Trials: Troubles to Triumph

By Rev. Michael Derrick

Trials are not something that we naturally welcome. Our first instinct is to try to get out of them as soon as possible. In this book, the author sheds light on why God allows His children to go through trials. He takes us through the different types of trials that the saints may face at different stages of spiritual maturity. The book is interspersed with real-life testimonies of how God moved in the lives of the author and his family from trouble to triumph while serving the Lord in Africa and then in America. As you glean from the lives of this precious family, may you be encouraged to persevere and likewise overcome.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zion Christian Publishers
• Release date: Jan 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781596657311

Book preview

Chapter One

Why Christians Go Through Trials

I have made a list of reasons why each Christian goes through trials, drawing from Scripture, and also from Dr Brian Bailey’s book on The Journey of Israel. This is not an exhaustive list; perhaps you may even think of more reasons why we go through trials.

•  To humble us ( Deut. 8:2, 16)

•  To test us  (Deut. 8:2, 16)

•  To know what is in our hearts (Deut. 8:2)

•  To know if we would keep the commandments (obedience) (Deut. 8:2)

•  To remove sin from our lives (l Pet.  4:1)

•  To give us treasures in the darkness (Isa. 45:3)

•  To be chosen out of the furnace of affliction  (Isa. 48:10)

•  To produce faith and meekness (Song 3:6) 

•  To know how to use the armor of God in spiritual warfare (Song 3:8)

•  To do good to us in the end  (Deut. 8:16)

•  To produce patience in our lives (Rom. 5:3)

•  To comfort others as they go through trials (suffer for others) (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

•  To conform us into the image of Christ  (Rom. 8:29)

To Humble Us (Deut. 8:2, 16)

The first reason for trials found in Deuteronomy 8:2 is that the Lord wants to humble us: And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee…. When we face a trial, we have the choice of working things out in our own strength or humbling ourselves before God. Many are full of pride when they first come to the Lord. They believe that they are God’s gift, and that the Church cannot run without them. There are many examples in the Word of those who thought they could achieve victory in their own strength, only to fail.

One example of pride is found in the life of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who brought the children of Israel into slavery. Moses and Aaron had warned Pharaoh against pride: … Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me (Ex. 10:3). However, Pharaoh refused to humble himself before the Lord, and instead hardened his heart (Ex. 8:32). As Pharaoh continued to harden his heart, the Lord confirmed him on the path he had chosen by causing his heart to be hardened (Ex. 9:12). In the end, Pharaoh lost everything because of his pride (Ex. 14:27-28).

In contrast, when King Josiah realized that judgment was coming, he humbled himself before the Lord. He was preserved by the Lord from destruction as we read in 2 Chronicles 34:27: Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.

These examples confirm what it says in Proverbs 29:23: A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. They also show us that while God can bring us into trials, humility is still our choice—some choose to harden their hearts, while others choose to humble themselves.  The humble are those who have allowed the Lord do a work in their hearts as we see in Psalm 10:17: LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear.

Humility is a very important quality because the Lord hears the prayers of the humble: When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble (Ps. 9:12). In fact, the Lord dwells with the humble: For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones (Isa. 57:15)

We cannot truly succeed unless and until we realize that anything of true value is accomplished not by our own strength but only by God’s grace (or divine enablement). However, it is the humble who receive God’s grace, for … God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5). See also James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34). As the Christian learns to humble himself the Lord will exalt him in due time: "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Mt. 23:12; see also James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6).

 To Test Us (Deut. 8:2, 16)

Another reason for trials is found in latter part of Deuteronomy 8:2: "…to humble thee, and to prove [or test] thee…" A teacher once said, Wouldn’t it be nice if each time we entered a trial there would be a neon sign flashing that said, ’This is a test, this is a test’ ?   Many tests only last a few seconds like the time you decided to run that red light—it only lasted a few seconds. Other tests can go on for days, months in some cases, years. What is important is how we respond when we are being tested. Do we react or do we respond correctly? When we react, we do and say things that we will regret later. It is much better to respond correctly to the Lord during the trial.

There are times we may think we know what God is doing in the test. Once when our family was going through a huge trial I thought I had it all figured out. I told the Lord I had learnt my lesson there was no need for this trial to last any longer. To my surprise the trial lasted several months after that prayer. The Lord had more things He wanted to do in our family during that trial.

