Why These Trials?

All of us have those passages of Scripture that we go to when faced with difficulty or trial. One verse that stands out for many of us is Romans 8:28. J.B. Phillips translates this verse in the following way: "Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good." This last phrase truly captures my attention for it says, "everything that happens fits into a pattern for good." Just think of it: everything - and I mean everything - fits into a pattern (or design) that God is weaving for good. How important it is for us to know this when we are faced with events that we just don't understand.

Why these trials? Most of the time it is very difficult for us to make sense of why things happen the way they do when we are right in the midst of facing a trial. And yet, when looking backwards, one is struck by how God's hand has been involved from the beginning to the end. This is why I like Philip Yancey's definition of "faith," for he has written that faith is "believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse." With such faith, we will see a pattern for good emerge that will ultimately transform us and make is into the kind of people that will truly impact the world with the good news of God's kingdom.