Facing Life’s Challenges with Faith
Treasures
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God has granted every person He ever created the wonderful gift of life. He made this beautiful world for us to live in and enjoy, and He gave us the capacity to love and be loved. The priceless gift of life and all the joys and challenges that accompany it, He freely gives to all. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and … he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24–25).
God’s greatest gift to humankind is eternal life—also known as salvation or being born again. We receive this gift through belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, acknowledgment of our sin, and inviting Him to come into our hearts and lives (Romans 10:9–10).
We are all sinners by nature, and our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2). The only way we can be reconciled with God is if our sins are atoned for—and only Jesus, who was Himself perfect, could do that. Jesus left heaven to come to earth and He took on human form to live as we do, to experience the things we experience, and to show us the ultimate testament to God’s love for the world by dying in our place, so that we might live forever.
Jesus said that He came to earth to give His own life as “a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He died so that every person would have the opportunity to experience God’s love, obtain forgiveness, and be reconciled with God.
The Bible promises many blessings, rewards, and gifts of the Spirit to all who receive Jesus and become one of God’s children. God has promised the “free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” to all who believe (Romans 6:23), a crown of life to those who love Him (James 1:12), the supply of our every need (Philippians 4:19), His Holy Spirit to dwell with us and guide us through life (John 14:15–17), and the fruits of His Spirit, including love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22–23).
Times of trouble and tribulation
Although God has given us such great gifts and promises for our future, one of the difficult aspects of the Christian life is the fact that as Christians, we are not immune to the challenges and tribulations of this life. This can lead people to question why a good and loving God would allow His people to experience hardships and tragedy, such as the death of a child, serious illness, or financial distress. When prayers for deliverance from such difficult circumstances seem to go unanswered, it can test our faith and trust in God.
We know that God loves His children with an everlasting love that surpasses all knowledge and exceeds our comprehension (Ephesians 3:17–19). We also know that God is sovereign over our lives, and He has promised that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). This being the case, whatever He allows in our lives must be a part of His working together all things for our good, and we can trust that God has a purpose in the trials and tribulations we face in life.
The trials and testing we face in life are part of our spiritual growth journey and serve an important purpose. As the Apostle Peter explained in 1 Peter 1:6–7: “You greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith … may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
The story is told of a violin maker who searched for years for wood that would give his instruments a special and glorious resonance. When his search finally ended, it was not in a tree nursery or sheltered valley grove, but on a craggy mountaintop, just below the timberline, where the winds had blown so fiercely and steadily that the branches of the trees all pointed in one direction and bark had no chance to grow on the windward side. Wood from those storm-beaten trees had the closest, most intricately woven grain of any wood he had ever found. It was firm, tough, and strong, and it gave his violins their unique sound.
Even so, when God fashions His children for their place in His kingdom, He often will not place them in lush lowlands, but on rugged mountainsides where they will learn to withstand the storms of life.
Christian growth and character shaping
Tests and trials are meant to strengthen us and shape our character. They can make us better people and stronger Christians. As Rick Warren once wrote, “God’s ultimate goal for your life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. God is more interested in your character than your comfort.”
Growing in Christ’s image is a progressive process which occurs over time through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. “We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The trials of life help to develop godly character, as “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–5). For this reason, we can “count it all joy” when we encounter various trials, knowing that “the testing of our faith produces perseverance.” But we have to “let perseverance finish its work so that [we] may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2–4).
Drawing near to Jesus
During trying times, we are drawn closer to Jesus, our Savior and friend. We seek Him with all our heart, and we find safety and security, and peace and comfort in His presence. He desires to be in close relationship with us, and as we draw nearer to Him, He has promised to draw near to us (James 4:8). He tells us to “come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives” (Matthew 11:28–29).
The tests and trials of life also make us more aware of our own weakness and inability, and in the process, we draw closer to God. We learn to depend more on Him and to seek His presence, as we hold on to Him for dear life. And in those difficult, desolate places, we discover that He is enough to sustain us and He will always be with us through thick and thin (Hebrews 13:5). We grow stronger spiritually and our faith is increased, because in our weakness we learn to draw on His strength. We discover, as the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Unfortunately, it is part of human nature to not feel a pressing need for God and His help and strength in our lives when things are going well. When everything seems to be going our way, we can tend to feel sufficient in ourselves. We can neglect our times of prayer, devotional reading and worship. If we didn’t experience times of troubles and tribulations, we wouldn’t fully comprehend how desperately we need to seek refuge in God, and we wouldn’t learn to find strength and comfort in communion with Him.
Difficult times help us to take a pause from the burdens and cares of our daily routines and the fast pace of modern living and to reflect on the things that matter for eternity. As we learn to turn to Jesus in our times of trouble and bring every care and anxiety to Him, we will discover in those trying moments the depths of His love for us. The time of trouble may not go away, but He will grant us “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), and help us to trust that He is working in our lives and is always with us.
So if you are experiencing financial woes, health worries, or find yourself in an emotionally trying situation, don’t despair. If you struggle because of the state of the world or concerns about your future or your family, keep trusting in God and His plan and purpose for your life. Jesus will be with you through every difficulty as you seek Him in prayer.
While your circumstances may not change—at least not immediately—God can help you rise above the challenges. He may not take away all your troubles, but He will bring you through them. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
God hath not promised that we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
—Annie Johnson Flint (1866–1932)
Getting our hearts right with God
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.—Psalm 19:14
If we fail to view our disappointments, hurts, tests, illnesses, and other problems through the perspective that Romans 8:28 gives us, we can miss some of the valuable lessons that the Lord is trying to teach us, and we can rob ourselves of the peace that comes from trusting in this important promise and principle.
Some of the crises and calamities that come our way are of our own making and are the result of our own carelessness, mistakes, and wrong choices and actions. Some are the result of others’ mistakes and actions. Others are due to circumstances outside our control. But whatever the case, we can have faith that God is in control of our lives and future. While God did not cause such difficulties in our lives, nothing can happen to us without His permission.
At one time or another we all have strayed from the side of our shepherd, Jesus, and wandered off the path along which He is leading us (John 10:11). We get caught up in our own plans and concerns and pursue our own interests. We act on our impulses and make important decisions without taking the time to seek God’s will for the situation. And at times we do things that we know are wrong and not in accordance with God’s Word in the Bible.
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus guides us in the way we should go and instructs us through His Word and through His Spirit speaking in our hearts as to what is right and what is wrong. Then He says to us what He said to His first followers: “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:17). If we believe and take heed to what He tells us and what He has taught us in His Word, we have His blessing.
We may sometimes have to suffer the consequences of our actions when they are contrary to God’s greatest commandment of loving Him and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30–31). But He doesn’t hold it against us when we miss the mark and sin, as He knows we’re weak and fallible, and when we turn to Him, He is quick to forgive. God’s Word promises: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). He loves us, and His desire is to help us learn and grow in Christlikeness.
Worth it all
When Jesus left this earth and returned to heaven, He promised that He was going to prepare a place for us—a place where there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain (John 14:2–3; Revelation 21:4). For this reason, the Apostle Paul could affirm that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
So when things seem dark, confusing, or cloudy, when tears fill your eyes and despair tries to take hold, you can find comfort in His presence and peace and faith in His Word. Always remember that He loves you, and everything that He allows to come into your life—whether it seems good or bad—will ultimately work together for your good. If you trust Him through it, you will become a wiser, more loving, more useful Christian—an instrument in His hand to shine His light to the world, to share His love and truth with others, and to comfort and strengthen others in need.
It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus;
Life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ!
—Esther Kerr Rusthoi (1909–1962)
Published on Anchor August 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
