Are there seasons in life when God allows it to feel a bit like hell on earth? Are there seasons when the high winds rise, the cloudy skies darken, and the soul might feel adrift in a storm? Something unexpected breaks over us, or sorrow settles in quietly, and we find ourselves hurting, crushed and wondering: Where is God now?
Why does His nearness, once so very real, now feel like a distant memory? Did we do something to drive Him away?
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 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. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:12-19 kjv
Scripture calls these moments “trials,” and they are allowed into our experience. They are a normal part of the Christian life. What comes from them can be woven deeply into our own story of faith.
Please don't be a legend in your own mind. Ever run into a person who views themselves that way, as a spiritual giant and huge blessing, but in reality, they seem more like a trial ..repeatedly? The father has one Superstar, His Son. Carnal and worldly Christians can be a trial--don't let them pull you down. An arrogant lost person (religious or irreligious) can also seem like a trail too. Pray for them to get right with God. That's where love begins.. on two knees.
What does it mean that we are pressed but not crushed?
What does it mean to be perplexed but not in despair?
What does it mean to be struck down but not destroyed?
What does it mean to be persecuted but not forsaken?
How can we as believers not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:16)?
What is the difference between a talent and a spiritual gift?
How do I first identify my spiritual gift, and then use it for God's glory?
What is the purpose of spiritual gifts?
What does it mean to stir up the gift?
How does God distribute spiritual gifts? Wisely, on purpose.
Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His good plans?
What does the Bible say about arrogance?
What does it mean that Paul a soul-winner, made himself a servant to all?
What does it mean to be a servant of all (Mark 9:35)?
What does the Bible say about opposition or competition, like from Christians or leaders?
You know how trails can vary. Seems like when you are exiting one trial it about to enter another one.
They can be like a cloud that covers the sun sometimes. You step outside and start to think the light is all gone—but man, the sun hasn’t really moved away to make it like that. It's still warm, and the brilliance still blazes above; the cloud moved and is only hiding it for a while. In the same way, when you cannot feel God.. no worries. Feelings are fickle; they come and go. He has not vanished. He is nearer than you know. As David confessed, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me” (Psalm 23:4, NLT).
Do you remember your first trial as a Christian? It came just weeks after I had surrendered my life to Christ. At first, His love seemed almost tangible—peace flooded my heart daily. Then one day..what happened? No answers--too much silence. No warmth. No sense of His close presence. Kurt, you are just learning a new lesson that every believer must learn: to walk by faith, not by feelings.
God sometimes withdraws that unique sensation of His close presence so that we can grow into deeper trust and maturity. If our faith depended on fuzzy feelings or emotional highs, we’d never mature spiritually. But when we keep on walking righteously even in the dark, faith then takes root. James wrote about this, “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2–4, NLT).
Are you a disciplined person? What disciplines do you regularly take part in physically and spiritually? Read your Bible and get alone to pray every day. Go to church and to a healthy small group -- go where you, with your gift, are helped (even if you don't know what your gift is), encouraged, celebrated, sharpened (to be more effective in helping others)..where you are edified, and uplifted rather than competed against or put down? God doesn't expect you to like weird oppressive barbs, mean jabs, or to stay where you are pushed downward. Who would stay around that? Is it a good fit? If not, there is a good fit for you to go to and grow in.
This walk is much like training the body. The first time you work out, it’s exhilarating—until the next day, when soreness happens -- muscles ache and every movement hurts.
Over time, though, strength builds. You lift up heavier weights, you endure a bit longer in those runs, and discover capacities you didn’t know you had. God allows trials in this Christian life to strengthen the soul in the same way. Sow to the spirit in the Word. There is no spiritual growth independent from the living word of God. Trials make us decide -- go closer to Christ, not away from Him. They stretch us, hurt us, even sort of crush and break us—but they also forge endurance and deepen our character. There are there not so you get proud, but so you will walk humbly with the Lord, depending more upon Him.
God often hides treasures in the shadows. “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord” (Isaiah 45:3, NIV). Those dark valleys we dread can yield some wisdom for you with resilience, and intimacy with Him that bright daylight never could. Ask for this godly wisdom and learn from Him.
