In His written word, the Holy Bible, does God tell us why and how to survive trials? Can we each expect to have tests and trials confront us on our journey into the Kingdom of God? When we are faced with horrific problems, suffering and perhaps even death, does our loving Father provide words of wisdom and comfort to help us through?
Why are these questions even important to a Christian, anyway? Aren’t Christians promised that they will be able to avoid such things?
God says the only way to enter the Kingdom of God is “through much tribulation ” (Acts 14:22).
Some may say that it does not seem right for a loving Father to permit His children to suffer and struggle. God addresses that idea too. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14:12; 16:25). Man’s ideas lead to death. “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jer. 10:23). We aren’t even able to discern the proper way to walk; it simply is not in us.
How could this be true? How could it be that we cannot even figure out how to deal with our own trials?
God explains why in Isaiah 55:9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
So let’s look at the subject of trials from God’s point of view and see if we can answer the questions stated at the beginning. Then let’s see if we can become better equipped to successfully overcome the trials we will face.
I Am
Notice the First Commandment as recorded in the 20th chapter of Exodus. “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (vv. 1-3). By bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt, He was “deleavening” them—bringing them out of sin. But notice the phrase, “I am the Lord thy God.” It is the phrase “I am” we will dwell on. This small, innocuous phrase can make all the difference in the world when in a trial.
When God sent Moses to the Israelites in Egyptian captivity, Moses asked God, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exod. 3:13-14). In verse 15, God makes it clear exactly who He is: “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever.” God says that He is “I am” forever.
The New Testament contains a similar reference: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
Necessity of Fiery Trials
This God, I am, leads His Church today—consisting of those who have been called as “firstfruits” to become children in His family. He is offering us a tremendous reward.
Referring to our reward, Mr. Flurry wrote, “A little common sense should tell us that this is going to require some difficult qualifying. Extensive training is required. Fiery trials are necessary” (The Former Prophets, p. 7).
God’s word proves this to be true: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Ps. 34:19). “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12). “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (I Pet. 4:12). “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Heb. 12:6). “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33).
These and many other scriptures establish beyond doubt that we, as Christians, will have trials. Can we keep in mind that the same God, I am, who brought Israel out of Egypt, who promised we would have trials, makes promises for our deliverance? “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Cor. 10:13). I am promises that we can bear and escape our trials. Our part is to keep our focus on I am and the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33). By so doing, we will be able to keep our trials in proper perspective.
Remember, God’s purpose is to bring us into His family. All He does and all He permits to happen is for that purpose. God, I am, does not want anyone to be destroyed or crushed by a trial. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish” (II Pet. 3:9).
King David had a wonderful understanding of trials and their benefit: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Ps. 119:71). David realized that all the suffering and trials he experienced were “good” for him.
It is by learning to perfectly apply the First Commandment that we will gain the most from our trials. By learning to put I am ahead of everything else in our lives, we can see past our difficulties and begin to have the very vision of the Great God, I am.
Perfect Faith
Sometimes, during severe problems, there seems to be no way out. We can feel as if we are heading down a dead-end road. When that happens, it is necessary to realize that we probably are exactly where God wants us to be!
Look at the Exodus story again, when God led them to camp by the Red Sea (Exod. 14:1-2). Here, the same I am who brought them out of Egypt had led them into an apparent trap, a dead-end with no visible means of escape (see story, p. 18). But notice: “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (vv. 13-14).
God wants us to develop perfect character—and that includes perfect faith. Your faith must be so strong that you are willing to stand back and “hold your peace” and wait on I am for the answers.
We must realize, what Christ said about Himself is even more true for each of us: “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).
The great I am, who lead Israel out of Egypt, directed them into a corner where the only solution was for them to rely 100 percent on Him for the way of escape.
We must do the same. We must recognize I am. We must get ourselves out of the way and let Him provide the answers we need. He wants us to be like Him, to be closer to Him and to have 100 percent faith in Him.
This is really what the First Commandment is all about.
When we realize the same thing and place 100 percent of our trust and faith in the great I am, our trials will be much easier to deal with.
That does not mean they will suddenly go the way we want them to go. In fact they may linger on for a very long time—or even get worse; but as long as we focus on I am, everything will work to our good (Rom. 8:28).
The Furnace
Daniel 3 teaches the same lesson. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found themselves headed into a furnace. They may have been scared, perhaps wondering if I am would save them from such a fiery trial.
In verses 17 and 18 they said: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
They relied 100 percent on God for their rescue, probably expecting something other than what actually happened. Imagine when the soldier died as they neared the furnace. These young men may have thought God was saving them. But instead of escape, God turned up the heat of their trial. The great I am allowed His beloved children to be cast into the furnace. Yet they were rewarded for their faith in God. During the events leading up to their delivery from this trial, they must have been praying and seeking God with great fervor. Had God intervened at some point earlier in the story, would the lesson for them and us been as great? Probably not.
