When we go through trials we end up stronger than ever in our faith
Dr. Roberto Miranda
(Audio: Spanish)
SUMMARY: James teaches that those who suffer are blessed and should have patience, as trials can lead to a deeper understanding of God. Job is used as an example, as he came out of his test with a renewed perspective of God. Other biblical characters, such as Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and Esther, also went through trials but were brought out with victory and a strengthened faith. The end result of tests is positive and can lead to a new song, renewed ministry, and a settled relationship with God.
People who suffer or who are going through trials are not unfortunate or unhappy but rather fortunate, blessed and can even rejoice in the trials they are going through.
The apostle James says: "Behold, we count those who suffer blessed. You have heard of Job's patience and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful and compassionate." So the apostle James is again suggesting this idea that patience must also manifest itself when we are going through situations of tribulation, anguish, and suffering and to see it rather from the perspective of the Lord, to see it from the perspective of the end of that test by which we are going through.
Not the end in the sense of the cessation of it but rather the purpose that the test pursues, right? and see also that whenever we go through tribulations looking at them through the spirit, we can see that the end of them and the result of them will always be extremely positive, something good will come out in our lives if we pass those tests with faith and a confidence that the Lord knows the why of things.
And so the apostle James uses Job as an example. Job a righteous man, a God-fearing man who always had an exemplary behavior is tested by Satan and falls into a terrible test. And the entire Book of Job shows us how Job was struggling with himself doubting God on the one hand but also wanting to believe and striving to believe that God makes sense even in life's most tragic situations. And finally when Job has gone through that test, what happens? He says that God reveals Himself to him and lets him see a much deeper side of His Person.
God answers Job the questions he had. Job ultimately knows God in a very different way than he did before, in fact Job says: "I had heard you from hearing but now my eyes see you." In other words, one of the things that Job experiences when going through that great test and seeing the end of it, Job can see God in a very different way. The tests many times when we pass them in faith end up teaching us a part of God, a very deep dimension of God.
I think of what Psalm 40 says: "I patiently waited for Jehovah and he bowed down to me, and heard my cry" and it says: "And he brought me out of the pit of despair, out of the muddy mud. He put my feet on a rock and straightened my steps. Then he put a new song in my mouth. Many will see this and fear, and trust in the Lord. "
We see in this case that for the psalmist one of the results of patiently waiting on the Lord until the Lord finally says he heard my cry and took me out, he says: put my feet on a rock. I believe that many times when we go through the trials we end up stronger than ever, more solid than ever in our faith. He says: he put a new song in my mouth, praise he says to our God. In other words, another of the things that comes out of the tests is a new song. I believe that this new song is a renewed way of seeing God, a new way of seeing and conceiving life, a new character in us, an attitude of greater joy and greater solidity in our relationship with the Lord. Many times our ministries are renewed and strengthened when we emerge victorious from the test.
So the result of the test rather comes to strengthen us and settle us more in the things of the Lord and this is what happened to Job, that Job came out of the test with an understanding, a much more renewed perspective of the Lord. So that's why James says: "And you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful and compassionate." Then James says observe the result of the different prophets and the characters of the Scriptures, they also went through their own tests and yet the Lord took them out of all of them with victory.
We can think of Moses, forty years in the desert and then forty more years, or rather forty years before in Egypt and then forty years in the desert and the Lord brought them out, blessed the Hebrew people, from all their trials he brought them forward, we can think of Elijah and his great trial when he was persecuted by Jezebel. We can think of Daniel with the tests in the lion's den, the fiery furnace, José so many years also in jail unjustly imprisoned. The great men of God in different ways and the great women of God went through their own trials.
Think of Esther, think of Ruth, Sarah. All these great characters went through various tests, but out of all of them the Lord took them out with victory and brought them out stronger than ever. So if you are going through a test remember that the end of the Lord, the purpose, the end result of the tests is wonderfully positive. God bless you and until our next section.
The apostle James says: "Behold, we count those who suffer blessed. You have heard of Job's patience and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful and compassionate." So the apostle James is again suggesting this idea that patience must also manifest itself when we are going through situations of tribulation, anguish, and suffering and to see it rather from the perspective of the Lord, to see it from the perspective of the end of that test by which we are going through.
Not the end in the sense of the cessation of it but rather the purpose that the test pursues, right? and see also that whenever we go through tribulations looking at them through the spirit, we can see that the end of them and the result of them will always be extremely positive, something good will come out in our lives if we pass those tests with faith and a confidence that the Lord knows the why of things.
And so the apostle James uses Job as an example. Job a righteous man, a God-fearing man who always had an exemplary behavior is tested by Satan and falls into a terrible test. And the entire Book of Job shows us how Job was struggling with himself doubting God on the one hand but also wanting to believe and striving to believe that God makes sense even in life's most tragic situations. And finally when Job has gone through that test, what happens? He says that God reveals Himself to him and lets him see a much deeper side of His Person.
God answers Job the questions he had. Job ultimately knows God in a very different way than he did before, in fact Job says: "I had heard you from hearing but now my eyes see you." In other words, one of the things that Job experiences when going through that great test and seeing the end of it, Job can see God in a very different way. The tests many times when we pass them in faith end up teaching us a part of God, a very deep dimension of God.
I think of what Psalm 40 says: "I patiently waited for Jehovah and he bowed down to me, and heard my cry" and it says: "And he brought me out of the pit of despair, out of the muddy mud. He put my feet on a rock and straightened my steps. Then he put a new song in my mouth. Many will see this and fear, and trust in the Lord. "
We see in this case that for the psalmist one of the results of patiently waiting on the Lord until the Lord finally says he heard my cry and took me out, he says: put my feet on a rock. I believe that many times when we go through the trials we end up stronger than ever, more solid than ever in our faith. He says: he put a new song in my mouth, praise he says to our God. In other words, another of the things that comes out of the tests is a new song. I believe that this new song is a renewed way of seeing God, a new way of seeing and conceiving life, a new character in us, an attitude of greater joy and greater solidity in our relationship with the Lord. Many times our ministries are renewed and strengthened when we emerge victorious from the test.
So the result of the test rather comes to strengthen us and settle us more in the things of the Lord and this is what happened to Job, that Job came out of the test with an understanding, a much more renewed perspective of the Lord. So that's why James says: "And you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful and compassionate." Then James says observe the result of the different prophets and the characters of the Scriptures, they also went through their own tests and yet the Lord took them out of all of them with victory.
We can think of Moses, forty years in the desert and then forty more years, or rather forty years before in Egypt and then forty years in the desert and the Lord brought them out, blessed the Hebrew people, from all their trials he brought them forward, we can think of Elijah and his great trial when he was persecuted by Jezebel. We can think of Daniel with the tests in the lion's den, the fiery furnace, José so many years also in jail unjustly imprisoned. The great men of God in different ways and the great women of God went through their own trials.
Think of Esther, think of Ruth, Sarah. All these great characters went through various tests, but out of all of them the Lord took them out with victory and brought them out stronger than ever. So if you are going through a test remember that the end of the Lord, the purpose, the end result of the tests is wonderfully positive. God bless you and until our next section.
