Page de couverture de The Spiritual Life #61 - Accept God's Trials

The Spiritual Life #61 - Accept God's Trials

The Spiritual Life #61 - Accept God's Trials

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 The Suffering of the Apostle Paul The apostle Paul’s ministry was marked by unrelenting hardship, yet God used these very trials as a means of shaping his character and magnifying His glory. In recounting his experiences to the Corinthians, Paul detailed the many afflictions he endured: imprisonments, countless beatings, stoning, shipwrecks, exposure to danger, hunger, thirst, sleepless nights, and the daily pressure of concern for the churches (2 Cor 11:23–28). Such a catalog of suffering would have crushed many, but Paul recognized that his hardships were not wasted. Rather than viewing his trials as setbacks, he understood them as instruments of God’s providence, divinely appointed means through which his faith was refined and his ministry authenticated. His endurance in these circumstances demonstrated that his message was not driven by human strength or ambition but by the power of God working through a frail but faithful servant. These sufferings kept him humble, dependent, and keenly aware that the surpassing greatness of the gospel treasure was carried in “earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7). Even more, Paul interpreted his sufferings as opportunities to display Christ’s strength in his own weakness. When he pleaded for relief from his “thorn in the flesh,” the Lord answered, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). Paul therefore embraced his afflictions, declaring, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor 12:9–10). This paradoxical perspective enabled him to rejoice even in chains, as he assured the Philippians that his imprisonment had actually served to advance the gospel by emboldening others to preach Christ without fear (Phil 1:12–14). For Paul, trials were not obstacles but opportunities, occasions for God’s grace to shine through human frailty and for the gospel to reach further than ease and comfort ever could. His life exemplifies the truth that spiritual maturity and that God’s power is most clearly displayed when His servants, emptied of self, depend wholly on Him. The Suffering of the Saints Mentioned in Hebrews 11 The writer of Hebrews speaks of a “cloud of witnesses” who testify through their lives that faith can endure under the most severe trials (Heb 11:35–38). These men and women of old faced unimaginable hardships, including mocking, flogging, chains, imprisonment, and even violent death, yet they refused to abandon their trust in God. Some, like Jeremiah, were beaten and confined in stocks (Jer 20:2), while others, such as Daniel and his companions, were threatened with fiery furnaces and lions’ dens but held firm to their convictions (Dan 3:16–18; 6:10). Tradition also recalls prophets who were sawn in two or killed with the sword, giving their lives rather than compromise their loyalty to Yahweh. What unites these witnesses is not the uniformity of their circumstances but the constancy of their faith. Though their earthly stories often ended in suffering rather than triumph, their lives bear permanent testimony to the sustaining power of God’s promises. They form a great gallery of the faithful whose examples surround and encourage believers to run with endurance the race set before them (Heb 12:1). Though their faith was tested to its limits, these saints looked beyond their temporal struggles and fixed their gaze on God’s eternal reward. They lived as pilgrims and strangers on the earth, confessing that they sought a better country, that is, a heavenly one, prepared by God Himself (Heb 11:13–16). Their perspective was not limited to deliverance in this life but extended to resurrection and future glory. Women, like the widow of Zarephath and the Shunammite woman, received back their dead by resurrection (1 Kgs 17:22–23; 2 Kgs 4:35–37), yet others accepted death rather than deny the hope of “a better resurrection” (Heb 11:35). This eschatological outlook sustained them through unimaginable suffering, for they knew that God’s approval and eternal inheritance outweighed every earthly loss. Their faith was not naive optimism but a settled confidence in the character and promises of God, who “is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb 11:6). In this way, their testimony continues to inspire believers today to endure hardship, remembering that the path of faith often winds through suffering, but it ultimately leads to the eternal presence and reward of God. When Believers Fail to Live by Faith There are examples in the Bible where mature believers struggled to maintain faith during intense trials. In Numbers, Moses became overwhelmed with his leadership and expressed despair, saying, “I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once” (Num 11:14-15a). Similarly, ...
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