Trust through Trials

Trust through trials

Day 1

Trust

Reliance; confidence; hope; credit; that which is entrusted; safekeeping; care; management. To rely on; to believe, to entrust, to sell to upon credit, to be confident. To have reliance; to confide readily. Held in trust.

Trial

a temptation or an adversity, the enduring of which proves the merit of an individuals faith.

I am in a small group study of Daniel by Beth Moore and would like to share some of the insight I have about trusting through the trials. Some of this information is from the study. Most is from the Word of God, and then of course, I have added some insight as well. We are squeezing in 5 days of information in 4 days because of the holiday, so I apologize for the length. - Heather.

Day 2

For Christians, to encounter adversity is to undergo a trial in which their faith is proved either true or false before God, the highest judge. Since many positive things come about through such trials, Christians are urged to rejoice at their occurrence.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

1 Peter 4:13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Christ Himself set the example in how trials should be endured when He defeated Satan's temptations by appealing to the word and will of God

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.

10 For it is written:

‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,’
11 and,

‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Day 3

In the book of Daniel, Chapter 3, There is an incredible example of trust through trial, there is a fiery trial, literally.

Verse 13 starts with King Nebuchadnezzar in a rage because three of his servants choose not to bow down to the image he built. King Neb gave them another chance to bow down or he'd throw them in a furnace. He asks the three "and who is the God that will deliver you from my hands?". Their God given names were changed by Neb to reflect the worship of his gods. Their names were: Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach), and Azariah (renamed Abed-Nego). In verse 16 the three tell Neb that they do not need to answer him concerning the matter. They go on to tell Neb that "our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. "but if not, let it be known to you , O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will be worship the gold image which you have set up."

Now in verse 19 Neb was furious, he commanded men to bind the three up and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

I realize many already know this story, but pay attention to the details with me: the men were still clothed and then were bound and thrown into the fire.

Let's continue.... verse 22 reminds us that the fire was so hot, it killed those who delivered the men into the fire. The three men fell down into the furnace. Then King Neb was astonished and questioned the number of men that were thrown into the fire, counting 4 instead of 3 and making a statement "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose (meaning not bound), walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

Do you believe that God will walk through the fire with you? Read this passage before you answer.

Isaiah 43:1 ...“ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

3 For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Back to Daniel, verse 27, it states that the men's hair was not singed and their garments were not affected and the smell of the fire was not on them.

It does not state that they remained bound!!!! Are you hearing me?

They made it through the trial and what had been binding them was no longer there. They did not smell like fire? Think back of a time you have been around a campfire, there is no escaping that smell. So they made it through the trial and the binding was released and they had nothing with them to remind them. No lingering scent of a trial.

Sometimes we face trials and get through them, but we come out smelly, we don't always come out giving God the glory, there are many times we have been released from bondage, but end up smelling so bad that no one sees our testimony, instead, they never see that they too, could be released from their bondage without the smelly stuff sticking to them.

What is that smelly stuff, well, it may not be what we originally needed to be released from. Some things that come to mind are: bitterness, unbelief, anger, self pity, resentment.... just to name a few. There are so many others, but that is not our focus right now.

The biggest thing I want to say here is that if we trust God to deliver us from trials, we need to give him the glory without bringing with us other bondage.

Philippians 1:12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

Day 4

Praise Friday

Trusting through the trials

To help us understand better, I would like you to think of a trial you have been through recently or use the example that you have just found a mass or lump and there is enough concern from your doctor that it is rare to be benign.

Here are 3 things the Word of God tells us to do in the midst of trials.

As a Christian, we can be delivered. The first thing we should do, but many times do not, is pray for deliverance from the trial. When we pray for deliverance, we need to read God's word, listen for His guidance, and respond to him. We are told to go to a group of others and ask (where two or more are gathered....) for deliverance. This practice will build our faith as we are delivered from trials. Next time, try this instead of panic.

Perhaps we ask for deliverance, but do not receive it. There is a possibility that we will be delivered through the trial. With the above example, suppose that the tests come back and the mass is malignant. This is when we burn up at the mouth of the fire, or we go back to prayer warriors and we ask to be delivered through our trial. This is when we go back for another test and the mass is gone or the ear or shoulder is healed. This practice will refine our faith.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

Last, there may be a time or a we may know someone that has been delivered by the trial. We may try a new treatment, but not be healed and delivered into His arms. The fact that we want to stay here on Earth is our inability to understand what is to come. This practice will perfect our faith. We will then be made complete and our goal here will be attained.

James 1:12 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 1:4 12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now " If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Dear Lord, I know that this is a much bigger topic than we should cover in one week. But I ask that you be in the midst of those who receive it and give them the knowledge and understanding that they need when they face trials. Lord, help us to come from those fires and bring forth only praises and not be bound by strongholds that trials may cause us to carry forth. Lord, I praise you for the deliverance you have given me in the trials I have faced and I thank you for being there with me while I was right in the middle of them. I ask that you will walk through our fires with us and weather you deliver us or not, that we can trust that your will is our ultimate goal, just as your Son, Jesus Christ, was able to do. In His holy name, Amen.