How to Respond When You Face Trials

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

These are the words of James, the brother of Jesus, to those who were experiencing hard times in their Christian walk. James was offering guidance to help them mature as believers and take ownership of their own spiritual growth.

Are you in the middle of trials? Trials at work, trials in your personal life, trials in your friendships, trials in your church? Hard times are not unfamiliar in The Bible. As a matter of fact, they’re a common occurrence in The Good Book. If I asked you to think about trials or challenges in The Bible, you would easily come up with a hefty list.

Ezra’s Response to Trails

In the book of Ezra, written by…. You guessed it… Ezra, he was about to embark on a dangerous journey to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. At that time, the road they were set to travel back to Jerusalem was peppered with robbers and bandits who would stop at nothing to steal valuables from the travelers. Ezra knew he was doing God’s will to travel and rebuild the temple, but he also knew he faced trials along the journey. Look at how he responded in Ezra 8:21:

"I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer."

Now, let’s fast forward a few verses to see what actually happened on the journey to Jerusalem: “The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.” (Ezra 9:31b) You’re not surprised, right? Ezra faced a trial, He asked The Lord for help and God delivered.

Are you facing a journey of challenges? Can you relate to Ezra? If we reflect back on the words of James, he told Jesus’ followers to count it as “joy” when they face trials. Joy? The word joy as it is used in this verse comes from the Greek word chara which was used to mean cheerfulness, calm delight, or gladness. Doesn’t this seem abstract, to be cheerful, glad, or delightful about a trail in our life? But James goes on to say that the testing of our faith (through the experience of trials) will produce perseverance. This perseverance will lead to maturity and completeness. That’s the reason for joy- what comes after the trial… because of the trial.

What If

I like to play the What If game. Play along! What if you never experienced challenges in your life? What kind of person would you be? Would you be grateful or take everything for granted? Would you be tough or have a weak spirit? Would you be dependent upon yourself or dependent on God? Would you have a beefy faith or a wimpy faith? I know my answers!

If I never faced trials or challenges, I would naturally take on the stance of self-reliance, I would not be as likely to lean on God, and I would not get to experience the strengthening of my faith. Hard times bring me to my knees. Hard times remind me of my need for my Savior. Hard times humble me. Hard times lead me to the loving, comforting embrace of my Father. Without those challenges, I miss out on the eye-opening experiences of God’s protection, provision, and proven promises.

Nehemiah’s Response to Trials

In the very next book in the Bible, Nehemiah shares his experiences with trials. He explains that men came from Judah to tell him that those who survived the heart-breaking exile from their homeland had returned and were in trouble. The wall of Jerusalem had been destroyed which meant their city had no protection. Just as we learned from Ezra’s response, we can also learn a lot from the response of Nehemiah:

“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4) I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that God answered Nehemiah’s prayers. He provided materials, workers, and protection. And the wall was rebuilt.

Look at what Ezra and Nehemiah both have in common. They both experienced a testing of their faith. Were they going to trust the Lord to provide and protect?

They both fasted, they both prayed, they both humbled themselves and their people, and they both experienced a maturing and completeness in their faith, “not lacking anything” as James said.

How Does God Say We Should Respond to Trails?

Our church is going through some trials right now. We are down a few staff members, brothers and sisters have been hurt by emotions and unkind words, and there are empty seats that were once filled with people we love. It’s not by accident that I read the book of Ezra and Nehemiah a few weeks ago while our church is in the middle of facing trials. As soon as I read these passages, I thought about the journey our church is on. It’s a journey filled with danger. Satan would love nothing more than to rob us of our peace and joy. He would love to be the bandit who steals brotherly and sisterly love from our congregation. Satan is prowling around like a hungry lion, ready to devour everything good that comes from the Lord. Our church has been blessed beyond measure over the past several years. Our attendance grew during COVID instead of declining. We saw many people saved and follow The Lord in believer’s baptism. Our mission opportunities have multiplied. The church has been thriving- which makes our church the perfect target for Satan’s attacks. And attack he has.

I’ve been heartbroken over what has unfolded, but I have complete confidence that God will bring beauty from ashes. I believe in His promises and know He will never leave us or forsake us. But I also know we, as the church, have some work to do. We can’t sit back with idle hands and expect God to do all the work. He uses us to carry out His will. I’ve been convicted that I’ve not been fighting as hard as I need to be for my church. I cried out to the Lord and asked him for scripture to meditate on. Not only did he take me through Ezra and Nehemiah, but He gave me this verse:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

It doesn’t get much more clear than that. God was very direct. What do we need to do when facing trials? We need to humble ourselves. We need to pray. We need to seek His face. We need to turn from our wicked ways. And what does He promise to do? He promises to hear us. He promises to forgive us. He promises to heal.

The Struggle is Real

I’m going to be honest with you. When I read through Ezra a few weeks ago, I was on fire. Not only did God reveal to me what the priest, Ezra, did in the face of his trials, He also showed me His promises in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Let’s Go!!!! I committed to fasting every Tuesday and to praying and meditating on scripture throughout the day. Every time I thought of food, I prayed for my church and recited the verse God gave me. But I only made it through lunch. By dinner time, I threw in the towel. I was hungry and decided God would be cool with me fasting breakfast and lunch. The next Tuesday, I prayed and recited scripture, but I didn’t fast at all. Then, this morning, my devotional was on obedience. Where’s the emoji I can insert that illustrates a head hung in shame? The devotional said, “The previous level of your walk with God will not be adequate for the new work God wants to do through you.” Whoop, there it is! God gave me a very clear directive. He showed me in His word what I should do. He’s trying to take me deeper. I didn’t humble myself. I chose food over dependence upon God.

I don’t tell you this to direct you to fast. That’s a personal decision between you and God and should not ever be insincere. I’m sharing my story to give both you and me the courage to step out in faith. In the middle of our trials, God delights in our dependence upon Him. He wants to increase our faith. He wants to forgive and heal. But obedience is key.

I’ve Got the Joy

Joy comes from confidence in knowing what’s to come. Believers have confidence “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) I ask again, are you going through a trial? Do you have joy from confidence in God working out your trials and seeing you through. Are you ready to experience beauty from ashes? While my heart hurts for the trials my church is experiencing, I’m also excited for what the future holds. Jesus has been so sweet to us by continuing to bless our church through salvations and baptisms, fellowships, sermons and Sunday School lessons that are speaking right to our current circumstances, a church-wide study of Experiencing God, humbled hearts, confessions and forgiveness, and an alter full of people on their knees. In the middle of the trials, we are surrounded by God’s goodness!

Eyes up, Friends. I challenge you to humble yourself, pray, turn your eyes upon Jesus, flee from sin and just see what happens in the middle of your trials. I’m confident you’ll be in awe of how HE moves.

I want to leave you with a very special song. Here’s the YouTube description: "This song was written by members of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church to commemorate God's faithfulness in providing a new facility where the church can gather for generations to come. "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen" - Ephesians 3:20-21" The words were true when it was written and they’re still true today. Check out this beautiful song in the link:

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