The Meaning of Trials
The Meaning of Trials
Review and Sabbath Herald, April 10, 1894
(Vol. 71, #15)
"Behold, I will send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide
the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a
refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as
gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto
the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years."
A refining, purifying process is going
on among the people of God, and the Lord of hosts has set his hand to this
work. This process is most trying to the soul, but it is necessary in order
that defilement may be removed. Trials are essential in order that we may be
brought close to our heavenly Father, in submission to his will, that we may
offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. God's work of refining and
purifying the soul must go on until his servants are so humbled, so dead to
self, that when called into active service, they may have an eye single to the
glory of God. Then they will not move rashly from impulse, and imperil the
Lord's cause because they are slaves to temptation and passion, because they
follow their carnal desires; but they will move from principle and in view of
the glory of God. The Lord brings his children over the same ground again and
again, increasing the pressure until perfect humility fills the mind, and the
character is transformed; then they are victorious over self, and in harmony
with Christ and the Spirit of heaven.
The purification of God's people
cannot be accomplished without suffering. God permits the fire of affliction to
consume the dross, to separate the worthless from the valuable, in order that
the pure metal may shine forth. He passes us from one fire to another, testing
our true worth. True grace is willing to be tried. If we are loath to be
searched by the Lord, our condition is one of peril. God is the refiner and
purifier of souls. He places us in the heat of the furnace, that the dross may
be forever separated from the true gold of Christian character. Jesus watches
the test. He knows just what fire of temptation and trial is needed to purify
the precious metal, in order that the radiance of divine love may be reflected.
It is by close, testing trials that
God brings his people near to himself; for in trial and temptation he discovers
to them their weakness, and teaches them to lean upon him as their only help
and safeguard. When this result is attained, his object is accomplished, and
his tried servants are prepared to be used in every emergency, to fill
important positions of trust, and to accomplish the grand purposes for which
their powers were given them. God takes men upon trial, and he proves them upon
the right hand and upon the left, until they are educated, trained, and
disciplined for his use.
Trials will come upon us that are
originated by the prince of evil. The enemy will contend for the life or the
usefulness of the servants of God, and will seek to mar their peace as long as
they remain in the world. But his power is limited. He may cause the furnace to
be heated, but Jesus and holy angels watch the precious ore; and to the
trusting Christian, grace will be found sufficient, and nothing but the
worthless dross will be consumed. The fire kindled by the enemy can have no
power to destroy the true gold. At times the powers of darkness gather about
the soul and shut Jesus from our sight, and we wait in sorrow and amazement
until the cloud passes over. While under the trial, these seasons are terrible.
Hope seems to fail, and despair seizes upon us. But in these dreadful hours we
must learn to trust, to depend wholly upon the merits of a crucified and risen
Saviour, and cast our souls in their helplessness and unworthiness upon him who
is mighty to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by him. We shall
never perish while we do this, never.
We need not be astonished at trial.
Peter says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that
is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 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."
Jesus says: "I am the true vine,
and my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may
bring forth more fruit." There is a constant tendency among the trees of
the Lord to be more profuse in foliage than in fruit. Just as the strength and
nourishment of the grapevine are taken up in abundant foliage, and the fruit is
not brought to perfection unless the vine is pruned, so the strength of the
Christian will fail of its true end, unless the heavenly husbandman prunes away
the useless growth. In prosperity the followers of Jesus often turn their
thoughts and energies toward gratifying themselves, to securing worldly
treasure, to the enjoyment of ease and pleasure and luxury, and they bring
forth little fruit to the glory of God; then the heavenly husbandman, in order
to promote the fruitfulness of the branches, comes with the pruning knife of
disappointment, loss, or bereavement, and cuts away the hindering growth.
One evening a gentleman who was much
depressed because of deep affliction, was walking in a garden, where he
observed a pomegranate tree nearly cut through the stem. Greatly wondering, he
asked the gardener why the tree was in this condition, and he received an
answer that explained to his satisfaction the wounds of his own bleeding heart.
"Sir," said the gardener, "this tree used to shoot out so strong
that it bore nothing but leaves. I was obliged to cut it in this manner; and
when it was almost cut through, it began to bear fruit."
Our sorrows do not spring out of the
ground. In every affliction God has a purpose to work out for our good. Every
blow that destroys an idol, every providence that weakens our hold upon earth
and fastens our affections more firmly upon God, is a blessing. The pruning may
be painful for a time, but afterward it "yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness." We should receive with gratitude whatever will quicken the
conscience, elevate the thoughts, and ennoble the life. The fruitless branches
are cut off and cast into the fire. Let us be thankful that through painful
pruning, we may retain a connection with the living Vine; for if we suffer with
Christ, we shall also reign with him. The very trial that taxes our faith the
most severely and makes it seem as though God had forsaken us, is to lead us
more clearly to him, that we may lay all our burdens at the feet of Christ, and
experience the peace which he will give us in exchange. Let no Christian feel
that he is forsaken when the hour of trial comes upon him. Not a sparrow falls
to the ground without your heavenly Father's notice. God loves and cares for
the feeblest of his creatures, and we cannot dishonor him more than by doubting
his love to us. O let us cultivate that living faith that will trust him in the
hour of darkness and trial! Living faith in the merits of a crucified Redeemer
will carry men through the fiery furnace of affliction and trial, and the form
of the Fourth will be with them in the furnace, however fierce its heat; and
they will come forth from its flame with not even the smell of the fire on
their garments.
