Delivered Through Trial...Not From It...

God has never promised deliverance from all pain and trial. We can go back and look at the lives of our earliest ancestors in the faith and see hardships, uncertainty, and difficult struggles. What we also see is faith that is being refined and strengthened. Many of us spend a lot of time trying to eliminate the possibility of trial in our lives, but God tells us that trials are a part of His plan for us. Without the need of redemption, we cannot rightly appreciate the Redeemer. Without the need of saving, we cannot appreciate our Savior. Without the need of deliverance, we cannot appreciate our Deliverer. Rather than promising to grant us with charmed and care-free lives, God gives us encouragements like, "Do not be surprised when the fiery trial comes upon you as though something strange were happening to you... No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to a man... Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial..."
Lately I been very blessed by getting to witness a number of people rejoicing in their trials. They don't wait until all of the issues are resolved, but they are worshipping in the midst of the pain, heartache, and uncertainty. They worship because they are mindful of God's promises to never leave or forsake us; promises to be our ever-present help in trouble. I'll close with a profound truth shared with me in broken English from a conversation with a man named Fernando. He needed some help because he had fallen on hard times. He was on his way back to Mexico and needed some gas money, a place to rest his head, and prayer for a physical condition that was causing him great pain. In his broken English, and my "even-more-broken" Spanish we came to a point in the conversation where we both acknowledged that God was ALWAYS good, even in the hard times. I asked why He still smiled and praised God even though he was having such a tough season. His response... "No Problem. No Victory."