Charles Stanley - Wisdom for the Trials of Life
One of the most commonly asked questions is, "Why is it that God allows His children to go through such difficult, trying, painful times in life"? It's very obvious that He does, so it can't be denied. And since He's all powerful and He allows it to happen, there must be some purpose for it, because no one escapes it. Whether a person is a believer or not a believer, a person's a Christian or non-Christian, all of us go through trials in life. But let's just take, think for a moment about those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their savior, try to follow Him and yet they go through the most difficult kinds of trials.
What in the world is God up to? Is there a purpose for it or is this just part of life, or what is it? Well once you and I begin to understand what the real purpose is, what God is up to, why He allows these things to happen in our life, we can live through most anything. In fact, anything and everything, once we understand the principles. And that's what I want to deal with in this message. And I want to simply talk about "Wisdom for the Trials of Life". And I want you to turn if you will to James chapter one. In the first chapter of James, I want us to read part of this chapter because he deals with this very issue of trials.
Now the Apostle Paul certainly had his trials. Jesus had His. In fact, every servant of God in the scripture had theirs. And the truth is we all do, and we all will and there is no escape. And somebody says, "Well, will these trials ever cease"? Well, trials will never cease, maybe this trial will cease, and this trial will cease, but trials themselves will never cease. There, there is no escape. And so, the issue is not how do I escape trials in my life, but how do I learn to respond to them in a way that makes it profitable for me that I can see something good in every single one of these trials? Now I don't know what you're facing in life. Some of you are facing extremely difficult and painful seemingly almost impossible things. But one thing I know for certain.
What I want to share with you in this message is the truth. Tried, tested, this is the truth. And if you'll listen carefully and be wise enough to jot down some of the things that I want to share with you, you'll make the next trial at least a little easier, better understood, and you'll be looking for God's goodness right in the middle of the most painful part. Look if you will, beginning in James chapter one. He begins by identifying himself, "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings. Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the winds. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, and unstable in all his ways". Then if you'd drop down to verse twelve, "Blessed is a man or a woman who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him".
Now, when I look at that passage, I think, "What a preposterous statement". I mean, this doesn't even make sense. Think about this. Count it all joy when you encounter trials, testings in your life. Now, think about it for a moment. Trials and joy don't go together. They just don't fit. Trials and tears fit. Trials and hardship fit. Trials and discouragement, trials and disillusionment, trials and despair, all of these things fit but trials and joy? That doesn't make any sense. So how could he say, "Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials". He must know something we need to know because it just doesn't make human common sense to say, "Get happy, be delighted, rejoice in the fact you're in the midst of a burning, fiery, difficult, trying, painful, sticky time in your life". Has to be an answer. And there is an answer, there's a wonderful answer.
So, when we think in terms of the whole idea of trials, I want to think in terms of it this way, and that is wisdom, listen, wisdom for the trials of life. Now when you read this passage usually here's what happens. Somebody will read this passage and say, "Well, we're talking about trials". And then in verse five he says, "But, if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it'll be given to them". Well, it almost looks like he's changed the subject. First of all, we're talking about trials and now we're talking about wisdom. But he's not. Here's what he's saying. In order for us to be able to count it all joy and to see our faith tested and learn endurance and mature in our faith, it takes godly wisdom.
Wisdom is seeing things from God's perspective. If I look at this from a natural's perspective, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Joy and trials? No, tears and trials, difficulty and trials, hardship and trials, but not joy. But when you and I see things from God's perspective, that's what wisdom is. When we see things from God's perspective, something happens. What happens? And that is, when we see it from God's perspective, then we say there's another side to this. There must be a spiritual side rather than a human side. Now, wisdom must be applied. For example, it's one thing to have God's perspective but the issue is am I willing to apply that?
And so, if I do apply it, here's what's gonna happen. It's gonna enable me to evaluate persons and circumstances and make the right decision. It's gonna enable me to ask some questions about whatever I'm facing in life. That is, uh, how am I gonna face this trial in light of my past experiences? How am I gonna face this trial in light of my present circumstances? And how am I gonna face this trial in light of my future dreams and goals in life? The right question is always, "God, what is Your goal for this trial in my life"? And listen, always asking this question, "God, what would You have me to do? What is Your goal? What is Your purpose for this trial in my life? What would You have me to do at this point"?
When you and I begin to look at our trials, it makes no difference when that trial has to do with whatever aspect of your life. The issue is I must look at it wisely. That's why he says if, he says, "If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all of us liberally," and He doesn't come back and blare out at us and say, "Why did you do that and why did you ask for wisdom"? He knows that you and I need wisdom to understand these difficult, trying, painful times in our life. So, I want you to think about what your circumstances are, where you are in life, what you're facing, what you'd like to change, what's painful, what's hurtful, what's costly, what you'd like to absolutely, totally eradicate out of your life, and you know that you can't do it.
So, the issue is how do I face this trial in my life and come out winning, victorious, profiting from it? Now think about this. If you're gonna have to suffer, and there's a way to squeeze something good out of the suffering, don't waste your suffering. Don't waste your sorrows. Don't waste your heartaches. Don't waste your pain. Learn how to squeeze something good and profitable, a blessing, out of every single trial of life. And you can and you will if you'll listen carefully, jot down these notes and begin to apply them to your life.
So, I want to say simply this. And that is that we need wisdom, listen, we need wisdom to discern the source of the, our trials. We see, we're all gonna have trials. And he said, "Listen, consider it all joy my brethren," not if, but when you encounter various trials. They are coming. You can look all the way back from Adam and every single person in the scripture, somewhere along the way they went through some trial. And it didn't make any difference how good they were or how evil they were, there gonna be trials in life. So, the issue is not whether we're going to, but what is the source of them? Now when he uses the word "encounter", look at this. Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter. That means some of these, some of these trials are gonna come upon us suddenly.
Some of them are gonna come upon us unexpectedly and we won't know for the moment exactly what to do. "When you," he says, "When you encounter them". When you're confronted with something that you yourself maybe have caused, or you would say that it's someone else's fault, or whatever it might be. But we all face these trials. You go to work tomorrow morning, and somebody hits you in the face with something that you didn't plan on. Or all during this past week you have encountered one trial after the other and as someone said to me after the first service, "I can't believe you talked about that because every day of my life this past week I've had one more, one more encounter as you say, and one more trial and immediately, I think, ‘God, I can't handle it.' I walk in here, sit down and what do you talk about? Had my name on every single point".
Well, you know why? Because that's just human life. And so, when you and I think about it, notice he says, "Consider it all joy my brethren when you", when, not if, you encounter, they come upon you, various trials. Why did he say various trials? Because trials come in many forms. For example, it can be a trial in your family, it can be a trial in your business or your job. It can be a trial in your finances. It can be a trial in your health. There are multitudes, there are hundreds and thousands of different things that people have to face in life. So, he says not just count it all joy when you fall into a particular trial but various. And the word really means multi-colored. I mean it can be any kind, anywhere, from any source. He says we're to count it all joy no matter what.
And you see, without wisdom, that's not gonna happen. Until you and I look at it from God's perspective, we are not going to count it joy. How many times have I read that verse in the past and think, "Lord, surely You don't mean for me to get happy about this"? Amen? It's hard to be happy about pain, right? Well, that's not really what he said. He didn't say get happy about your pain. I want to help you understand exactly what he's saying. Count it all joy, listen to this, when you encounter these various trials. He didn't say, "Count it all joy over your suffering. Count it all joy because he did this to you. Count it all joy because of him, her, what, which, where". No, he said, "Count it all joy when you encounter these".
I'm not to be thank, listen, I'm not to be, I'm not to be happy about hurting so bad I can hardly stand it. And that's often times there's pain so intense that a person cannot even pray. If you've never been there, then you've never hurt quite badly enough. But there is suffering, there's pain that is so, that is so enervate? So, a totally absolutely racquets your body till you can't pray with much attention on God. There's some real pain people go through. So, what's the issue? The issue is God, what is this all about? How am I to respond to this? It's, you know, I thought I'd had pain until this. And yet there are some very specific sources from which it comes.
Sometimes our, listen, sometimes our trials come from making a wrong decision ourselves. Can't blame it on anybody but ourselves. We've all made wrong decisions and suddenly we're facing a trial. Sometimes it's because of something someone else does to us. Turn over if you will just one book to First Peter and look if you will in First Peter and notice the sixth verse of this first chapter. Here's what he says. In this, talking about their suffering and trials they're going through, he says, "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable".
So, he says here you're going through some difficulty, some hardship and some pain in your life. And they were going through a time of great persecution. And so, as a result of that, they were, they were suffering. There's one more verse that may give us a little better idea. Look in the twelfth verse, the fourth chapter, because here he just keeps on talking about the whole idea of what they're suffering. And he says in this fourth chapter, the twelfth verse, "Beloved," he says, "don't even be surprised at the fiery ordeal or trial among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you".
The truth is if you and I live a godly life, the Bible says those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. The godlier you and I live, the more Satan's going to attack us in every way possible. The more trials and hardships we're gonna have. And what he's saying here in the First Peter, he says, he says, "Don't be surprised when these things come upon you". Sometime it's because of a wrong decision we made. Sometimes it's because of persecution from others. Sometimes it's a result of living in this fallen world. We're living in a fallen world. There are tornadoes and earthquakes and floods and sickness and disease and hardship and pain and suffering, from wars and bloodshed and all the rest.
This is part of living in a fallen world. Sometimes our trials are the result we're just, we appear to be victims of our surrounding circumstances. Sometimes it is straight from the devil. You know it's absolutely straight from him. And sometimes these trials are, listen, allowed by God. They all have to be allowed by Him. Sometimes they're sent by Him. Now, what we have to ask is how do we handle these? This is why he says, "If any man lack wisdom". Because listen, the better and the more accurately I understand the source of the trial, the better I'm gonna be able to handle it, and say, "I do think that I'm understanding what this is all about".
So, what I want to ask is, how do I respond properly? So, I'm gonna give you a list and I will say them slowly. Give you an opportunity to jot them down. I simply want to put it this way. If I am going to profit from my trials and be sustained in the process, and come out winning, and look back and thank God for it, to be able to count it all joy. Not count it because I'm hurting, but count it all joy because, listen. I'm counting it all joy because I know what the results can be. I can count it all joy because I know this is a potential blessing.
I can count it all joy because I know that I can come out in such a way that I will be a far better believer, far better Christian, far better man than I am today. So what we're joyous over is not this, not the pain. I'm joyous over the possible end results. Now if the end results are to be right, and I'm to view these things properly, I must be convinced and persuaded of the following ten things. If I'm gonna come out, in other words, I have to be persuaded of these things or it's not gonna work.
So, let me begin with number one. Number one, I must be persuaded that God is in control of the timing and the intensity of my trial. It may last a day, a week, a year, ten years. I am, first of all, I am persuaded that God is in control of the timing and the intensity of my trial. That means He has it all under His control. That gives me a great sense of comfort right up front. He's in control.
Number two, God has a specific purpose for allowing this trial in my life. You say, "Well now wait a minute". Yes, because every single one of us who is a believer, we're His children and He's taking care of us. There is a specific purpose for this trial that you and I are facing in life.
Number three, this trial is designed to meet a specific need God sees in my life. This trial that God has allowed is designed to meet a specific need that I have. We may not know what that need is. And more than likely we won't discover what that need is probably till it's all over and we look back in our life and say, "Well Lord, I never saw that in my life".
Number four, this trial is gonna prove to be for my good if I respond in faith. This trial is going, listen, this trial is gonna turn out for my good. It's gonna be profitable to me if I will respond in faith, that is trusting God through it. It can be profitable to me.
Number five, this trial can strengthen my faith, making it stronger than it's ever been. This is my opportunity to prove that I can trust God. Strengthen my faith. God will approve of my response. And anytime our faith is strengthened, we're gonna come out winning.
Number six, this trial is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His power to sustain me under great pressure. God is demonstrating to me and to others His power to sustain me under great pressure. This is a wonderful opportunity for God as well as myself. This is an opportunity I have to demonstrate before those around me that my God is sufficient no matter what to strengthen me through all of these things.
Number seven, this trial is in the process of creating and developing Christ-like character in me. I understand this is what God's up to. He's up to creating, He's up to developing my character. He's up to developing Christ-like character in me.
Number eight, this trial will help me measure my spiritual growth. You say, "Well, how can a trial help you measure your spiritual growth"? I'll tell you how. For example, let's say that the trial that you're facing today, you face, if you'd a faced it five years ago, three years ago, maybe two, maybe a year ago, could be six months ago. At that point you look back in your life and think, "God, I could never have handled this. I don't know what in the world I would have done". But today You feel strong enough in the Lord. Having learned to trust Him. You know in your heart that you have grown in your spiritual life.
You see, if your faith is no stronger today than it was ten years ago, there's something wrong. Now, let me put it this way now. I'm not being critical, but let's put it this way. If you're one of those persons and you're going through some trial in your life and maybe, it's the worst or maybe is not. Maybe you've been through something worse than this. But let's just say at this point in your life it's a terrible trial, very painful, and you say, "The Bible says when you encounter all these trials to rejoice. I'm telling you this trial has devastated me. It has just absolutely wiped me out".
You know what you're confessing? You're confessing something about yourself. You're saying that at this point in my spiritual walk, I'm a long ways from where I ought to be, where I should be compared to where I have been. Because the truth is, listen, as the trials increase in pressure, and as some of them become more fiery than others and more difficult to handle, the truth is all of these are ways that God is using to stretch and strengthen us. And therefore, listen, the truth is no believer should be devastated by a trial. Shocked, yes. Hurt, yes. Painful, yes. Surprised, yes, but devastated, no. Why? You remember what we said in the very beginning? My God is in control of the intensity and the timing of this trial.
That means, listen, that means nothing's happened that He didn't allow. He puts a limit on the intensity and the timing. He says He'll neither let me be tempted nor tried above what I'm able to bear when wisely I depend upon Him to see me through it. Very important because it is a good barometer of where we are in our faith. For example, let's put it this way. Are there not things in your Christian life that today don't even phase you, that years ago would have just absolutely wiped you out? And I can look back and see in my own life, I've lived long enough and been through enough things in my life that things years ago that used to just trouble me and just frustrate me and make me angry, whatever it might be.
You know what? Same stuff comes along today, and I go, "That's the end of that. Not even worth considering". You know why? Because I've had enough failures and enough successes to know that my God sees that as nothing, He has it under control. Why should I worry about something He's controlling over here? You can measure your spiritual growth by your response to your trials. And I think that's one thing you need to remember because here's an opportunity for us to measure our spiritual growth.
Then, number nine. One thing I need to know and be convinced of God will walk with me through every single step of this trial. Not one moment will I be without Him. Not one step will I be without Him. He says, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you". This is why He said to His disciples when Jesus marched them out to the world to share the gospel and to proclaim the gospel. The last thing He said, He said, "I'm gonna be with you all the way, even to the end of this age. You can count on Me to be by your side".
Let me ask you a question. If you think about it from a wisdom point of view, what is it that you can't stand with Jesus Christ by your side? With His omniscience, His unconditional love, listen, and His unwavering compassion for you. You can stand anything Satan throws at you, anything God allows in your life as long as you know, listen, He's with you every moment and every step of the way. You know what that means? You have a continuous, listen, you have a continuous refueling of your courage, refueling of your patience, refueling of your steadfast. He doesn't wait till you get exhausted and then comes back and get exhausted. He's there every step of the way.
And then, listen, the tenth thing that I think we have to be convinced of and fully convinced of and that's this. That by His grace and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, we will not only survive, we will come out conqueror over this trial. By His, listen, by His grace and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, we will conquer this no matter what. Now you think about that for a moment. A trial hits you and you say, "God, what's the source of this"? And He shows you. Maybe it's a wrong decision you made or something else.
Second question you ask is, "God, what's Your purpose for this"? And He may say, "My purpose for this is you have a character flaw over here that I want to work on. You have something in your life's got to go. I want to demonstrate to those to whom you're speaking what I can do in your life". Whatever the purpose. "God, now, how am I to respond to this"? I'm to respond to this with a great sense of confidence and joy because, write down those ten things, number one, I know God that You're in control of the timing and the intensity of it all the way to the point. God, by Your grace and enabling power of the Holy Spirit, I will survive this.
My friend, I don't know who you are and what you're going through, but I can tell you this. You have heard the simple but profound gospel truth about how God sees and works in trials, heartaches, difficulties and pain. If you're one of His children, that is you're one of those persons who has accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior. You know that your sins are forgiven. You know that you're a child of God, that you've been born again. All that's the same thing. Then all of this works in your life if you'll let God work it. And maybe what you need to say to Him today is:
God, I'm gonna ask You to forgive me for complaining and moaning and groaning and blaming and being resentful and hostile and angry and bitter and all the rest. I want to ask You to forgive me for that. I want to repent of that, I want to turn around, God. I want to walk in a different direction. I want to accept by faith that You're in control of my trials here. And I do want to understand the cause and I do want to understand Your purpose in it. Lord, I believe I do understand some purposes You have in mind. Now Lord, I want to be able to see these from Your perspective. I want to see, God, that You're doing, as painful as it is, You love me enough to do something good in my life. God, just strengthen me through it. Sustain me, Lord, I'm gonna walk through it, I'm gonna trust You no matter what and I'm gonna watch what You do.
Let me ask you a question. How will you ever understand how good God is until you've come to the bottom rung of the ladder in your life? How will you ever understand what great things, personal things, intimate things God is willing to do for you in your life personally until you get to the place that only He and He alone is all you have to depend upon, stand on, and hold onto? You won't. It's when we go through the fire and God sustains us and brings us out and there's not even smell of smoke. You can look to Him and say, "God, You're every bit the God You say You are, the God the Bible testifies You to be, and now the God I know You to be".
You know what? Then this intimate, personal relationship takes a great leap forward. And you'll be grateful for the day you've trusted Christ as your Savior. And so, I just want to say to you if you are one of His and you apply these principles, something's gonna happen in your life. In fact, it can happen this day. It can happen when this message is over, and you've finished watching. God will do something dynamic in your life. But you got to be willing. And if you're willing, He is sitting on ready. And so, if you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your savior, and you're tired of going it alone. Your resources aren't sufficient. Your energy and your attempts and trials aren't adequate, why don't you just stop and just tell Him:
God, I give up. I quit; it's not working. I want to ask You to forgive me of my sins and I want to to take by faith Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I do believe that His death at, at Calvary paid my sin-debt in full and I here and now by faith receive Jesus Christ as my savior.
You know what'll happen? Your life is gonna change. And here's what you're gonna say, "Oh my God, why didn't I do this before now"?
Father, how grateful we are for Your patience, lovingkindness and tender mercy toward us. Sink this message so deep, let it become such a vital part of our thinking that we don't even think about life apart from You. But always looking for Your fingerprints, Your handprint, Your face, Your power in every aspect of our life. In Jesus's name, amen.