Trials

As leaders, we often see people’s faithfulness, as they remain loyal in tough times or go the extra mile to achieve superior results. Yet, we also experience people’s forgetfulness, half-hearted efforts, and disloyalty to us personally and to the larger organizational cause.

I’m so thankful that God is faithful. Even after the destruction of Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah could write in Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

God is always with us as we go through the highs and lows of life. As the Israelites stood on the edge of the Promised Land for the second time, Moses exhorted the Israelites in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” The Israelites could count on God’s faithful presence and provision. We can, too.

Even when we face temptation, our faithful God has promised a way of escape. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God 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.”

Of course, sometimes we chose not to follow the way of escape from temptation. Thankfully, we know from 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself. Nothing can separate us from God’s love as we see in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We also know that God is faithful to fulfill His promises as we see in the last half of Psalm 145:13: “The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” Near the end of his life, Joshua could attest that every one of God’s promises had been fulfilled; not one had failed (Joshua 23:14). The Bible is full of God’s promises to us. We can stand on these promises!

And one of those promises points to His faithful work in our lives. Paul could say about the Philippians that He who began a good work in them would finish it (Philippians 1:6). God is doing the same finishing work in all His children.

It’s easy to become jaded as we experience disappointments in life. We may think that God has abandoned us or is minimally involved in caring for us and the rest of the world. A certain way of thinking about God can seep into our lives. We may never say it out load, but our inner voice starts to say, “Maybe, God isn’t as good as I once thought. Why would a good God allow this to happen to me or on a larger scale, why does he allow global injustices to persist?”

Many biblical passages herald God’s goodness. Here’s a small sample:

Psalm 145:9 - “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 34:8 - “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm 33:5 - “The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”

God’s goodness points to His unending generosity. He is for His creation. He is actively involved in caring for and blessing humans, the pinnacle of His creative work, but the rest of His creation, as well. This means that God’s purposes are good purposes; He has creation’s best interests in mind.

Now, of course, God in His sovereignty chose to allow sin to enter humanity. He gives us the freedom to choose for or against Him and His desires for us. This doesn’t undermine God’s goodness. What it does is it gives people a choice to follow or not follow His good path. Regardless of the choices we make, God continues to pour out His goodness on His creation – a creation hurt by sin.

The ultimate expression of God’s goodness was the gift of His son, Jesus. Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, so that we might have eternal life. That’s God’s generous goodness in action.

The fact that we live in a well-ordered universe and on a planet that contains so much beauty and potential is an ongoing demonstration of God’s goodness.

Every day, we’re recipients of God’s good gifts. Indirectly, through all that God has embedded in His creation, like the ability to communicate, and through the advancements we’ve made in tending His creation, like listening to music that stirs our hearts. We’re also direct beneficiaries of His goodness as God answers our prayers, often doing far more than we could ever ask or imagine, when God leads us to repentance, forgives our sins as we confess them to Him, protects us from danger or supports us as we experience trials, and supplies us with unending resources to live life well for Him. That’s our good God.

Mature spiritual leadership is forged in the crucible of difficult conversations, the pressure of conflicted relationships, the pain of setbacks, and dark nights of the soul. — Peter Scazzero

The school of hard knocks has a way of teaching us deep lessons. 

James encourages us to be joyful when we encounter difficulties. The reason: the testing of our faith produces endurance, which leads to spiritual maturity (James 1:2-4).

Peter shares the same view. He says that trials refine our faith (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Paul reminds us that "our light and momentary troubles" are producing eternal benefits that far outweigh the discomfort of the moment (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Yet, how do we respond well to life's challenges? The writer of Hebrews encourages us to endure hardship as discipline (Hebrews 12:7). It's important to recognize that the writer is not saying that all hardship is discipline; he's simply asking us to view it in that way—to see difficulty as an opportunity to learn and grow.

I like to golf. I'm not the best golfer in the world—a fact that was clearly demonstrated during one of our annual Wollf Golf Tournaments. One of the tee boxes had foot-high hedges that stretched for about 20 feet along either side. I promptly drove my first ball into one of those hedges. It was embarrassing, but those ball-sucking hedges were not done with me yet. I drove five balls into their clutches. As I went to retrieve my fifth ball (now lying 10 shots and not even off the tee yet), my dad and brother overhead me muttering, "What is God trying to teach me?"  

Even though I can't remember how deeply I was pondering the question at the time, it's not a bad question to ask both on and off the golf course.

The writer of Hebrews goes on to talk about our loving Father who disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. It's a painful process. Yet, it can produce a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

We are trained by life when we humbly respond to both painful and pleasant circumstance and earnestly seek to learn God's lessons from both. This often requires prayerful processing guided by Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom of supportive confidants.

I am told that Caribbean pine trees routinely withstand fierce hurricanes, long periods of drought, and even fire. But one thing they cannot tolerate is cultivation. In a well-kept yard with plenty of water and fertilizer, they often die.

We need adversity to grow stronger in Christ.

As Helen Keller testified: