Endurance Through Trials

Trials and suffering are an indelible part of the human experience. While adversity can be painful in the moment, God uses difficult seasons of life to shape us, mold us, and refine us into His image. Rather than approaching trials with fear, we should turn to God and have faith that He will sustain us even through our darkest days.

God loves each one of us. And in that love, He allows us to endure suffering for our own good. His love is evident in His balance between supporting us and allowing us to overcome our trials. While He is always present guiding and helping us, He does not always intervene directly to completely remove obstacles. Instead, He gives us the strength and opportunity to face them, knowing that overcoming difficulties is a vital part of our growth. And, as the Bible promises, God will never give us more than we can handle through Him.

As the Apostle Paul pleaded to the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh, Jesus responded in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10,

"‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Even in our weakness, God’s power is made perfect. He allows us to struggle because it teaches us to lean on Him and trust in His strength. Through these experiences, we discover that His grace is sufficient for us, and in our weakest moments, we can find strength in Christ.

Never More Than We Can Bear

We may feel overwhelmed at times, but God has equipped us with the resources, strength, and perseverance to endure each trial. Just as a chick must break through its own shell to grow strong, we too must face our spiritual trials to develop the endurance that leads to maturity. God allows us to wrestle with difficulties so that we may emerge more spiritually fit, but He ensures that none of our burdens are beyond what we can bear with His help.

Paul, one of the greatest examples of endurance through suffering in the Bible, said in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." In this, we see that God’s provision of strength through Christ enables us to handle our challenges. Even in the most difficult moments, God is there, empowering us to endure. Endurance is built through the assurance that God is always with us, guiding us toward victory over every trial.

Endurance Through Faith and Trials

God’s wisdom is seen in His understanding that trials are necessary for our spiritual growth. While God supports and guides us, He does not remove every obstacle because He knows that our endurance grows through the struggle. As we face trials, we are sanctified, growing stronger in faith, character, and reliance on God. Like the chick emerging from its egg, we too must break through our struggles to emerge spiritually mature, prepared for the life of faith and the greater life to come.

By recognizing that God understands our doubts and struggles, and that He is helping us navigate the roadblocks, we can be encouraged to trust Him even more. As we say, "God, I believe; help my unbelief," we grow in our ability to endure and persevere, knowing that He has a greater purpose for us through every trial. And through it all, He promises to provide strength, grace, and a way forward in every situation.

Endurance in Light of Christ’s Sacrifice

Our ability to endure trials and overcome obstacles is only possible because of what Jesus did for us. His death and resurrection were not just acts of atonement for our sins, but the ultimate demonstration of the power of God at work in human weakness. It is through His sacrifice that we receive the grace and strength to navigate life's challenges. By overcoming death, Jesus not only paved the way for our salvation but also made it possible for us to face life’s struggles with the confidence that He is always with us, strengthening us to handle even the greatest of burdens. Romans 5:6-8 says,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

God showed His love for mankind by sending Jesus to die for our sins even though we were undeserving and powerless. And through this offering of love, we are given power by God's grace. Through Christ's sacrifice, we are reconciled to God, and through this reconciliation, we receive the Holy Spirit who empowers us to endure trials and to triumph over them. It is through Him that we are strengthened, and through His grace that we can confidently face every challenge, knowing that we are not alone. Without Jesus, we would be spiritually powerless, unable to handle the burdens of life or the temptations of the world.

However, because of what Jesus has done for us, we are no longer bound to the weakness of our flesh alone but are strengthened by His victory over the flesh. The strength to handle life’s difficulties does not come from our own ability, but from God’s grace working in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember Paul: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." This promise shows that Christ’s victory over sin and death directly equips us to face our own struggles.

We are enabled to stand under the weight of trials because Jesus bore the ultimate burden of sin for us. His work on the cross and His resurrection provide the foundation for our ability to endure. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to fix our eyes on Jesus, "the founder and perfecter of faith," because He endured the cross for the joy set before Him, giving us an example of endurance through suffering.

Without the grace provided by Jesus' sacrifice, we would be unable to withstand the trials that God allows us to face. It is only through His atonement, His gift of the Holy Spirit, and His constant intercession that we are able to endure. Because He overcame the world, we too can overcome the struggles we face, knowing that He walks beside us and empowers us. As John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Jesus Himself assures us that while trials are a certainty in life, victory through Him is also guaranteed. Our ability to handle difficulties is directly tied to His triumph, which provides the strength, peace, and hope we need to persevere. His victory is our victory, and in that, we find both strength and hope for the journey ahead.