written by Louis Sacran

Why Me?

The necessity of trials…

A man went to observe a great sculpture artist as he created a horse statue from a large slab of marble. The artist studied the marble, tracing its veins and crevices. After he had become well acquainted with his material, the artist picked up his hammer and chisel. But before he could begin working, the observer stopped him.

“How will you turn this slab of marble into the image of a horse? He asked.

“Well,” said the artist, “it’s not that complicated. I’m simply going to chip away everything that doesn’t look like a horse.”

This is what God is up to in your life. Trials are the hammer and chisel, and the image He is working toward is Jesus. His method of chipping away everything that doesn’t look like Jesus is often slow and painful, but it is necessary.

In 1 Peter 1:6, Peter assures the suffering saints that, for a season, it is necessary for them to be grieved through various trials. Did you catch that? Peter says that pain and grief are needful for these men and women? “Needful according to who?” we might ask. The answer would be according to God.

This may seem blasphemous, or even cruel, but when you consider it in light of God’s ultimate goal for your life, it is neither. God’s desires to make you like Jesus. You are being molded, transformed, and perfected in this life, and one of God’s primary tools will be trials. It is often the case that we realize what really matters in life through the pain and difficulties of intense trials. In this weaning process God opens our eyes and loosens our grasp on the temporal, superficial things of the world –those things we think we can’t live without. This is a painful process, but a necessary one, if the work of Christ in us is going to be brought to completion.

Are you going through a trial? We would love to pray with you. Please share your confidential request with us.