I save cute photos of animals with great captions and put them in power point slide shows. One of my favorites is a kitten with his paws in a prayer position with this caption: “Lord, I know you told me you would not give me more than I can handle. I just wish you didn’t have so much confidence in me.” I think most of us have felt that way at one time or another. It is so easy to focus on the trial or temptation instead of focusing on God who is the source of the strength we need to overcome.
What God actually tells us in His word about our temptation and trial is this. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us build endurance.” (Romans 5:3) “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.” (1 Peter 1:6) Jesus faced temptations and trials, so why would we think that we can escape them as we follow Him. Those who hate God will hate us who have taken on the name of Christ and His message. The enemy will continue to tempt us in order to distract us from our mission for God in His kingdom here on earth.
One of my wife’s favorite songs was Farther Along. The first verse of that song points out a mistake we often make when we face adversity. “Tempted and tried we all seem to wonder, why it should be thus all the day long, while there are others living among us never molested though in the wrong. Farther along we’ll know all about it. Farther along we’ll understand why. Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine. We’ll understand it all by and by.” It never helps for us to compare our lot with that of others from our human perspective. It simply keeps us from focusing on God and the answers that only He has to enable us to overcome our trials and temptations.
In one of the verses I quoted above, Peter wrote that our trials are “for a little while”. When we are in the middle of a tempest, we lose sight of the sunshine coming behind the storm. Temporary is a relative term. Some troubles, like the financial problems I’m facing at present, will be resolved soon with God’s provision. Other trials, like my arthritic knees, may continue for years, but that too is temporary. After all, even twenty years of pain or discomfort is but a little while compared to the joy of an eternity without pain, sorrow or separation.