This article is a summary of the following episode: Deliverance from Trials Is Never Promised
Many of us have prayed the prayer of Paul. “Lord, please take this away from me.” Not once but many times. It can feel exhausting and confusing when the trial does not go away. For some, it even brings doubt. Does God care? Is he listening?
This conversation matters because we need to be reminded of what God has actually promised us in Christ. The gospel is not transactional. His love does not hinge on removing our hardships. His grace is what sustains us in them.
God Has Not Promised Deliverance From Trials
Jesus told his disciples that in this life we would have trouble. The apostles echo the same message in nearly every letter of the New Testament. Suffering is not strange for the believer. It is expected. The church has always lived under the weight of a cross in a world at war.
Peter says not to be surprised when fiery trials come upon you. Paul speaks of his own experience in 2 Corinthians 12 when he pleaded with the Lord three times to take away his thorn. The answer he received is the same word that comes to us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
The Lord has never promised to deliver us from every pain or to protect us from every sorrow in this life. What he has promised is his presence and his sustaining grace.
Grace for Today
Grace is not an abstract idea. It is the supernatural strength of God at work in us. Ephesians 3 says that we are strengthened with power through his Spirit in our inner being so that we may know the love of Christ. That is the grace we need most. In trials, God wants us to see and believe that his love is wide, long, high, and deep.
Paul’s words in Philippians 4 remind us of this reality. He had learned the secret of facing abundance and hunger, plenty and need. He could endure all things through Christ who strengthened him. That same Christ strengthens us.
Honest Prayers
God invites us to speak to him honestly in our suffering. The Psalms give us language for our groaning. Job cried out in confusion. Paul admitted his pleading. The Lord is not offended when his children come to him with their fears, frustrations, and tears. To bring our pain to God is not unbelief. It is faith.
Hebrews 4 tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find help in time of need. Prayer is not a transaction but the open approach of children to their Father. He promises grace, and he gives it freely.
What God Is Doing in Our Trials
We cannot always say why a particular trial is happening. Scripture does not allow us to presume on God’s providence. Yet we can say with confidence what he is producing in us. James 1 tells us that trials test our faith and produce steadfastness. The result is maturity.
The trial itself is not good. Disease, death, and suffering are fruits of the curse. But the Lord uses them to work perseverance and hope in us. When we endure through tears and weakness by trusting in Christ, steadfastness is being formed.
The Love of God Is Not Transactional
God’s love for us is not based on what we offer him. It is one-way love. He loved us when we were his enemies. He sent his Son as the propitiation for our sins. His love is not conditioned on our performance, and it is not withdrawn when we struggle.
This truth anchors us in trials. We may doubt. We may feel forgotten. Yet God’s steadfast love never changes. He has bound himself to us in Christ, and nothing can separate us from that love.
The Hope That Awaits
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 that if our hope in Christ is for this life only, we are to be pitied. Our hope is not limited to relief here and now. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. One day death will be swallowed up in victory. Until then, we live in weakness and trust in the sufficiency of Christ.
This hope shapes how we endure. We do not live as those without purpose. The Lord is rescuing his people through the proclamation of the gospel, and he uses us in that mission. In our weakness, his strength is seen.
Grace for Weary Pilgrims
Deliverance from trials in this life is never promised. What is promised is something better: the presence of Christ, the grace of God that sustains us, and the hope of glory that awaits us.
Dear saint, your suffering is not meaningless. The Lord has not forgotten you. He is with you. His grace is sufficient for you. And one day soon, faith will give way to sight and sorrow will be no more.
