“God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down.”
~ C.S. Lewis, written through his grief after his wife Joy's death
We've begun a study in our women's Sunday School class on 1 Peter, and yesterday the discussion was on trials and the testing of our faith. As was pointed out, trials are varied for each of us in our own unique situations and life experiences. We each have our own. We all experience grief, sorrow, suffering at some time. It is inevitably universal.
Perhaps you can relate to the thought C.S. Lewis expressed. Sometimes suffering finds us as laws of nature unfold. There is much sorrow and suffering in our world that is also the result of its brokenness and sinfulness. Often it is not our own sinfulness, but we are sometimes the target, or we are impacted by its ricochet.
How do we respond to the suffering? What good can come from our trials and sorrows and grief? They all show us if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine, for trials always test our faith. Even though trials may be outside of us, they test what is inside of us. God already knows whether or not our faith in Him is genuine, but the trials and sufferings of life let us know for ourselves of its certainty.
And we are thankful that He sent the Comforter when Jesus went back to heaven, for He is the one who knows how to comfort in all our trials and grief.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:6-9).
