Going Through Trials with God: 7 Lessons Learned Through Shaken Baby Syndrome

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Suffering does not exempt us from doing good for others. Keep reaching out, keep praying for others, keep looking for ways to bless and encourage someone else in the midst of their difficult time. Rejoice in Hard Things In this epistle, Peter is writing to Christians that are spread throughout Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. They had been scattered because of the persecution coming from Rome. These believers were being persecuted for following Christ; they were being persecuted for being different. He writes to encourage them. Listen to what he says in 1 Peter 1:6: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (emphasis mine).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 11. God allows trials in our lives to help us learn His decrees Big Question: What does Peter teach as secrets to joy in the midst of trials? How can we live this type of Christian life in the various multicolored trials we go through? Focus on the Benefits of Salvation A couple years ago, our six-year-old daughter came home from school and announced, “Miss H. says she’s not tying any more shoes after Christmas.” Which meant we had better start practicing! “David started to fuss and whine about needing help with his shoes, and Miss H. said, ‘David, life is full of hard things.’ That’s what she says all the time.” Here is a question: does simply going through a trial warrant reward in heaven? No, it ’ s how we go through the trial. James says blessed, or happy, is the man who perseveres under trial. Confidence in the sovereignty of God in all that affects us is crucial to our trusting Him. If there is a single event in all of the universe that can occur outside of God's sovereign control, then we cannot trust Him. His love may be infinite, but if His power is limited and His purpose can be thwarted, we cannot trust Him. You may entrust to me your most valuable possessions. I may love you and my aim to honor your trust may be sincere, but if I do not have the power or ability to guard your valuables, you cannot truly entrust them to me."

Be committed to a body of believers. God does not mean for us to endure suffering on our own. When the Israelites were fighting Amalek, they were only victorious as long as Moses was raising up his arms. But he grew weary in the battle and needed the help of Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms when he lost strength (Exodus 17:8–13). Who will come to your aid when the road gets tough? What other reasons can we rejoice in trials? We rejoice because trials bring a greater future glory. When it says the trials have come so that our faith “may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed,” this seems to be referring to the reality that God will praise you, glorify you, and honor you for your faithfulness in going through trials. Christ taught the same thing. Listen to what he said: Why it happened" questions suddenly fell to the wayside and were replaced with "what questions". What do you want me to do God? Trials are the afflictions, tests, temptations, tribulations, or troubles that the LORD allows our way so that we may mature and become complete in our Christian walk.

Expect suffering. Each time a hardship enters our lives, we’re reminded that this world is not our home. We are broken people living in a broken, sin-filled world. If we try to make our lives into a heaven-on-earth, we’ll surely be disappointed. We can rejoice in our trials because those who are faithful will be honored and praised by God. They will be memorialized even as Job was. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (emphasis mine).

Chapter Notes

In the book of 1 Peter, we’re exhorted to respond to the difficulties in our lives in a completely foreign and counter-cultural way: Christians are not exempt from troubles. In fact, we’re promised troubles for the very fact that we follow Christ (John 15:20). Yet often, our responses to the trials in our lives reveal that we think we deserve something better.

This book reminded me of so many things: God is sovereign, God loves me unconditionally, God is ALWAYS there even when I can't feel or sense him, God NEVER lies and on and on. I walked into this book,, bound but walked out of it, free. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (emphasis mine) . How can we have joy in the midst of our trials? We do that by rejoicing in the benefits of our salvation. We have experienced the new birth. We have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven, and our salvation is secure because God is shielding it for us. In this passage, the writer says to endure “hardship” as discipline—God is treating you as sons. The writer uses the word hardship to refer to any kind of trial we go through. The point the author is trying to make, is that God is in control of every hardship a believer goes through (cf. Eph 1:11; Rom 8:28) Application Question: What things keep you from developing this eternal view point in the midst of your trials? How can we develop and sustain an eternal view point? Focus on God’s Sovereignty and Purpose in the TrialDuring trials, we can allow Christ’s life to manifest through our flesh by following the example he set for us in 2 Peter 2:23. In this scripture, we read: I will bring the other third through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people, and each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” Therefore, to not expect trials in our lives as Christians is to feign ignorance, which may cause us to respond inappropriately when they come.

This reality raises the question of how we deal with such hardships when they arise. Will we shut down in discouragement when things do not go our way or persevere in faith through whatever trial is on our path? In Elisabeth Elliot’s classic book Keep a Quiet Heart, she reminds us, “When Paul and Silas were in prison, they prayed and sang. It isn’t troubles that make saints, but their response to troubles.” Troubled GrumblersAnother reason why God allows trials in our lives is to bring us to a place of maturity and completeness. A mature and complete Christian is one who remains steadfast in the face of trials and tribulations. In the book of James 1:2–6, we read: And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Focus on God’s sovereignty and purpose in trials. The trial was not an accident it was necessary for your growth and maturation in Christ. At this point, we even forget God. We forget the battles He has won for us, the enemies He has subdued on our behalf, the dangers He has shielded us from, and the snares He has delivered us from, and before we know it, we start to slowly but surely drift away from His ways. We must not only pray for God's providence in our lives, but we must also pray for wisdom to rightl understand our circumstances and use the means He has given us."