Yet many believers are startled to learn that following Christ is not a supereasy stroll through a flower garden but a march across a battlefield.
Temptation and testing, these too, are part of this journey. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12, NIV).
He is real and we can be real (honest) as well. We can be real honest with Him--He understands. Temptation exposes what is real. Run to Him and He'll give you victory.
These can either pull us away if we let them—or can drive us closer to Him and His church. Those who truly belong to Christ may stumble some. If you fall, get back up. Stumblings don't mean that you must stay down. Get up and walk closer with Jesus.
Christians confess, repent, and rise. We keep walking in the Word.
The truth is, every trial is an opportunity. They are an invitation. The trail calls us to cling onto Him tightly, more and more tightly onto the Word.. to trust when we cannot see or fully understand.. to mature beyond feelings into strong faith in Jesus. And through it all, no matter the decent or carnal Christians or leaders around you.. His purpose never changes: to give us “life, and life more abundantly” (John 10:10 see context). This is not speaking merely of the promise of heaven to come, but of a life of depth, strength, and joy even here and now—shaped in the valleys, refined in the storms, and crowned in the presence of the One who never left or forsook us.
- The "Blessing" of Pain: We don't seek it, don't have to. The "hurt" of the trial is not punitive but a form of spiritual refinement, a process to break down self-reliance, Self-Focus self-confidence, and cultivate total dependence on God.
- Spiritual Preparation: Just as gold, silver, and diamonds are shaped and refined by fire, individuals are transformed through adversity to become precious and valuable in God's service.
- Humility and Surrender: Through suffering, individuals can become more humble, less self-sufficient, and thus more open to God's will, which is essential for experiencing deeper divine work.
- "Graduate-Level Grace": Tozer also suggested that such experiences can lead to a higher level of grace, enabling believers to perform "graduate-level" spiritual tasks, such as loving enemies or serving others with true humility.
Most people who come to God do so after experiencing troubles, addictions, failures, weaknesses, disappointments, rejections, sickness, disease, accidents, and the tough problems of this life.
- Kindness and Grace:God's goodness is often seen in His kindness and grace, which He extends to people even when they do not deserve it. This kindness shows them that God is merciful and willing to forgive.
- Patience and Forbearance:God is also patient and forbearing, giving sinners time and space to repent instead of rendering immediate judgment. This tolerance and patience allow for a realization of one's wrong, leading to a change of heart.
- Consequences:Recognizing God's persistent goodness and mercy, rather than the fear of punishment, is meant to prompt a desire to turn from sin and receive His forgiveness. This leads to a true, heartfelt repentance, not just a superficial attempt to hide sin.
- What Repentance Entails
- Turning from Sin:True repentance involves a genuine turning away from sin with finality and a commitment to forsake destructive desires.
- Seeking God's Forgiveness:The goal of repentance is to receive the cleansing forgiveness that God offers.
* God Is So Committed To You, Believer, But He Sometimes Prepares His Servants Through Some Hard Suffering.
1. Trials refine and prove faith:
“The Lord tests the righteous.” — Psalm 11:5
“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined… You brought us into the net… yet You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” — Psalm 66:10–12
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” — James 1:2–3
2. God can utilize the pain. He through suffering can shape good character and make us useful if we're willing:
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” — Romans 5:3–4
“After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace… will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” — 1 Peter 5:10
“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” — Psalm 119:71
3. Brokenness is the pathway to God’s power:
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” — John 12:24
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” — Psalm 51:17
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
* God Prepares His Servants Through Suffering
1. Trials refine and prove faith:
“The Lord tests the righteous.” — Psalm 11:5
“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined… You brought us into the net… yet You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” — Psalm 66:10–12
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” — James 1:2–3
2. Suffering shapes character and makes us useful:
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” — Romans 5:3–4
“After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace… will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” — 1 Peter 5:10
“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” — Psalm 119:71
3. Brokenness is the pathway to God’s power:
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” — John 12:24
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” — Psalm 51:17
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
* What Have Christian Leaders Said?
