In the Face of Trials, Will You Grow or Rebel?

by David Rollert

When people go through hard times, they will often ask something like, “Why is God letting this happen to me?” They may even state it as an accusation: “How dare God put me through this?” These questions and the ideas behind them can easily shake or even topple a person’s faith. You may notice that these questions are phrased as though the person is a victim in the situation. The accusation is that God is acting unfairly against them. As long as we view God as the cause of our problems, we will be stuck wallowing in misery. There is a healthier, more accurate way to view trials. First, we need to understand basic reasons trials happen in the first place.

First, people have free will and they will often choose to use their free will in ways that harm others (c.f. Romans 6:15-16).

Second, trials help us to grow, if we’ll let them. Peter writes:

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

These two reasons might sound trite, especially when you are actively going through a trial. But understanding these reasons can help us to handle the trials in a healthy way.

When we understand that some trials come because others have used their free will in a sinful way instead of submitting to God’s word, then we can see that God is not the problem – God and His word are the solution! This also reinforces that WE must use our free will to submit to God’s word and not seek sinful comforts.

When we understand that we can grow through trials, then we can stop waiting for them to end and start striving for maturity. Too many Christians take a “sit back and wait for God to fix my problems” approach. This leads to personal stagnation, laziness, and frustration. Instead, we should take an active approach by examining ourselves to see where and how we can grow in our maturity, leaning on God for strength in our trials.

Rather than asking “Why is God putting me through this?” Let's ask, “How can I grow through this?” We can all be like that gold that is refined in the fire!