Dealing With Trials

     We have all had bad days, weeks, or months even. The circumstances vary, but the pain and the suffering is the same. Why does God allow these things to happen? What is He trying to teach me in this? Am I alone in this? These are the questions that may surface from trials that fall upon us. We all go through this. The good news is that there is a answer to all of these questions in God.

     The great Christian author Oswald Chambers wrote, "If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all, they are meant to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what transpires in other souls so that you will never be surprised at what you come across'' (Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest). God allows us to go through trials to refine us and make us stronger for something great that He has prepared for us in our future. If we are true Christians, then our life in obedience to Him should be surrender and trust with all circumstances that He takes us through in life. We should be thankful for trials and concerned when there are a lack of them. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

     Let's begin this study on how to deal with trials by looking at the book of Job, as we have so much to learn from what Job had endured during his hardship. Those of you who know Job, know that he probably persevered through the most difficult test than any man (or woman) alive today. His family is killed. His wife abandons him. He loses his wealth and eventually his health. All of this takes place in a matter of weeks. And then to add to his misery, he is afflicted with disease which is described in chapter two. He has no idea that his life is a challenge between satan and God. All he knows is the pain and suffering that he is experiencing. Job becomes desperate and begins to despise his own existence. He is completely and utterly broken.

     Before the trial, Job was considered to be an upright man. He had great riches and was well known within his community. He was a righteous man and had great respect for God. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned many types of cattle and he had a large number of servants. The Bible says, "He was the greatest man among all the people of the East" (Job 1:3). Job had it all. He was a blessed man. As we take a deeper look at his life, we will gain understanding that blessings come in many forms, during good times and bad.

     Allow me to share from the Bible the testing that Job faced. We'll start in Job 1:6-22 (I will be citing from BibleGateway.com): ⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
¹² The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
¹⁸ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
    may the name of the Lord be praised.”

²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

     Did you notice that Satan has access to heaven? This verse begins with angels and satan approaching God for presentation. Just as you are accountable to your boss, the angels are required to check in as well, and along with them comes the deceiver. This shows that he is not a threat to God and that he too has to answer to God. God asks him, "Where did you come from," but God already knows the answer and is quite aware that satan is up to no good. God also knows that satan is looking for a challenge and so He offers Job to the enemy. What a privilege that must be! I could only hope that my life honors God in such a way that He would choose me to be tested by the devil, with complete knowledge of my victory before hand. Of course, satan replies with infinite reasoning as if he were playing some reverse psychological mind game with God, “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Do you believe that the God of this universe knows you? The same God that created the moon, sun, stars, and all of the planets made you and He knows you completely. He knows your fears, worries, and weaknesses. He knows your strengths as well as what brings you joy and happiness. He is for you and He would not allow you to endure something that He didn't believe you could. C.S. Lewis wrote, “For you will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John” (Lewis, The Problem of Pain). We all know the tragic end of Judas' life. It would be in our best interest to trust God and to serve Him like John had served, in love.

     So the Lord grants satan his request, and allows him to attack Job so long as he did not endanger Job's life. Satan, in all of his craftiness, knows how to cause pain and terror in Job's life, and that is by attacking the things that matter most to him. He starts by deceiving the Sabeans into robbing Job's oxen and killing his servants. In what seems like a matter of minutes, Job learns that fire fell from the sky destroying his sheep, the Chaldeans steal his camels, and the remainder of his servants are put to the sword. And then, as a final blow, satan causes a desert storm to overcome the house that Job's children were feasting in, destroying it and all who were in it. In one day, Job has lost it all. All of which that had any earthly value to him, was taken away.

     If you didn't know the story, how would you expect Job to react? How do you think you would respond to such dire circumstances? I would like to believe that I would have done what Job chooses to do (except for tearing my robe and shaving my head which was Jewish tradition to show grieving). I admit that, if I didn't know God, I would probably be very angry with Him and accuse Him. But Job chooses a different response. Instead of blaming God he falls down in worship to Him. Job cries out, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job immediately recognizes his lack of control over matters. He recognizes God's authority and ownership over all things. His faith in God is strong enough that he honors Him with instant praise. Maybe he even feared his own life was at stake and he wanted to give God glory for his blessed life.

     We have the advantage of reading this story on the other side of it. We know what Job's outcome is. There is One that knows the following chapters in our story. He knows the beginning and the end of our lives. Job trusted God no matter what the circumstances. We should trust God as well. As we continue this study over the next couple of weeks, we'll learn how far God allows satan to go when attacking us, how Job continued to trust God even when his friends falsely spoke of God, and how he coped with depression as his life continues with no hope of restoration.

     My prayer is that we begin to let our guards down and that we ask for softening of our hearts. That God would make provisions obvious to us during our times of trials and that we would be accepting of His refinement in our lives. He is an awesome God with infinite knowledge who has a plan for each and every one of us. He does not conform to us but we need to conform to Him and trust Him when storms come into our lives. Thank You Father for the trials. Thank You for choosing us to be tested. Thank You for Your work on the Cross. In Christ's name, Amen.