1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
For the past 38 years, God has forged me in the fire of grief, loss and trials and I am better and stronger for it. I am grateful for what God has allowed in my life. Nothing grows you up quite as fast as grief, trials and suffering.
James 1:2-3 tells us that "the testing of [our] faith produces endurance. "A major change you undergo during grief is a tremendous strengthening of personal faith. It is very easy to trust when we have the answers; faith comes from trusting without the answers. If Abraham had been told he would not have to actually kill Isaac, it would have been very easy for him to tie his son to the altar. Perhaps the entire family would have made an all-day picnic out of it. Paul tells us that what was "credited to him as righteousness "was his trusting without the answers.
Faith that is not tested is worthless. Simply believing something is true does not make it so. I can firmly believe that I can fly, yet if I try to jump off a building, I will still end as a splatter on the sidewalk below no matter how firm my belief is . . . or at that point . . . was. Only through testing of our faith can we be assured that what we believe is true or discover that what we believe needs a few adjustments. Trials also shows us if our faith is in the right Person. Upon entering trials, many people already have a strong faith; unfortunately, it may not be in God. In an attempt to avoid a direct confrontation with God, many of us are tempted to just believe in our pastor’s faith, or our parents’ faith, or our wonderful church organizations. But if we try to place a faith that only the Messiah can fulfill on other people, they will always disappoint us. When these people fall or stumble, they will bring us down with them because our faith is placed in them.
Human beings fiercely covet their independence and freedom. Little children often insist on feeding themselves and tying their own shoes. They will not ask their parents for help until they are exasperated from hours of trying it themselves. When we first become Christians, there is a tendency to just say, "Thanks God!", collect our little certificate, and go on our way. We seldom come back to God unless we need something. Grief and trials invoke fear and brings us to our knees and forces us to meet God, face to face.
Grief and trials also brings us into contact with the humanity of Jesus Christ. Every Christians recognizes the "fully God" identity of Christ when we ask Him into our hearts, but many of us fail to see the "fully man" aspect. One of the least used names for Christ is Man of Sorrows. The term can often be very puzzling. In Gothic Church paintings, we can almost detect a smile on the face of Jesus as he hangs on the cross. When I first heard the crucifixion story, I envisioned Jesus singing and stopping to pick flowers along the road to Calvary. I now feel otherwise. When we are grieving, we do not want to hear a Biblical explanation of our grief, we often just want someone to listen. What greater listener could there be than the Man of Sorrows?
The most powerful impact of watching someone die or go through terrible sorrow or trials is that it firmly establishes what really matters. I now know that hanging out with the in-crowd or owning the latest Tommy Hilfiger shirt will not add anymore joy or one day to my life. In the wake of grief and trials earthly things hold no value. Happiness and fun just treat symptoms of grief like sorrow or depression, but they do not last; you always have to face reality later. Jesus Christ is all that matters. Circumstances or individuals can steal wealth, popularity, or happiness. Nothing can take us from the hand of God.
An old saying goes, "Men throw away broken things, but God will not use any man until he is broken." With grief comes a testimony that God will use in the lives of others. If a woman were to tell me about the pains of childbirth she had experienced, I could certainly tell her how sorry I was or how terrible that must feel; however, I could not really comfort her, having never experienced childbirth naturally myself personally, I had C-sections. When you submit to God and allow him to bring grief or suffering into your life, He grants you a very powerful testimony, one that gives hurting people a first-hand account of what the power of God can do in their lives.
The most profound irony in Christianity is this: the greatest joy can only be found through the greatest suffering. Grief builds our faith, draws us closer to God, and allows us to be used by Him. There is an old proverb, "God helps those who help themselves." This proverb is actually found no where in the Bible and is not even sound theology. There will be times when we cannot help ourselves; that is why we have a Savior. God does not ask us to find the strength and joy to endure suffering within ourselves. He is ready and willing to give these of Himself. All He asks us to do is keep fighting and don’t give up. Even in the times I did give up, God lifted me back to my feet. The sure-fire, 100% guaranteed way to endure grief and trials is to simply rely on the proven strength and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Jesus puts it best in John 16:33, "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
This is but a trial, a season. Let not the spirit of fear overcome you. Stand fast in the Lord and put ALL faith in him.
I assure you, that when forged in the fire you WILL become stronger and better for it. God will never leave nor forsake you. He sees all things, and remember to put on the whole Armour of God. This is Spiritual warfare, not seen by the eyes of man. You have all the weapons at your disposal and the Holy Spirit to lead you. Fight this battle with the courage of David, and the patience of Job and the Trust in God of Abraham.Misty Ford
