Of Trials, Rejoicing, and Sand Lilies

By nature, we tend to recoil at the thought of a trial. The very word evokes things like hardship, suffering, difficulty, or burden.

Things my comfort-seeking American mindset dislikes.

 

Yet, as James reminds us, it’s not a matter of if the trials come but when they come. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2).

The passage emphasized in Sunday's message was the first chapter of Peter, and as our pastor reminded us, hardship is simply part of the package of life here down on earth. We cannot and will not escape it. “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29-30).

How, then, do we view those trials? How much are we willing to suffer? How are we going to respond to our Saviour? How are we going to live out our Christianity amidst a trial? What mindset we will adopt?

According to Peter, we are to “greatly rejoice” (I Peter 1:6). Yet, even as I read the words, my mind struggles to wrap itself around the concepts of suffering and rejoicing at the same time.

How can we rejoice in trials?

Because of who Christ is and who we are in Him.

 

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We can rejoice because we have a sovereign, loving, all-powerful, merciful Heavenly Father who will not give us what we cannot handle (I Corinthians 10:13). Everything that touches us must pass through His sieve. Furthermore, He has promised His grace to be sufficient for our every weakness (II Corinthians 12:9).

We can rejoice because we have a living hope (I Peter 1:3).

 

We can rejoice in the blessings of our salvation. “I will praise Thee, O Lord, my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore. For great is Thy mercy toward me; and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell” (Psalm 86:12-13).

 

We can rejoice because we are never alone, no matter how dark and difficult the trial (Psalm 23:4, Hebrews 13:5).

 

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We can rejoice because trials – indeed our very lives – are fleeting and temporary (I Peter 1:6, II Corinthians 4:17-18).

 

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We can rejoice because there is a purpose for every trial that touches us, and Christ will be faithful to work all things together for good.

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Trials are a necessary part of life because they test and refine our faith – “that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire” (I Peter 1:7).

 

Fire sounds strong, hot, and, well, fiery. It is, but the Lord has promised that “when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isaiah 43:2).

 

The fire may be unpleasant, but when the purging of our dross is through and the trying complete, we shall, in the words of Job, “come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

 

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As our pastor stated, the Lord tests our faith because He want us to be approved. The testing of our faith reveals where our faith is at. The Lord tested the Israelites in the wilderness to see the condition of their hearts. “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

Testing shows us what or who our faith is in. It reveals what our idols are, reminding us that whatever we put our faith in, outside of Christ, will fail us.

Trials try our faith in order to help us grow more in the grace and knowledge of Him. Our pastor used the analogy of tests. In academia land, tests prove what we know and lucidly reveal what we do not know. They show us where our weaknesses are, what concepts we have yet to grasp. It is the same in the spiritual realm. Trials show us where we need to grow and help to solidify our Christian character.

Lilias Trotter uses the beautiful analogy of sand lilies to illustrate the heat and dryness of the fire, the growth that comes out of the fire, and how the Lord sustains us during the process.  She writes, “Today’s find was beautiful to the inward vision as well as the outward. It was clusters of exquisite wild lilies – white and fragile and fragrant – growing out of the hot salt sand that drifts into dunes round the stunted juniper and lentisk bushes that fringe the shore. Down below the surface, the storage of reserve material in the lily bulbs had silently taken place…and there they had lain, shrouded and waiting. The hour had come now, and no adverse condition could keep back the upspringing. The same Lord over all can store the roots in His spiritual creation, even though they have but smothering sand drifts around them.” The Apostle Paul writes, “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16), and we can be confident that He will strengthen us.

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Our pastor concluded his message with four simple directions for finding joy in the midst of trials from verses 8 and 9 of First Peter 1.

     1. Love Christ.
     2. Trust Christ.
     3. Rejoice in Christ.
     4. Receive from Christ.

Trials give us the opportunity to love Christ more, pushing us closer to Him. He lovingly gives us the grace to trust Him more, and because of who He is, we can rejoice exceedingly in Him.

Each trial is an opportunity, but the choice to accept it is ours. The decision to receive the trial from Him is ours. And it is in accepting it from Him that we find peace.

 

Today I was listening to Elisabeth Elliot’s talk entitled "Instruments of Peace." She describes the refining process as continual. Sometimes there are hammer blows, other times there are chisel chippings, but daily there is the rasping of the file – the little trials life presents us every day. All are necessary for our growth.

 

As she states, “The place where God has put you has unlimited possibilities….God has chosen the place….Are you willing for the honing process? The honing of the instrument is all part of God’s plan. He chooses the place, He furnishes the grace. God’s loving care has placed you and me exactly where we can best receive the gift of grace, which is the gift of Himself….It is here where God has put you, within the context that He wants us to learn to know Him and to be instruments. If you love Him, you will say ‘Yes, Lord.’ You will accept the conditions of your life, and acceptance is the route to peace.”  The size of the trial is not significant. The lessons apply across the board – regardless of the size of the trial. We have to choose to accept the hammer blows and the file rasps. Each contain a lesson for us and a chance to draw closer to God. The key is our willingness to accept it.

Mrs. Elliot said she is often asked how she handled the deaths of her first and second husbands. “I can’t handle it,” she replies. “I accept it. I say, ‘Lord, I hand over my unmanageable feelings. I give them to You, Lord,’ and accept [what He gives]. This is the place in which You want me to glorify you and to be an instrument of peace.”

We have to remember that it is the Lord who has placed us in this particular stage or circumstance in life. He is our Heavenly Father – the One who only wants the very best for us. If we would only keep that in mind – to accept what He gives and simply trust Him – then we will find peace (Isaiah 26:3).

“Instead of the word ‘submission,’ I should write ‘acceptance,’

for more and more, as life goes on, that word opens doors

into rooms of infinite peace, and the heart that accepts asks nothing,

for it is at rest, and the pilgrim of love does not need a map or chart.

‘I know my road, it leadeth to His heart.’”

– Amy Carmichael