Trials Develop Trust: Equipping Our Faith to Hope Against Hope

Who among us has not needed our faith to be strengthened, proven true in our own circumstances? To know that we know that we know. We grow in faith and we are all in process. God desires for us to fully and completely trust Him with our lives. And as we know Him better, growing up in the knowledge and understanding of Him, our trust increases. Just as a two year old child is willing to jump into the arms of their father in a pool because they know he will catch them. Their fear is dispelled by their faith in him. In very simple terms, that is what God wants from us – to trust Him – fully and completely. 

That is how God dealt with Abraham – the father of faith. God taught him to trust absolutely - by degrees, equipping him to “hope against hope”. And we all need that developed in us as well. Not merely being a “Pollyana”, rather learning to trust Him through trials and testings, knowing that He always has our best interest at heart. We must train ourselves to look for the “beauty in the ashes”. If He was faithful then, He will be faithful now. And there is purpose in all allowed. As William Cowper wrote, “Behind a frowning providence He hides a Father’s face.” With Him we can remain steady and confident when the winds howl.

Trials are the valuable tools God uses to develop and prove our faith - both to ourselves and to others. They are what He uses to develop in us patience as well – keeping us persevering even through discouragement and heartache. Anyone can trust when things are going swimmingly well, Amen? Yet, believers can know the sun is there even when our eyes cannot perceive it. We do not see the sun but we know that it is there. Difficult and continuous trials are indeed one of the greatest tests the Christian undergoes. Human nature is not very patient – it must be developed. We want what we want when we want it, right? But deep trust and faith in our Father most often comes wrapped in this package of pain. And in this, we learn to turn to Him, walk with Him, depend upon Him - leaning not on our own understanding. And He will never let the righteous fall rather upholds them - though they be ever so weary and faint - with His righteous right hand. Knowing He has our very best interest at heart even though we cannot fully understand it, we trust in Him. We persevere, knowing trials are essential to develop our faith – which is of greater worth than gold which perishes though refined by fire. And trials prove our faith to be genuine.  

Measure afflictions by outcome – what they are accomplishing in and through us - not by the pain. And remember there is much misery and gnawing of conscience and great grief following sin and wickedness if you are His child. And God tells us there is “no peace for the wicked”.