 To Know What Is in Our Hearts (Deut.  8:2)

In the next part of Deuteronomy 8:2, it says, …to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart…. We have heard the saying, Do not judge a person until you have walked a mile in his shoes. This can be expressed also in another way.  We may say to ourselves, I would never do what so and so did in that situation. But when it is our turn to go through a similar trial, we quickly discover that we react the same way. As we go through trials,  the Lord reveals to us what is truly deep in our hearts. As that dross comes to the surface, this gives us an opportunity to humble ourselves, confess that evil thing, and ask God to help us overcome that wicked thing in our heart so that we can become more and more like Jesus.

To See if We Would Keep the Commandments (Obedience) (Deut. 8:2)

Deuteronomy 8:2 concludes with this: …to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. There are times when we may think we are more spiritually mature than we really are. The Lord has a way of using trials to bring a reality check to reveal where we are with Him and whether we will obey Him.

Obedience is so important because it is the master key to the heart of God. Jesus said, … If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him  (Jn. 14:23).  Many years ago, while I was a student at Bible school, I also worked as the night watchman on weekends. As the watchman, I was given one key which I was told could open any locked building on campus. I soon discovered that was true as I went from building to building to make my rounds. This key was a master key.

Some think that if they do some great task for the Lord, He will overlook their sins of disobedience. This is not true.  God loves obedience, and obedience is better than sacrifice. Samuel said, And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Sam. 15:22).

I have noticed in the life of some of our young people that they do not always do right away what is asked of them by their parents, but instead choose to procrastinate. May we be ones who are quick to obey.  The Lord also desires that we obey Him with our whole heart. This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul (Deut. 26:16; see also 32:46). Partial obedience is the same as disobedience. Saul partially obeyed the Lord in killing the Amalekites, but when he chose to spare the king and the best of the cattle, he was rebuked for being disobedient (1 Sam. 15).

Obedience brings a blessing to the one who obeys. In Deuteronomy 6:3, it says, Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Again, in Revelation 22:14, it also says, Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

As we choose to obey, the Lord can then use us to become a blessing to others. Jesus, for example, was obedient in going to the cross, and that obedience brought salvation for our souls and released to us the gift of righteousness. The Apostle Paul said, For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous (Rom. 5:19). O to be like Jesus and obey the voice of the Lord!

Obeying the Lord is also essential in gaining spiritual knowledge and discernment, which are necessary if we are to go on in the Lord. Jesus said, If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself (Jn. 7:17). 

Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered: Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered (Heb. 5:8). We, too, learn obedience as we suffer the trials set before us. When we humble ourselves and cry out to Him for grace, He enables us to pass the test that He sets before us, and we can be encouraged that we are growing in the Lord in that particular area.

 To Remove Sin from Our Lives (1 Pet. 4:1)

One of the main purposes of going through trials is to cease from sin. The Lord sends us through trials to purify us from wickedness. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin (1 Pet. 4:1). Sometimes, we are unwilling to let go of our sin because we have a love for that sin, and the Lord uses trials to develop in us a holy hatred of that sin. Jacob, for example, had a problem with deception. But  the Lord sent him to live with the arch deceiver, Uncle Laban, for 21 years in order to develop in Jacob a hatred of that sin, and to  make him  a more righteous man (Gen 29­—31).

Our flesh suffers as we go through trials. Many times we use the phase, going through the fire when we go through trials. The removal of sin in our lives can be likened to the refining of gold. In order to remove the dross or impurities from gold, the gold is placed in the furnace. When the fire is turned up, the dross rises to the top so that the goldsmith can remove it from the vat. In the same way, when we go through a trial, defects in our character become visible and rise to the top. We can then ask God to remove those wicked things from our lives.

 To Give Us Treasures in the Darkness (Isa. 45:3)

And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel (Isa. 45:3). There are times that the Lord reveals certain truths to us during a trial that we would otherwise not know. For example, when we go through a trial relating to provision and we see the Lord provide, the truth of the Lord as Provider is made real to us. As we go through a trial, others are watching, and when they see the Lord move on our behalf, this can be an encouragement for them as well