast the profession of faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised).”[11]

In obedience, I can triumph instead of becoming the tragedy of wasted suffering. With my mind renewed and stabilized upon Christ, the Rock of Truth, I can once again lay hold upon the trial, embracing the struggle, choosing triumph over tragedy.

“So, embrace the trial, My dear child, My best is what you’ll see,
Beyond the suffering you feel, My Son they soon shall see.”

[1] John 10:10a
[2] 1 Peter 5:8
[3] 2 Corinthians 3:5
[4] John 10:10b-11
[5] Isaiah 41:10
[6] Psalm 46:1-2a
[7] Psalm 46:10a
[8] 2 Corinthians 10:5
[9] Colossians 3:2
[10] Hebrews 12:2a
[11] Hebrews 10:23

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Embrace the Trial – Part 4

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Understanding the “WHO” Question – “Embracing more of ‘Who’ God is”

“It is in our acceptance of what is given [whatever that may be], that God gives Himself.”

This quote comes from her book, “These Strange Ashes,” where Elisabeth Elliot writes,

“Faith’s most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain. If God were God, if He were omnipotent, if He had cared, would this have happened? Is this that I face now … the reward of my obedience? One turns in disbelief again from the circumstances and looks into the abyss. But in the abyss there is only blackness, no glimmer of light, no answering echo …. It was a long time before I came to the realization that it is in our acceptance of what is given [whatever that may be], that God gives Himself. This grief, this sorrow, this total loss that empties my hands and breaks my heart, I may, if I will, accept, and by accepting it, I find in my hands something to offer. And so I give it back to Him, who in mysterious exchange gives Himself to me.”

As I read these words, I am struck by her raw transparency as she struggles to reconcile Who God is with the reality of the pain of her suffering. God giving Himself to us in the trial speaks of His attitude toward His children, as He reveals more of Who He is. The truths of God bring great comfort in the trial, when we learn to embrace Who He is.

How will my attitude toward my trial change when I embrace the truth that God gives Himself? What changes in my mind when I embrace this truth? How will my response to my trial change when my focus shifts from off my pain to the Person in control of the process?

The shifting of our perspective from off the painful process to the Person Who is providentially seeking to bring about His loving purpose results in worship. In part 3, we considered God’s character—“what God is like” and “what God knows is best.” We considered Paul and his response to God’s negative answer to his prayer. His response is one of surrender as he embraces the trial in worship. The reason? He knew and trusted his loving, heavenly Father.

“The best is not the question ‘Why?’ but better yet, just ‘Who?’
For when you see Me, Who I am, you will surrender too.”

The night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He tenderly taught His disciples, seeking to prepare them for His departure, which was their greatest trial up to this point in their lives. Over and over He teaches them life-changing, stabilizing truths about His Father.

In John 15 we see a comforting word picture of the purging process. It illustrates for us both the purpose and the process of trials, but it also shows us the Person orchestrating the process for His good purpose. Take a few moments and read through these verses noting the Father and Son, as I have highlighted them to draw our attention.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.”—John 15:1-5

Amongst the many stabilizing truths in the passage, two great truths stand out, bringing great encouragement. In this passage Christ speaks of the loving relationships between the Husbandman and the Vine and the Vine and the branches.

The first, in illustration form, is that God is a vinedresser lovingly pruning His vine branches. What I find so encouraging about this word picture is the attitude of God the Father, the husbandman, going about pruning His branches. Picture in your mind a vinedresser coming alongside each vine with his pruning shears as he gets in close to the vine. He is very deliberate and methodical about where he cuts. He desires to maximize the fruit-bearing potential and quality of each branch so he cuts off only what is necessary—he applies only necessary pain to the branch. In this we see the careful attention the Husbandman gives as He wraps His loving arms around the Vine and prunes each branch—like a loving father embracing his child. The truth is that God is never closer to you than He is in the trial. This realization warms my heart and encourages me to press on.

The second great truth is Christ’s desire for union and communion with His branches. Through this purging process Christ, the Vine, is ever present and calls for us to “abide in Him,” ever seeking to draw us into closer, more intimate fellowship of dependency. From these words we see God’s attitude of love pouring forth like an unending fountain.

Consider what the Bible says about God’s love: “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). “But God commendeth [proved] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This is the heart of our God in every action He takes—He is the unchanging, loving God.

In the book of Jeremiah, God speaks of the 70 years of judgment, in Babylon, that the nation of Israel will suffer through. He then reassures and reminds them of Who He is. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” saith the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected [desired] end” (Jeremiah 29:11). He is saying, “Remember Who I am! I Love you, and desire peace for you and not evil. I desire a good and purposeful end to this process. Trust Me, I love You!”

A few chapters later Jeremiah writes, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee [He lovingly encourages His people into a closer relationship with Him]’” (Jeremiah 31:3). God reminds His servant that His painful actions toward His people are rooted in a love that will never end. It is with this love that He draws His people closer to Himself through the trials of life.

A second word picture has been helpful for me as I consider God’s praiseworthy purpose. Paul writes, “For we are His workmanship [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

I find it helpful to keep in mind that God is a master sculptor skillfully sculpting His masterpiece. A.W. Tozer wrote,

“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply. If God sets out to make you an unusual Christian He is not likely to be as gentle as He is usually pictured by the popular teachers. A marble sculptor does not use a manicure set to reduce the rude, unshapely marble to a thing of beauty. The saw, the hammer and the chisel are cruel tools, but without them the rough stone must remain forever formless and unbeautiful.”

This illustration pictures for us the process that is necessary to fulfill God’s praiseworthy purpose. It is a painful process but never forget that it is always with purpose from the hand of a loving God. Remember, “God never wastes the sufferings of His saints” (Warren Wiersbe). It is always for a good purpose.

Just as a master sculptor takes the necessary time to complete his masterpiece, so too, God the greatest, all-wise Master Sculptor takes only the necessary time, and necessary cuts to bring His masterpiece to completion. Remember the end goal for this painful process, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose […] to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:28-29).

Let’s keep in mind that God’s masterpiece will only be fully completed once we see our Savior face to face, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2), “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6). Until that time, God is seeking to sculpt us into the image of His Son, day by day, trial by trial.

“So, embrace the trial, My dear child, My best is what you’ll see,
Beyond the suffering you feel, My Son they soon shall see.”