A.W. Tozer:
“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”
Charles Spurgeon:
“I am certain that I never did grow in grace one-half so much anywhere as I have upon the bed of pain.”
Oswald Chambers:
“We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life — those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary stuff of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength.”
Hudson Taylor:
“All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.”
Amy Carmichael:
“No wound? No scar? Yet, as the Master shall the servant be, and pierced are the feet that follow Me. But yours are whole — can he have followed far who has no wound nor scar?”
Joni Eareckson Tada:
“God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.”
Watchman Nee:
“The brokenness of the outward man is the basic requirement for the release of the Spirit. Without brokenness, the Spirit is imprisoned within.”
John Piper:
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him in the midst of suffering.”
* Why All This Matters for the Reborn vs. Carnal Christian
The nominal or worldly Christian runs from suffering, seeing it as failure or abandonment. Their faith often stays shallow, brittle, and self-centered.
The reborn, spiritual Christian learns to embrace God’s refining fire. They see trials not as punishment but as preparation — not as cruelty but as craftsmanship.
As Paul says, “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day… preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” — 2 Corinthians 4:16–17
God is not merely interested in making us happy — He is committed to making us holy. Before He entrusts us with influence, He often empties us of pride. Before He gives us power, He gives us pain. And before He uses us for His purposes, He often takes us through a wilderness where only His grace can sustain us.
Prayer is how we cling to God when everything else is falling apart. It’s not just asking for relief — it’s where we meet Him in the fire. David cried out “In my distress I called upon the Lord… He heard my voice” (Psalm 18:6). Jesus Himself “offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7) — and through that obedience, “He was made perfect” (Hebrews 5:8–9). Trials teach us dependence, and dependence is the soil where deep character grows.
Worship in suffering isn’t denial — it’s defiance. It’s refusing to let sorrow become our master. Paul and Silas sang hymns in prison (Acts 16:25) not because they felt strong, but because they knew He was still worthy. Worship turns wounds into altars. It teaches humility, patience, and trust — the raw materials of godly character.
Often, God doesn’t remove the storm immediately — He uses it to refine the heart. As we pray and worship, He softens bitterness into compassion, turns pride into surrender, and reshapes selfishness into service. Isaiah 40:31 says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” — that renewal happens in prayerful waiting and worshipful surrender.
A Christian shaped by suffering without prayer often emerges hardened or cynical. A Christian shaped by suffering with prayer and worship emerges humble, tender, wise — and usable. Moses learned dependence in the wilderness. David’s psalms in caves became his preparation for the throne. Even Jesus, “after He had suffered,” became the source of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9).
Prayer keeps us rooted. Worship keeps us oriented. Together, they turn trials into training grounds, shape us into Christ’s likeness, and make us vessels through which His strength flows to others.
Would you like me to pair this with quotes from great Christians on prayer and suffering, too? (They make this truth hit even deeper.)
Prayer and worship aren’t side practices to get through hard times — they’re the lifeline that turns suffering into sanctification and pain into purpose. Without them, trials can make us bitter; with them, they make us better — humbler, holier, and ready to be used by God.
“I have learned more about God in the furnace of affliction than I ever learned in the classroom of ease.” — Charles Spurgeon
“To worship God when you are in pain is the purest form of faith.” — A.W. Tozer
“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” — Søren Kierkegaard
“The highest form of worship is to trust God in the dark.” — Joni Eareckson Tada
God.. with your ongoing obedience in prayer, good attitudes, wise actions.. He can keep you anchored and growing in the living Word. Worship keeps you Him oriented--focused on Jesus. Together, they are how God the Father can turn your trials into training grounds and sufferers into servants — vessels fit for His glory and ready for His call.
* Man, can I cap all this?
God expects faithfulness and fruitfulness from you and me. Ask Him to use you, but know that every person that God has used in a mighty way was first shaped by Him in a furnace so to speak of trouble, trail and affliction. Suffering wasn’t a detour — it was the preparation ground for their destiny. Their pain became the platform for God’s power.
“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, and broken lives to give His power.” — Vance Havner
