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I couldn’t believe how many pages my commentary devoted to
just these few verses! But it was exactly
what I’ve been needing to hear, and definitely in God’s timing. And it’s summed up like this:
“There are four essentials for victory in trials: A joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a
surrendered will, and a heart that wants
to believe.”
The joyful attitude, it says, comes from our knowing to expect trials. Our outlook determines our outcome … We
evaluate them in the light of what God is doing for us.
“Faith is always
tested … God always tests us to bring out the best … Testing works for us,
not against us … Trials rightly used
help us to mature … In the Bible, patience
is not a passive reception of
circumstances. It is a courageous perseverance in the face of
suffering and difficulty … We must go through
the difficulties of life, trust God,
and obey Him … we know what trials will do in us and for us, and we know that the end result will bring glory to God.”
“God cannot build our character without our cooperation … God builds character
before He calls to service. He must work
in us before He can work through us … But God cannot work in us without our consent... There must be a surrendered
will.”
We also need wisdom when going through trials. “We need wisdom so we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to
mature. Wisdom helps us understand
how to use these circumstances for our good and God’s glory.”
“God does not help us by removing the tests, but by making the tests work for us … God uses
them to build us up … His motivation is
love… And for us, where there is love, there is surrender and obedience …
The Christian who loves God, and who knows
that God loves him, will not fall apart when God permits trials to come. He is
secure in God’s love.”
Father, I’ve needed a refresher course on the purposes of
testing and Your love for me in
bringing it into my life. Thanks for
reminding me!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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