Trials Train us to Endure

The Coronavirus pandemic was a time of suffering and pain for so many. In the eyes of the wider world, we were living through a senseless tragedy of enormous proportions. But for those who know the Lord, we have the confidence that He used this season to refine His church, to teach His people a deeper trust and faith, and ultimately, to bring glory to Himself. Some theologians put it this way: God permits what He hates (pandemic, suffering, etc.) to accomplish what He loves (salvation of souls, sanctification of saints, glory of His Name, etc.) In the midst of trying days, God calls us to allow Him—indeed to cooperate with Him--to accomplish His good plans for us. The call for us is to patiently submit to His sovereign will as we run our race of faith.

Runners train for marathons through exercise, a careful diet, mental focus, and discipline. How do Christians run the distance? We see in Hebrews 12:1-2 that Christians should do three things: listen to witnesses, lay aside sins and weights, and look to Jesus. We turn to Hebrews 12:3-11 to learn another key principle in cultivating endurance. This is perhaps one of the Bible’s key passages—if not the key passage—on how to understand and respond to trial and testing. The writer takes us into the deep waters of opposition and shows us how to endure—even to flourish—in difficult days. In particular, the writer emphasizes the need to submit to God’s discipline. As verse 7 states, “It is for discipline that you have to endure…”

The writer of Hebrews draws upon the Old Testament—namely, Proverbs 3—in verse 5: ‘’My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastises every son whom he receives.” Why does God allow us to go through hard things? Why does our loving Heavenly Father ordain that we should face trial and difficulty? Surely, if He is sovereign and powerful, He could spare us all difficulty and painful situations like the pandemic. We cannot presume to know all that God is doing in and through hard circumstances. But Hebrews gives us here a flash of very deep insight. As the first readers faced trial and difficulty, the writer reminded them not to grow weary. He emphasized that God disciplines those he loves—every son He receives.

Often we think of the language of discipline in terms of punishment and harshness. But the word “discipline” here means something like careful training. The Lord trains up His children by means of discipline. Note that the writer is not assuming that the trials of these believers have come about because of their sin. The trials are not some form of just desserts from the Lord. Instead, the writer is saying that our Heavenly Father is a wise Father. And he sometimes allows us to go through very hard and painful experiences. He does that not for the sake of our destruction, but for the sake of our training, our growth, and our godliness. And, actually, when he calls us to walk through a season of trial—he is demonstrating his love to us. As verse 6 states, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves.” (emphasis added). A loving parent takes the time, effort, and care to train up their children through discipline. And God is a loving Father who is “treating you as sons” (verse 7). All true fathers discipline their children and are respected for it (verse 9). So “Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?” (verse 10)

God’s goal for us in discipline is that we would grow in holiness. It has sometimes been said that God cares more about our holiness than our happiness. And sometimes, hard as it may seem, he allows us to go through some grievous times “that we may share His holiness” (verse 10). That’s not a pleasant thing. As verse 11 states, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” God could spare us every trial that might come our way. He could smooth the path of our life to make it pain-free, opposition-free, illness-free, conflict-free, pandemic-free, suffering-free. But as a wise and loving Father who cares most about our holiness, He calls us sometimes into seasons of deep trial. And He does it for our good. We tend to learn more about holiness through seasons of tears than times of laughter. Spurgeon famously said in regards to God’s ways, “It is better that all things should work for my good than all things should be as I would wish them to be. If all things do not always please me, [I know] they will always benefit me.”1

The key, then, is to make ourselves willingly, trustingly, and joyfully subject to God and His purposes. We were quick to grumble about the pandemic and the latest restrictions. But perhaps we should have paused and ask questions like the following: What might my loving Heavenly Father be teaching me through this? Is there an area of my life where He is maturing me? Is there, perhaps, an area of sin that He is calling me to repent of? Is there an area of holiness in which He is nudging me to grow? What should I be learning in this season?

Lastly, if you are facing trials and growing weary, stay encouraged by keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus. As verse 3 states, “Consider him [Jesus] who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” The power of looking to Jesus is obvious—especially when it comes to times of trial. Jesus endured trial like none that we have ever faced. He endured rejection, mistreatment, hatred, scorn, beating, abuse, injustice, crucifixion. He endured it all. As you consider Jesus, and as you look to Jesus, you will endure—to the glory of God!