Hope in the Midst of Trial

There is no secret, surprise, or mystery to the fact that life can be hard.  Life can throw things at us that we never dreamed would come our way.  Rarely do we ask the question, “Will hard times come?”  However, we often ask the question, “Why do hard times come?”  If you are a follower of Christ, you must trust that these hard times are not wasted in our lives.

In Luke 22 Jesus is talking with His disciples.  Jesus says to Simon Peter (v. 31), “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded you to have you, that he might sift you as wheat.”  Now I don’t know about you, but the next thing I would have wanted to hear the Lord say is, “But, I told him no.”  This is not what Jesus says at all.  Instead He says to Peter, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Let me translate what Jesus said for you just in case you missed it.  Jesus tells Peter that Satan wants to sift him, that is, Satan wants to take him through some very dark and low times.  Then Jesus says that He has done nothing to stop it, but He did pray for Peter that his faith would remain strong through the trial and that at the end of it he would use it to strengthen his brothers.

We must know that God is not going to prevent every trial in our lives.  In fact, He will allow them and then use them.  If you find yourself in the midst of a trial, do not let your faith fail.  Hang tight to the Lord, take careful notes, and when the trial is over, use your experience to strengthen those around you.