Joseph was sold into Egypt. He was put
into prison. The enemy strove to overwhelm him in darkness. The darkness was so
great that it seemed every ray of hope was extinguished; but his faith took
hold on God, and it was rewarded. God brought him out of the dungeon, and made
him a light to the world. Our heavenly Father sees the hearts of men, and he
knows their characters better than they do themselves. He sees that some have
capabilities which are not directed in the right way, but that if they could be
turned into the right channel, they would bring glory to his name by advancing
the cause of truth in the world. He places these persons on trial, and in his
wise providence brings them into different positions, into a variety of
circumstances, where they are tested in order that they may reveal what is in
their hearts and make manifest the weak points of their characters, which have
been hidden from their own eyes. God gives them opportunities to correct these
defects, to polish off the rough corners of their natures, and to fit
themselves for his service. If they do this work, then when he calls them into
active service, they are ready so that the angels of heaven cooperate with them
in their labors, and the purpose is fulfilled for which God called them to his
service.
It is in mercy that the Lord reveals
to men their hidden defects. He would have them critically examine the
complicated emotions and motives of their own hearts, and detect that which is
wrong, and modify their dispositions, and refine their manners. God would have
his servants become acquainted with their own hearts. In order to bring to them
a true knowledge of their condition, he permits the fire of affliction to
assail them, so that they may be purified. The trials of life are God's workmen
to remove the impurities, infirmities, and roughness from our characters, and
fit them for the society of pure, heavenly angels in glory. Then as we pass
through trial, as the fire of affliction kindles upon us, shall we not keep our
eyes fixed upon the things that are unseen, on the eternal inheritance, the immortal
life, the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory? and while we do this,
the fire will not consume us, but only remove the dross, and we shall come
forth seven times purified, bearing the impress of the Divine. By Mrs. E. G.
White. (Concluded next week.)
Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 17, 1894
(Vol. 71, #16)
"The Meaning of Trials [Concluded]"
This world is not the Christian's
heaven. It is the place in which to fit up for heaven. It is the scene of our
life-battles, our conflicts and sorrows. While here we must, if we would be
successful, have a firm grasp of the better world, where, when the warfare is
ended, will be found peace and everlasting joy.
Through all our trials, which have
never been fully revealed to others, we have had an unfailing Friend, who has
said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." "Lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world." While upon the earth,
Jesus was ever touched with human woe, and although he is now ascended to his
Father, and is adored by angels who swiftly speed to obey his commands, yet his
heart, which loved, pitied, and sympathized with men, knows no change. It
remains a heart of unchangeable tenderness still. "We have not a high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted like as we are." Jesus is acquainted with all our
trials, and he does not leave us to struggle alone with temptations, to battle
alone with sin, and to be finally crushed with burden and sorrow. Through his
angels he whispers to you, "Fear not; for I am with thee." "I am
he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore."
"I know your sorrows; I have endured them. I am acquainted with your
struggles; I have experienced them. I know your temptations; I have encountered
them. I have seen your tears; I also have wept. Your earthly hopes are crushed,
but let the eye of faith be uplifted, and penetrate the vail, and there anchor
your hopes. The everlasting assurance shall be yours that you have a Friend
that sticketh closer than a brother."
God
has always tried his people in the furnace of affliction, in order to prove
them firm and true, to purge from them all dross and unrighteousness. It was
after Abraham and his son Isaac had borne the severest test that could be
brought upon them, that God spoke through his angel to Abraham, and said:
"Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son, from me."
The work of pruning and purifying the
people of God for heaven is a great work, and it will not be accomplished
without great suffering on the part of the servants of God, because it will
cost them something to bring their wills into harmony with the will of Christ.
We must go through the furnace till the fires have consumed the dross, and we
are purified so that we reflect the divine image. Those who follow inclination,
and judge from appearances, are not good judges of what God is doing. They are
filled with discontent. They see failure where there is indeed triumph, a great
loss where there is only gain; and like Jacob, they are ready to exclaim, when
trial comes upon them, "All these things are against me!" when the
fact is, that the very things of which they complained, were working for their
good.
"No cross, no crown," One
cannot be strong in the Lord and never experience trial. To have strength, we
must have exercise. To have strong faith we must be placed in circumstances
where our faith will be called forth. Just before his martyrdom, the apostle
Paul said to Timothy: "Be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel,
according to the power of God." It is through much tribulation that we
enter the kingdom of heaven. Our Saviour was tried in every possible way, and
yet he triumphed continually in God. It is our privilege under all
circumstances to be strong in the strength of God and to glory in the cross of
Christ.
Every follower of Christ will have a
cross to bear; and when he takes it up resolutely, though in weakness and
trembling, he will find that that which seemed so terrible to him is a source
of strength and blessing and courage. It will be a staff to him to help him on
in his weary pilgrimage through this earth. Then shall the professed follower
of Christ drop his cross, and seek to please those who are deriding his Lord?
