4 Reasons For Trials And Tests

– Warren Wiersbe

Refining

God is in the refining business. Not the oil refining business but in the business of refining us like gold is refined by fire, but the fire isn’t intended to burn us but to refine us and clear away the dross from our lives. The Apostle Peter tells us that trials and tests are allowed “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1st Pet 1:7).

Self-Examination

The Apostle Paul says, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test” (2nd Cor 13:5)! This self-examination is not meant to discourage us or make us have doubts, but rather, to see if our faith is genuine and if it’s not, we can ask God to help our weak faith.

Creating Faithfulness

If we endure trials and tests, we are forced to rely on God and place our faith in Him, so the tests and trials are not intended to destroy our faithfulness to God but to test it and see how we will do when things look bad around us. There are times when trusting God is hard, but these are also opportunities to trust God when our eyes tell us different.

A Trusted Faith

A faith that’s never been tested is a faith that cannot be trusted, so when our faith is tested, it doesn’t reveal anything new to God. God doesn’t test us to see how strong our faith is…He already knows, but rather, God tests our faith so that we will know how strong or weak it is. A tested faith is a trusted faith.

Conclusion

Warren Wiersbe knew what He was talking about by saying, “God has a purpose for trials and testings,” and I hope now that you can see why these happen to us. These aren’t meant to harm us but to help us, and to help us trust God, even in the storms of life.