Worthy Christian Devotional – Daily Devotion » Why the trials?

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1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Sometimes it's very difficult to rejoice in trials – especially when the trials affect ministry! Last week, Worthy News was hacked – although the damage was minimal, the time needed to spend researching the vulnerability and correcting the problem took hours. And then last Thursday, I had to drive to Jerusalem – when our ministry van broke down.

So when returning home after our van troubles, in the midst of prayer I was trying to be joyful in the fact that it wasn't as bad as it could have been! It became easier to rejoice when the Lord reminded me of the time four years ago when every single Worthy Ministries site was wiped out by hackers. Then the Lord reminded of a time when we were driving in Jerusalem a few years ago when we suddenly couldn't stop! We totally lost our brakes, but my experiences in the past driving in the midst of snow and ice – and learning how to drive without brakes – really paid off! Suddenly these huge trials I was dealing with – suddenly didn't seem so huge in the grand scope of things!

But the question remains, why the trials? Someone once said, "A faith that can't be tested isn't a faith worth having!" Trials are meant to increase our faith in God – the greater our needs, the greater our trials, the greater our dependence on Him; and usually, it's in this state of utter dependence upon Him that we enjoy the deepest, most intimate times with our God. Honestly, can any trial be a price too much for such eternal good?

Whatever trials you're dealing with – it's probably not as bad as it could be! Let's not despise these trials, but realize that God is utilizing these trials to increase our capacity for Him! God is using trials to increase our productivity for the Kingdom – with so much work to be done, we all need to be as productive as possible!