Shall he, for fear he will not receive honor of men, reject and despise the
cross of Christ?
What if you do suffer, dear
fellow-Christian? The Master of the house suffered before you. Jesus, our Redeemer,
representative and head, endured the testing process. He suffered more than we
can be called upon to suffer. He bore our infirmities, and was in all points
tempted like as we are. He did not suffer thus on his own account, but because
of our sins, that we, relying on the merits of our Overcomer, might be
victorious in his name. Christ was the exalted and glorious commander of
heaven, before whom the angelic hosts bowed in adoration, yet he condescended
to give up his glory that he had with the Father, that he might save a fallen
race; and shall we, in our turn, refuse to deny ourselves for his sake and the
gospel's? Let the words of Paul be the language of our hearts: "God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
Christ requires all. His sacrifice was
too great, too dear, to make it possible that we should give less than all, and
be accepted. Our holy faith cries out, Separation. We should not be conformed to
the world, or to dead, heartless professors. The Scripture says, "Be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind." The way to heaven is a
self-denying way. But when you think the way is too strait, and there is too
much self-denial in the narrow path; when you say, How hard to give up all, ask
yourselves the question, What did Christ give up for me? This question puts
anything that we might call self-denial in the shade. Behold him in the garden
of Gethsemane. Look upon the great drops of blood that are forcing themselves
from his pores while he is bearing the inexpressible agony of soul. Look upon
him in the judgment hall while he is derided, mocked, and insulted by the
infuriated mob. Behold him clothed in that old purple robe, and hear the coarse
jest and cruel mocking. See them place the crown of thorns on that noble brow,
and smite him with a reed, causing the thorns to penetrate his holy temples, so
that the blood-drops trickle down his face and fall upon the ground. Hear the
murderous throng eagerly crying for the blood of the Son of God. He is
delivered into their hands, and pale, and weak, and fainting, he is led away to
the hill of crucifixion. They stretch his form upon the cross, and drive the
nails through his tender hands and feet. Behold him hanging upon the cross
through dreadful hours of agony until angels vail their faces from the scene,
and the sun hides his light, refusing to shine upon the dreadful sight. Think
of these things, and then ask, Is the way too strait?
O that every one might realize that
Jesus has something in store for him vastly better than that which he would
choose for himself! Would that all might come to understand the exceeding
sinfulness of sin and the blessedness of righteousness! Would that all might
see how powerless is all effort to contend with Omnipotence! Man is doing the
greatest injury to his own soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the mind
and will of God. He is sowing to his flesh, and of the flesh he will reap
corruption. No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by God, who knows
what is best, and who plans for the good of his creatures. In order to be happy
ourselves, we must live to make others happy. We must yield our possessions,
our talents, and our affections, in grateful devotion to Christ, and in this
way we may find happiness here and immortality hereafter.
The most trying experiences in the
Christian life may be the most blessed. The special providences of the dark
hours may encourage the soul in the future attacks of Satan, and equip the soul
to stand most fiery trials. The trial of your faith is more precious than gold.
But in order to endure the test, you must have that faith, that abiding
confidence in God, that will not be disturbed by the arguments and temptations
of the deceiver. Take the Lord at his word. Study the promises, and appropriate
them as you have need. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God." Happy is the man, who, when tempted, finds his soul rich in the
knowledge of the Scriptures, who finds shelter beneath the promises of God.
"Thy word," said the psalmist, "have I hid in mine heart, that I
might not sin against thee." We need that calm, steady faith, that
undaunted moral courage, that none but Christ can give, in order that we may be
braced for trial and strengthened for duty.
While on earth there will be no escape
from conflicts and temptations; but in every storm we have a sure refuge. Jesus
has told us, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world." The forces of Satan are marshaled
against us, and we have to meet a diligent foe; but if we take heed to the
admonition of Christ, we shall be safe. "Watch and pray, that ye enter not
into temptation." There are foes to be resisted and overcome, but Jesus is
by our side, ready to strengthen us for every attack. "This is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith." Faith sees Jesus standing as
our Mediator at the right hand of God. Faith beholds the mansions that Jesus
has gone to prepare for those who love him. Faith sees the robe and the crown
all prepared for the overcomer. Faith hears the song of the redeemed, and
brings eternal glories near. We must come close to Jesus in loving obedience if
we would see the King in his beauty. There is peace in believing, and joy in
the Holy Ghost. Believe! Believe! My soul cries, Believe! Rest in God. He is
able to keep that which you have committed to him, and will bring you off more
than conqueror through him that has loved you.
But remember that everyone who shall
be found with the wedding garment on will have come out of great tribulation.
The mighty surges of temptation will beat upon all. But the long night of
watching, of toil, of hardship, is nearly past. Christ is soon to come. Get
ready! The angels of God are seeking to attract you from yourself and from
earthly things. Let them not labor in vain. Faith, living faith, is what you
need; the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Remember Calvary and
the awful, the infinite sacrifice there made for man. Jesus now invites you to
come to him, just as you are, and make him your strength and your everlasting
Friend. By Mrs. E. G. White.