The Trial of Your Faith

1 Peter 1:7

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

We often look at people through life and talk about how they endured trials and how their tenacity through the trials is an encouragement to keep going. I think of Job and Joseph, who endured many trials but came through the trials with a stronger faith and great blessings.

Your perception of trials determines whether the trial hurts or helps your faith. In talking about trials, God says that they help you get to the point that your faith might be found unto the praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. In other words, if your trials do through you what God intends for them to do, they will be stories of encouragement to people until the Lord comes. Let me share several things that the trial of your faith does for you.

First, the trial of your faith reveals your heart. Nothing reveals the heart of a believer like hard times. God left Hezekiah to see his heart and found that his faith was not strong. Your determination to continue to serve God proves to God that you will serve Him despite the hard times. This is what Job 13:15 revealed about Job when he said, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Second, the trial of your faith reveals your faith. Whether you keep going or quit in the hard times shows how much faith in God you have. You and God will never know how much faith you have until you go through hard times. Trials have a way of showing you how strong or weak your faith in God is. Therefore, trials are a good thing if they help you see where you need to grow your faith.

Third, the trial of your faith reveals your tenacity. Trials test what it takes to stop you from serving God. Many have talked big about how they will serve God until the day they die only to crumble and quit under the pressures of trials. Trials have a way of proving to you that you can make it no matter what trials may throw at you. You can put it this way: trials build your endurance and strength to keep going when times get tough. All you have to do to allow the trials to increase your faith’s endurance is to take one more step.

Fourth, the trial of your faith makes your faith in God stronger. You will never know how real God’s presence is in your life until you go through trials. Trials prove to you that God IS faithful to be with you through thick and thin. Trials allow your faith to get bigger so you can do more for God because you realize He is always there despite anything life throws at you. Your faith in God cannot grow without it being tried; therefore, God sends trials your way so He can do more through your life.

Fifth, the trial of your faith reveals to you the value of your faith. You will never know how priceless faith in God is until your faith gets you through the difficulties of trials. My friend, the more you go through trials without quitting, the more valuable your faith becomes. Others will not understand why you keep serving God through your difficulties, but you know your faith’s value because it challenges you to keep going day after day. If you let the trials strengthen your faith, you will learn the great value that faith in God is to your life.