When the Trial Comes, Do Not Be Surprised
But man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward. — Job 5:7
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. — 1 Peter 4:12
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: As long as we live in this fallen world, we will face unavoidable difficulties; therefore, when adversity comes, we should not lament or regard it as something strange. The call to rejoice is not superficial but spiritual: it springs from trusting that, behind the trial, the blessing and presence of God remain. By suffering with steadfastness and faith, we share in Christ’s sufferings and come to know Him intimately. God accompanies, strengthens, and guides us, while pain refines us like gold and makes us more like Jesus. Tribulations are part of the path to experiencing His power, His fellowship, and the joy of His glory.
When you have a problem here on earth, do not lament, do not be surprised or astonished as though what is happening to you were something strange. If you are alive, you are going to endure difficult situations.
Now, if you are dead, then you are not going to have any problems! But if you are alive and in the world, you are going to have to struggle with the inevitable circumstances of this fallen world, so do not be surprised when adversity comes. That is what the apostle Peter tells his readers in 1 Peter 4:12, and he also says it to you and me. He declares: "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you."
Have you endured trials in recent months? The apostle Peter tells us: "Do not be surprised at that fiery trial." He says: "As though something strange were happening to you." And then he adds: "But rejoice, insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings."
That “rejoice,” as I said on another occasion—as Paul also says in Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord; again I say: Rejoice"—that “rejoice” is not an easy, superficial call. It is a “rejoice” in the spirit. It is the “rejoice” of a person who knows that behind the cloud and the trial, the blessing is coming and the Presence of God is there.
He says: "Rejoice, insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings." Do you know, my brother, that Jesus’ very nature dictated that He should suffer greatly here on Earth? The prophet Isaiah says that He was a man acquainted with sorrows. The Lord is born under difficult conditions and dies under even worse conditions. Yet no one was more powerful than He, and no one accomplished more than He did. He suffered a great many things here in the world.
We can therefore better understand the apostle Peter’s words. They make it clear to us that when we are going through trials, in a spiritual sense we are identifying with a very essential part of the life and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ—His suffering nature, acquainted with pain and trials. You are coming to know Him in a very intimate and mysterious way.
Paul says that he wants to know Christ in His resurrection, but also in His sufferings. Peter adds: When you suffer, you are sharing in the very essence of the Lord. He says: "So that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His Glory."
Know that when you are in a trial and remain steadfast in the Lord, confessing His love and faithfulness by faith, in some mysterious way the wings of the Spirit of God come to rest upon you. God is with you. God is accompanying you. He is strengthening you, guiding you through the trial. You are becoming more like Christ. In the crucible of pain, you will be refined like gold, and you will have intimate fellowship with your Master, who in turn, according to the writer of Hebrews, was made perfect through afflictions (Hebrews 2:10).
To enjoy the great and beautiful things of the Lord, we must also go through tribulations. To enjoy His power, we must experience His sufferings as well. As 1 Peter 2:14 says: "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you."