As I sat in my cozy living room…in my comfortable apartment…in my hometown, I remembered the short poem, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” For several months my heart had been burdened to move to Little Rock, AR to join the believers who had moved there to start a new assembly. It thrilled my heart to see the Lord work during the initial outreach, and then to hear reports of this new assembly growing. There had been much prayer, counsel from elders, and long talks with a couple who had already moved there. All the doors were open to go.
But I was just a regular person. Could I really step out in faith like this? Could I leave behind my parents, church family, home, a wonderful teaching job–my entire comfort zone? I decided to go, and I knew the Lord would go with me.
Two verses provided special encouragement: “Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Ps. 90: 1), and “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared” (Ex. 23:20).
Moving to Little Rock in June, I had time to settle into my new apartment, adjust to a new city, and get to know the saints before starting my teaching job. Everything went just fine–until I started my job at the end of August. I didn’t expect to be exempt from trials just because I had “done the Lord’s will,” but I had no idea how difficult the school year would prove to be.
It wasn’t just one trial to deal with, but new ones day after day. I felt like I was under a waterfall of trials, and at times I felt I would drown. It seemed like every possible thing that could make a teaching job miserable was served onto my plate.
The school year is now over and I have spent much time looking back on the year and considering what the Lord has taught me. Perhaps these simple thoughts will be an encouragement to some reader going through a trial.
1) Never belittle someone else’s trial. The dear, caring saints in Little Rock heard all about my trial. I think it would have crushed me if someone had said, “Hey, it’s not that bad. Lighten up.” It was that bad for me–I had never experienced anything like it. My friends never ceased to be supportive and loving. They prayed me through the year. I’ll never forget the example they were to me.
2) One need not feel guilty for experiencing a trial. When we compare our difficulties with those around us who are going through much worse things, we may become even more discouraged, thinking that we are weak because we are not able to handle it. “Sure, I could call this a trial if I had cancer, or if a loved one died, or if I didn’t have a job at all,” we may think. “Wow, I must be a wimpy Christian. If I were a better Christian this wouldn’t be a trial at all, and my circumstances wouldn’t be affecting me like they are.”
Scripture makes it plain that God allows trials for all kinds of reasons, such as developing patience, conforming us to the image of His Son, and getting us ready to minister to others. We must not think that the trial we are experiencing is somehow an exception to the rule.
2 Corinthians 10:5 is a good reminder not to let our minds dwell on ideas that don’t line up with Scripture: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
3) Trust His timing. The Lord determines when the trial hits and how long it lasts. (Satan may attack, but God is sovereign.) I almost laugh when I think back to my first week or two into the trial. The thoughts of my heart went something like this, “Thank You, Lord, for giving me this firm reminder that I need to be more dependent on You each day. I’ve learned a good lesson, NOW GET ME OUT OF THIS!!!” That was not His plan; He wanted me to learn a lot more. The Lord also knew that all this would happen after I moved to be involved with the local assembly. It was frustrating that demands from my job limited my time with the saints. A dear sister encouraged me that God didn’t bring me to Little Rock just to be used in the lives of others, but so He could work in my own life. I learned that several other believers who had moved to help with the new work also found themselves blasted with trials during their first year there.
4) “A bruised reed shall He not break” (Isa. 42:3a). One day as I drove home from work, wiping the tears from my eyes, thinking I could simply not handle any more, I lashed out at the Lord and said, “You said You wouldn’t break the bruised reed…and You haven’t kept your promise!” A Sunday message I heard soon after the incident warned of questioning God’s character during trials, accusing Him of wrong-doing in our lives. My heart was smitten. How could I have possibly blamed my loving Saviour of doing anything uncaring in my life? He is my Refuge and Strength and Help. I confessed my sin to the Lord. I realized that I was not broken; the Lord keeps all His promises. I was feeling what it is to be bruised.
5) Now is the chance to praise Him in the dark. How beautiful it must be to the Lord when the sweet song of praise comes out of the darkest night. We think of Satan speaking to God regarding Job, “But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face” (Job 1:11). And we also remember those powerful words of Job that followed incredible loss, “…the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). When we are hated without a cause, rewarded evil for good, and misunderstood, we can thank Him for the opportunity it provides to know the fellowship of His sufferings. We can also actively look for things to be thankful for. I needed to force my focus onto the good points of my job. Although the school year was a difficult one, there were many experiences and relationships which were truly blessings.
6) God is in the business of digging ditches. Not long after the school year finished, I read Charles Spurgeon’s book, Praying Successfully. When I came to the following portion I felt as if it had been written just for me. I was so grateful for these words of encouragement that I wept. Spurgeon writes,
Therefore, you,…my sister who has deep spiritual challenges, I want to comfort you by showing you that this is God’s way of making something out of you. He is digging you out. You are like an old ditch that cannot hold any more, and God is digging you out to make room for more grace. His shovel will cut sharply as it digs up clump after clump and throws them aside. The very thing you would like to keep will be thrown away, and you will be hollowed out and dug out so that the word of Elisha may be fulfilled: “Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water” (2 Ki. 3:16-17). You are to be tried, my friend, so that God may be glorified in you (p. 23).
7) God is the God of hope. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:13). About halfway through the year, I hit a major low. I felt hopeless; there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. The circumstances that surrounded me were dismal; to look up to the God of hope and trust Him for the future was sunshine to the heart. As I waited on Him and continued to pray about my situation, He opened doors that I had never considered and provided me with a new job for the following year.
We must remember that God is refining our faith during trials (1 Pet. 1:7). He is a wise and loving God that has a purpose for everything in our lives (Rom. 8:28). And He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39).
The Refiner’s Fire
He sat by a furnace of sevenfold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore;
And closer He bent, with a searching gaze,
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test;
And He wanted the finest gold–
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems of a price untold.
Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment’s pain?
Ah! no, but He saw through the present loss
The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong, and sure;
And His gold did not suffer a whit more heat
Than was needed to make it pure.