Question:
Mr.
Albrecht,
The Bible says that we should consider it pure joy when we undergo trials.
My question is: why should we consider it joy when we undergo these trials/hardships?
Thank you for your reply.
Matt
Answer:
Dear
Matt,
The first chapters of James and 1 Peter comment on this God-given spiritual
joy in the midst of physical adversity.
Biblical joy is a fruit of God’s Spirit, a contentment and assurance
that transcends human emotion.
Why have joy in the midst of trials?
Because Christians know that above all God is “in charge”—he is sovereign
and his providence means that he takes care of us and that our best interest
(though perhaps not seen or understood by our physical senses) is assured.
God is our heavenly Father who loves us with a perfect love.
Although we encounter physical pain and sorrow, God will use every circumstance
of our lives for
We can rejoice in the middle of trials not because we deny the pain or
because we have some naïve Pollyanna beliefs, but because we know that we will
live for eternity. We know that
those who believe in Christ have eternal life and will not be condemned (John
5). Christians who believe in Christ
have been given eternal life, and even though we will all die physically, the
reality of eternity completely overwhelms our temporary existence here on this
earth, in this body or “tent” as Paul and Peter call it.
Joy, a God-given gift, therefore runs deep into our souls.
As that great hymn, “It is Well With my Soul” explains, “whatever my
lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul.”
In Christ,
Greg Albrecht