6 You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials. 7 This is necessary so that your faith may be found genuine. (Your faith is more valuable than gold, which will be destroyed even though it is itself tested by fire.) Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words. 9 You are receiving the goal of your faith: your salvation.
Reflection
I remember reading that, from a biblical perspective, trials are designed to do three things, prove our faith, develop our faith, and honor God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You never know what you can do, or achieve, until you try.
When I was a boy scout, one first thing to experience was sleeping overnight in the woods. It sounded kind of cool. So, when we got to the site it was already getting dark and we built a big bonfire in a clearing. I remember looking out into the woods and wondering, hmmm, maybe this will be ok.
Little did I know that the scout master would take each of us out into a place in the woods, not near anyone else, and tell us not to try and reach out to anyone and not talk. This was true woods. You had to find a spot to spread out in the moonlight and then just go to sleep. Oddly I fell asleep pretty, fast and never woke up until the sun came up. I was always kind of proud to endure that in peaceful way. I really felt that if something else came along that made me unsure I would be able to handle it better.
Our scripture reminds me that trusting Jesus can’t happen if we don’t obey, do what he says that we need to do. Trust isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision to believe.
One more story. When I went away to college, and after, in a work environment focused on establishing a new career, I did not attend church but periodically sensed God’s presence. As time passed, I started to listen to a lot of contemporary worship music and found myself wanting to experience charismatic leaning worship. I read a book talking about speaking in tongues and it fascinated me and I had a friend who believed in that.
Every spring our industry holds a convention in Vegas and my friend told me about a megachurch in Vegas and suggested that I attend a service, and I decided to do that. The people were friendly and they had a group opportunity to experience speaking in tongues and I gave it a chance. As part of my morning time reading scripture and praying, I added that to the mix for a few weeks.
My point in telling you this is I do feel that being committed to try something that takes faith and trust, and a desire to follow the message can result in an authentic experience.
I think my stories are kind of like trials, pushing beyond, to achieve an outcome new for you and hopefully beneficial. Sometimes going through one trial gives you experience that equips you to manage the next trial.
By Clarence Beverage
For Pondering and Prayer
How do you feel about our scripture? When I first read it, I rejoiced in how, through faith, we will love and trust Jesus more fully and completely.
Contemplating it further, and knowing what God tells us consistently, is that trials are inevitable, they test us, and strengthen our faith, character, and endurance. Since this is a positive, why do you think we struggle so hard to make things good?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come to You in this time of trial, seeking Your grace and wisdom. Lord, Your Word tells us to consider it joy when we face trials, because you have told us that the testing of our faith produces perseverance and maturity. Help us not to lose heart, but to see this challenge as a refining fire that burns away the impurities in our lives. Amen.
