Proving ourselves in trials

But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. – 2 Corinthians 6.4-10

Trials are just a part of life. We are never going to escape them. They come from everywhere. That leaves us with a choice – we can cry and complain and feel sorry for ourselves or we can learn how to deal with them and move on.

We need to learn that trials and tests are the chance to us to prove ourselves as servants of God. Trials makes us stronger as attested by James when he write that we should count it as all joy when we suffer various trials because they teach us patience and endurance and give us the ability to face trials in the future.

Trials can prove our mettle. Trials prove that we know how to depend on God during trials and it is that trait, the ability to trust God, that proves our ministries are real.

If we never suffered trials and everything always just coasted along how would we know the reality of our faith and how could we grow? Trials teach us to trust God, learn to be patient, and learn to trust Him more and more.