Guest Week: Andrew Norman

 1 Peter 1:6-7 KJV

• “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"

The storms of life come to each and every one of us. No matter our position in life, none of us are immune to the trials of this world. Through these hard times, it can feel like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling because they are not being answered in the way we think they should be. It is easy in these times to start to feel discouraged and get the feeling that God is not listening. However, this is not the case. 

The Bible refers often to the trials or the trying of our faith, and the passage above is a great example. These trials, the Word tells us, are precious and essential parts of our walk with Jesus Christ. It is through these times that we truly learn to lean on Him and to trust in His Word. It matters what we do when the storms of life come to us. Do we take it to the Scripture and read about the promises of God? Do we pray to the Lord that He will give us strength to endure the trial? Do we talk to a Sanctified elder or mentor for advice through these hard times?

Let's make sure that we know where our strength and help comes from when we are faced with hardships and difficulties in life. The Bible tells us that "the joy of the Lord is your strength." The tough times in life are when we truly learn to depend on the Lord. This fosters a closer relationship and a reliance that teaches us to truly give all of our burdens and cares to God. When we do this He blesses us, although not in the way we always expect. The promise of our God is not that He will take the trial away, but that He will give us the strength to endure it. That is why the Scripture above refers to the trials of our faith as precious, because it causes us to trust in the Lord and thereby grow closer in fellowship with Him.