Perfected by Trials
Jesus said, “in this world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” There will be trials and testing in this life because we live in a fallen world. We inherited our sin nature from Adam. Sin means that we want to do things our own way instead of God’s way. Sin, like gravity, will have its own way with us. When we violate the laws of God, we’ll suffer the consequences, but when we obey his laws we’ll be blessed. In 1 Peter 5:1-11 Peter writes about suffering and trials. The hardest trials to bear are those we’ve brought on ourselves. We could have walked in the right way, but didn’t and now we’re suffering the consequences. According to 1 Peter 5:5:
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
It’s difficult to defer to others in the faith. God is opposed to pride. The way to overcome pride is to “humble ourselves.” Putting others before ourselves is the way that God will bless us. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. To come to Him we must give up ourselves. We’re blessed when we give it away. God said to Abraham: I’ll bless you so that you can be a blessing to all nations.
There’s a story about a young wife who made a foolish decision and incurred a large debt. Her husband said that she had incurred the debt and that she would need to pay it off by herself. His pride said, “you’re on your own.” He had not learned the meaning of grace. Grace is the giving of undeserved favor. At their counseling session, when his wife left the room the marriage counselor said to the husband, “do you know the meaning of the word “fool?” Just look in the mirror and you’ll understand the definition.”
1 Peter 5:6-11 teaches us about why God allows us to suffer through trials.
6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
God wants to exalt and lift us us, but the requirement is that we humble ourselves under his mighty hand. Humility is a choice. Jesus said, don’t take the seat of honor, but take a seat in the back and if they want you, they’ll call you to the front. According to Proverbs, “A man’s gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men.”
It’s easy to be humble when we’re under the surgeon’s knife. When we turn to the Lord in these situations, the God of all comfort will comfort our hearts. We have a decision during the trials of life to humble ourselves and not to seek the limelight.
7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
To devour means to eat ravenously. You can hear the bones crunching and see the blood flying when a carnivore is eating ravenously. When we fight like ravenous lions devouring each other, the only way to reconcile is to humble ourselves. We live in a life of dashed expectations…where people are bitter, proud, and personally offended. When a person is wounded beyond repair, this is a picture of hopelessness. Sins have consequences. God will forgive us and give us grace when we humble our hearts before the Lord. The antidote to this kind of hopelessness is in the next two verses.
9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
Our God is the only God who describes himself as the God of all grace. Other gods seek retribution and “righteous vengeance” that results in condemnation. Suffering in this world seems to go on a long time. However, life in this world is but for a moment in eternity. After you suffer a while, God will perfect us, establish us, strengthen us, and settle us. Sanctification is the process whereby we are set apart according to the purpose for which he designed us. To be perfected means to make us better than we were before. We’re all works in process. As the psalmist said, mold me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. While we’re being forged in the fire, the pain may be excruciating. However, forging and tempering us through the fire, is the way that he perfects and strengthens us.
The fruit of the spirit is a result of walking faithfully and patiently abiding in Christ. He will perfect us through the trials of life. Perfecting means that he will make us “solid as granite.” Granite is formed and solidified through the heat of molten lava. Discipline hurts but it results in solid character. God has called us to sit on the bench and to cheer for others to make them better. Our all powerful God cares about our character… through the trials we will come to know by experience to “humble ourselves under the might hand of God.” It hurts when we turn the other cheek and it takes more effort to “go the second mile.” When we go through the fire of life, he will strengthen us like forged and tempered steel. He strengthens us by trying us through the furnace of affliction. To settle means to lay a foundation. We will be shaken before we’re settled. Settling means to discover that which cannot be shaken.
God will give us examples through life who have been established, strengthened, perfected and settled. Life will become a joy when God teaches character through the trials of life. Our prayer is “Lord what are you teaching me through this trial? Through the fire and trials, mold me and make me after thy will… That I may be an Oak of righteousness for your honor and glory.
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael