Trusting God in Times of Testing

It’s so easy when all is said and done after going through a hard time, to look back and see how God was orchestrating everything, even in the darkest of times.  However, it is sometimes nearly impossible to see those things when we are in the heart of the battle.  So how can we shift our mindset to get out of only seeing God’s hand when we look in the rear-view mirror, to actually being able to see him working even in the deepest trenches in the heart of the battle?  For me at least, this is one of my biggest struggles.  It is so easy to talk about my big faith and how “God works all things together for his good” (Romans 8:28 paraphrased) when everything is “good”.  However, when things aren’t so “good”, panic, doubt, and discouragement can often take hold.  It doesn’t seem to matter how many times God has triumphantly taken us through the hard times, when they hit our fleshly ways seem to always set back in.  So, how can we break free of that cycle?  I wish I had the perfect answer, however, just like everyone else I still struggle through this issue myself.  However, I have found some great ideas on how to manage this struggle throughout the Bible.

      One of my favorite stories about trusting God through the hard times is the story of Joseph.  God gave Joseph a dream at the young age of 17 of the things that He had planned for him.  What a miraculous thing to feel like God himself had shown Joseph a glimpse of the future he had in store for him.  What an amazing moment to have a dream from God! However, that was only the beginning of his journey.  Everything didn’t turn into rainbows and sunshine the moment he had the dream.  He had to go through some difficult and insanely frustrating times to get from the moment of the dream to its actual fulfillment. 

Joseph’s first trial came in the form of betrayal by his own family.  His own brothers (who mind you didn’t particularly like Joseph anyways especially since he was daddy’s favorite son and had recently told them about a dream which involved them bowing down to him), had decided to sell Joseph into slavery.  Now as awful as that is, it does beat what their original plan for him was; they wanted to kill him.  However, it still had to be a devastating blow (I can’t imagine the fear and disappointment of becoming a slave).  I imagine that his mind had to immediately go to a place of depression and doubt.  He had to have thought in the back of his mind that there was no way anyone would bow down to him now.  Even in the midst of this course change, however, Joseph still acted as a Godly man.

He was purchased by a man named Potiphar who was the Captain of the Guard for the Pharaoh.  Joseph worked hard right where God had placed him and he was blessed for it.  Even though he was a slave, his master noticed how God had been blessing his household through Joseph.  He respected Joseph so much that he even promoted him to be in charge of everything he owned.

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.  Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.  This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant.  He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.  From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake.  All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.  So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned.  With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing-except what kind of food to eat!” Genesis 39:2-6

Joseph was in charge of absolutely everything Potiphar owned.  He wasn’t promoted because he grumbled and complained every day or because he did what he had to do due to the fact he was a slave and had no other choice.  No, he was promoted because he focused on exactly where he was placed and worked unto the Lord to do the very best job that he could do.  God blessed him for that.  He was given a tremendous amount of favor in the eyes of his owner.

That’s where so many of us, myself included, struggle.  I often find myself grumbling and complaining and not focusing on working unto the Lord.  I truly believe, and this is with me not trying to point fingers because they are pointed at me too, that we as humans often stand in the way of God’s blessings.  We get so self-focused that we don’t even realize that the slight (or even major) discomforts we are going through in our lives are meant to refine us and develop us for our future.

For many women, a golden diamond ring is often the most beautiful and prized possession that she will ever receive.  However, the beautiful diamond in the ring did not start out so beautiful.  It had to undergo tremendous amounts of heat and pressure over an extended period of time in order to shine.  The gold also had to endure a heat so intense that all impurities were burned away before it was formed into a beautiful gold band.  It is the same with us as humans.  Often during some of our most challenging times, we are being tested the most.  Those tests are what “refine” us into who it is God intends for us to be.

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”  Proverbs 17:3

In my own life, I have found that the tests that have been the most frustrating have often been the very ones that have brought me to the next level.  That is such a hard reality to deal with.  However, if we can get to that realization, it is so much easier to at the least except but hopefully learn how to enjoy the refining process.  That isn’t to say that we need to slap a smile on our face every time something gets tough, however, we can be encouraged during thought times knowing that even when we feel like we are lost in the wilderness that we serve a God that is in control and he knows what we are going through.

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31