Some of our brethren have had trials unto death. Isn’t that what these three young men had? They could not have expected to live when thrown into that furnace. Their faith was unto death. They trusted I am, no matter what might have happened.
Abraham, father of the faithful, was required to prove his faith unto death—the death of his only legitimate son (Gen. 22).
God’s Tool
To God, does it matter that much if we live or die physically? He can raise us up at His leisure, so why would it matter? What does matter is that we put Him first and that we perfect our faith and character so He can use us for eternity. The few years of our puny physical lives are nearly insignificant if we succeed.
A trial is one of the most effective tools I am has to shape us into useful members of His family. It is, in fact, a great blessing to experience a trial as a son of God, because it is proof of His love for us (Heb. 12:6).
Far too often our vision is limited to those things just in front of us. We can see only the troubles we are having and their physical effects. That is not to say we should ignore our problems or that they cannot be severe lifelong trials, but God’s vision goes beyond our physical existence. He wants us to try to look with His vision.
I am is building each of us into an integral part of His temple. “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-22). Mystery of the Ages states, “This scripture plainly reveals the temple to which the glorified world-ruling Christ shall come at his soon Second Coming” (p. 246).
“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 2:4-5).
We are the building blocks of the future temple of God, and God uses trials to shape and prepare us to fit into a certain spot in that temple. The discomfort or suffering we go through during a trial is from that shaping or carving process. You could say it is a noisy business for God to build our faith and show us our sin and help us to deleaven our lives.
But God promises us this: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:18-19). Do we believe the great I am? Do we have faith that He can make good on His promises?
Mr. Flurry wrote: “God the Father hand-picked you Himself! That’s so incredible it could make a person faint!” (Colossians, p. 10). Our trials are just as “hand-picked,” and that too could make a person faint.
Notice something else about this temple-building process. “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (I Kings 6:7).
Christ’s return is not the time for carving and shaping of stones. The suffering of character-building and deleavening has no place in that day when Christ’s glory is revealed. That day there will only be rejoicing among the saints.
We can go through this noisy process of trials now, or we can be shaped during the Great Tribulation. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10). In other words, we can have our trials now or later—the choice is ours.
Cling to the Spiritual
I am gave the key to overcoming trials to the prophet Zerubbabel. “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).
The I am will provide His spiritual solution to any trial, no matter how severe it is. We can never place our physical comfort, our family or our lives ahead of I am. It requires the faith of Jesus Christ in us to accomplish this.
In The Plain TruthAbout Healing , under the heading “Why People Lack Faith,” Mr. Armstrong explained the perfect faith we must be developing. He exposed why people lack faith; and this applies to trials as well as healing, or any other aspect of our lives. He says, “So many say, ‘Well, I have no impression—I have no feeling, no conviction—that I shall get the answer.’
“They want to wait until they get a certain conviction, a certain feeling, a sort of assurance they can feel, before they can really believe they shall have the answer.
“But that is not faith!
“That is feeling!
“Your feeling, your convictions, your impressions, have absolutely not one thing or the other to do with faith.
“Faith has only to do with God’s word! The one question is, Has God promised it in the Bible? If He has, then the probabilities, possibilities, feelings, convictions, impressions have nothing whatsoever to do with it. God has a thousand ways, we know nothing of, of answering and providing whatever He has promised. We don’t need to see howHe is going to do it or even when.
“And that’s another thing: He almost never will do it the way we expect. So don’t try to figure out how it is possible for God to do it. You are trusting supernatural power! God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. What He promised He will perform; but He will do it His way and at His time. Leave all of that to Him and just trust Him. Rely upon His Word” (p. 36).
If we can get I am focused in our minds, and the great, all-encompassing nature of that statement, we can associate “I am” with all good things in the universe: I am the God who created the universe. I am the God who sustains the universe. I am the God who sustains your life with air, food and water. I am the God who has made a way for your eternal life.
Our trials are physical because we are physical, and it is necessary to deal with the physical aspects of any such events. But our spiritual vision, our spiritual character and faith are the issues of greatest importance. If we are spiritually centered, with full knowledge and appreciation of the great I am, the physical suffering will be somewhat easier to bear. If we keep our eyes on the eternal goal God has for us we will get through our trials successfully.
On page 34 of the Colossians booklet, Mr. Flurry wrote, “We cling to the glorious vision of God’s future world whether we are in jail or a house. It doesn’t matter. We have God and a vision of the future. The Philadelphians remember that we’re called to change the whole world in the future! We can’t get bogged down in this present world. We must cling to the vision of God’s future world!”
Sometimes in a trial there is nothing more difficult than letting go of the physical and clinging to the spiritual. But we must. As we cling to the spiritual, we learn more about God’s nature, His character and His mind, thus becoming more familiar with “I am that I am.” It does require our strongest effort to cling to the spiritual—to endure to the end.
James 5:11 states, “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord….” It mentions the patience of Job. Learning the lesson of his trial will last us eternally.
