Worldly Perception of Trials

Job 11:6

And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

I am afraid many make the same perception about trials that Job’s friends made. These men came to help Job in his trials, but turned their help into adversarial advice and false accusations. These men had selfish and worldly perceptions about God and trials that were not Scriptural.

Their first perception is that righteous living results in prosperity. Bildad says in Job 8:6, If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. This sounds spiritual, but this is not true. There are many in life who lived righteous lives that never became prosperous. The fact that someone has money does not make them spiritual. In fact, the Scriptures teach that Jesus had nowhere to lay His head. Does that make Jesus unrighteous? In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, it was the rich man who went to Hell and the poor man who went to Heaven. Neither riches or poverty determine someone’s wisdom or righteousness. God has used rich people, but He has also used poor people. Look at John the Baptist; his clothing was simple and he lived in the wilderness, but He was a mighty tool in God’s hand. His poverty had nothing to do with His righteousness, but it was his heart that made the difference. You must accept that living right does not mean you will become prosperous in life. God may have a different reason to keep you in poverty. Only worldly thinking will cause you to believe that prosperity comes to those who live right and are smart.

Their second perception is that God punished Job because of sin. Zophar said, Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. Zophar thought Job was going through these hard times because of his sin, which was not true. Many righteous people have endured hard times, just like there are many sinful people who endure hard times. Jesus says in Matthew 5:45, …he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Just because someone is enduring tough times does not mean they are doing bad and God is judging them, nor does it mean they are a good person. Let me share some thoughts about this truth.

First, don't judge the cause of someone going through trials. Even if that person is not living right, you don't know why God is allowing them to go through tough times. God may be chastening them, but He may not be. It is not your responsibility or right to determine why God allows someone to go through tough times.

Second, God allows tough times to make us better people. God often uses trial’s pressure to reveal our areas of weakness so that we can become better servants for Him. You would be wise when enduring trials to let them turn you into a better servant by correcting what the trials reveal in your life.

Third, God allows tough times to draw you closer to Him. You will never get to know God well without tough times. It is in the trials of life that we learn more about God’s characteristics. God shows a side of Himself to you while in the tough times that He does not need to show you while life is seemingly good. Though we don't enjoy trials, let them draw you closer to God, and you will see a side of God you would have never seen without those trials.