What about when you do what you think is right, according to God's word and guidance, and it doesn't work out so well? What about when we do what we think is the will of God, only it turns out horribly? Maybe you stand up for what is right at work, only to suffer isolation at work or lose your job altogether. Maybe you move to a new location, thinking it is God's will, but things fall apart. Maybe you are going through your life, trying to live for God, only to suffer medical malfunctions and trials, even disease. What about when ones you love die, suddenly and tragically. Chuck Swindoll wrote in The Mystery of God's Will, “I think of [a] young man, Kris Boring, who graduated as one of our top students at Dallas Seminary. Kris was valedictorian of his high school class, top of his class in college, and a splendid student at the seminary. In May of 1997 I handed him his Master of Theology degree at commencement. [When we went to DTS in the fall of 1997, Kris helped Dr. Dan Wallace, my Greek teacher, by teaching some of our classes because Dr. Wallace was sick.] Kris and his fiancee, thinking God's plan was for them to serve Him on the mission field, went together to look into a particular ministry opportunity. While there, Kris contracted a virus, and in two and a half weeks he was dead. Kris was twenty-eight years old. I remember his saying to me after graduation, 'I just can't wait. Now I can go. I'm all prepared.' And surprisingly ... mysteriously, God took him” (p. 64). [Click here for a tribute to Kris.]

God is in ultimate control, and while he prevents many trials from coming into our experience, God allows certain trials to come into our lives. Suffering and trials and opposition are a part of life, even in the will of God. Therefore we must adjust our expectations to include trials. Before we address how to handle the difficulties, we need to discuss where they come from, and one of their purposes.

In John 16:33, Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble.” Romans 8:18-23 say, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it [God] . . . We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”

We sometimes ask the question, “why do bad things happen to good people?” That is an inappropriate question, because apart from Christ, no one is “good.” We are sinners, and the universe suffers from the curse of sin, and that is why there are accidents and disease and painful things that are nobody's fault. And that is why some people hurt others. As long as we live on earth before Jesus comes, we are living under the effects and curse of sin. And it is painful and frustrating.

When we live for Christ and seek to spread his word, we must expect opposition. When you follow Christ, it may bring ridicule or threats or disassociation with people who are important to you. When you live for Christ instead of living for yourself, it may cause you to give up things that seem so important. In 2 Timothy 2:3-5 Paul says, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs; rather, they try to please their commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.” Neither soldiers nor athletes have easy, comfortable, care-free lives. Neither do followers of Jesus.

In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul said, "Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me [being imprisoned in Rome] has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

Please look with me at James 1:2-4. Trials of various kinds serve a purpose of helping us to grow, if we persevere. gBiosphere 2 was built in the late 1980s and was designed to be an airtight replica of earth's environment (Biosphere 1). It was a 7,200,000cubic-foot sealed glass-and-frame structure that contained five different [environments], including a 900,000-gallon ocean, a rain forest, a desert, and agricultural areas, along with a human habitat all nestled in the foothills of Arizona some 30 miles north of Tucson. On September 26, 1991, a colony of eight people (four men and four women) entered Biosphere 2 to live inside for two years. . . One interesting observation came in the area of the wind and trees. 'Wind is ... necessary for creating hardy and strong trees. When it was first created, there was no wind inside of Biosphere 2. Plants grew relatively quickly, but they frequently fell over before they were of reproductive age. After some intensive observations and experimentation, it was determined that the lack of wind created trees with much softer wood than that species would normally make in the wild. They grew more quickly than they did in the wild, but they were harmed in the long run as a consequence.' (gThe Determiners of Climate: Sunlight, Moisture, Temperature and Wind,h by Dr. James A. Danoff-Burg (www.columbia.edu /itc/cerc/seeu/bio2/restrict/modules/module09_content.html). Once they started pumping wind through the biosphere and the trees were allowed to sway in the wind, they became stronger. The wind helped to cultivate hardy and strong trees.h [From Doug Cecil, DTS Alumni Connection, Winter 2006]. For us, the winds are the trials that come into our lives, and they serve the purpose of helping us grow in character and in faith, and they help us become more like Jesus Christ, and that is God's will for all of us.