How can we successfully manage a trial? First we can remember that I am allowed it. That, by itself, should provide joy in our lives. It should provide a peace different than we have ever had before just to realize that I am is participating in our lives.
Once we are completely turning toward God in every aspect of the trial, He can shower us with many blessings. “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10).
We really like to read that last part—twice as much as he had before. But let’s go back a step. It says the Lord turned Job’s captivity—He resolved the trial. But not until after Job prayed for his friends who had just sat for days criticizing him. That showed outward concern for others on Job’s part. Job was still covered with sores, perhaps fasting, suffering the loss of his family and his wealth—and, from the way his friends talked to him, maybe the loss of his respect and his friendships in the community. He still prayed for those men who were critical of him. Humanly we would say, Well, he didn’t owe them anything. But in the midst of his trial, he demonstrated an outgoing concern for others. Of course, that is what the last six commandments represent—how to love your fellowman.
We can learn a better application of God’s commandments in a trial by getting our mind on someone else—first on I am, then on our beloved brethren. There are many others going through trials who could use our prayers, our support, a pat on the back, a smile, a postcard—whatever is appropriate.
But this is not always an easy feat to accomplish. At times, when thoughts of our own trials consume our minds, it is difficult to think of anything else. We can’t even get our mind on the person standing next to us when things seem to be so dismal or so contrary to the way we would like them.
Even then, God is directing that trial, and He expects us to love our fellowman, to have outward going concern for him. I am says the greatest thing we can do is lay down our life for them. The least we should do during a trial is pray for them, encourage them and let them see that we are serving them during our trial—not as a show, but so they can do the same for someone else as an example.
If we will focus on God, which is the greatest of the Ten Commandments and includes the first four, if we will love God and keep I am foremost in our thoughts and focus on other people when we are submerged in a trial, we will become much greater examples of love. We will become closely aligned with each other and with our God who calls Himself I am.
The new closeness with God that should develop from a trial will produce tremendous joy in our lives. Blessings promised by I am will begin to appear even during severe trials, if we will look for them.
Mr. Flurry wrote in the Colossians booklet, about Philadelphian pillars: “These people can carry a very heavy load. Severe pressure does not cause them to succumb, it only strengthens them…. No trial can cause the pillar to crumble, that’s why it’s called a pillar” (p. 31).We have to get to the point where our faith in God is so strong that we are exactly like this kind of pillar.
Believe that God will not give you more than you can bear. Some thought their limit was reached, and when God took them a step further they collapsed, putting their own will ahead of God’s. God had to sort them out—and they’re not in His Church anymore. It is a difficult and dangerous point in a trial when we want to put our will before God’s.
Mr. Flurry said in a sermon on January 16, 1999, “No matter how severe a trial gets in our lives, it is about God making you into a God; it’s not about the world.” Our sufferings, our pain and our physical life are about the world. Our faith and character must not be married to the world if we are to succeed in a trial.
The most important lesson is this: We must put our complete faith in I am and express our love toward God and our neighbor. God judges us in our trials, and He wants us to prove to Him that we are developing the spiritual characteristics necessary for us to be trusted co-inheritors of the universe. It is not eternally important whether we are unemployed or are sick or in jail. Those things are important, but our spiritual roots must be deeply imbedded in I am and loving our neighbor if we are to progress successfully through our trials.
When you are in a trial, you have time to think about many things. It is not a spur-of-the-moment event. It is a little harder to be a hero that way. But to some extent, if we can get our mind off our trials and onto helping others in theirs, we’re doing the same thing that some of these heroes who jumped in front of a bullet or covered a grenade with their body have done for their fellowman. We are encouraging someone else in his or her trial.
The difference between this and taking a bullet for another is, if we can help them with their trial, that is an eternal help. That knowledge should bring us great joy.
Even if we have severe trials, we can still increase our awareness of others as they endure trials. You will have a better understanding of what they are experiencing when you’ve experienced discomfort and sorrow and pain yourself. You will know how much a smile or an encouraging word can mean. You will know, without a doubt, that your prayers on their behalf are reaching I am with effectiveness.
Imagine the joy God must feel when we are in a severe trial and we put someone else’s needs ahead of our own in prayer. I am is delighted when we perform as true Christians, and the fact that we can delight I am should delight us, even while suffering in a trial.
If we keep God first in our mind during a trial, we will have more peace and joy than we could have ever thought possible. God promises our success if we trust and follow Him. Remember, He cannot lie. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation [trials]: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord [I am] hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12). God truly wants to bless us in our trials. It is our choice whether we accept these blessings or not.
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (vv. 2-4).
We can rejoice in our trials if I am is included. The bounty of faith and godly character to be gained through trials is immeasurable. They are provided by a loving and caring God who, more than anything, wants each and every one of us to succeed. Our great God yearns for the day when we will be called “good and faithful servants.”
Remember your brethren when you are suffering. Remember I am while in pain. “Endure unto the end and be saved.” That is the result of trials that include I am.