Our Trials
“Our heavenly Father measures and weighs every trial before He permits it to come upon the believer. He considers the circumstances and the strength of the one who is to stand under the proving and test of God, and He never permits the temptation to be greater than the capacity of resistance.”
EGW, Our High Calling, page 323
“Picture Jesus standing beside a scale and picking up trials one by one and weighing them. He measures my capacity to handle insult. He considers whether the benefits to be derived from the trial are worth the cost. He determines whether I am strong enough to bear it, or whether it would be too crushing…Inspection passes and the trial hits! It may be frustration like a flat tire, or it may be deeper–someone lets you down, or physical illness or death strikes. But whatever it is, I can now face it in a new light…
“You mean You think I have the capacity to bear this Lord?” What honor and confidence the Lord has placed on me and in me to have even thought I could handle this His way! I am now eager to demonstrate for Jesus that with His help I can and will meet His expectation. So the trial becomes a privilege–a special opportunity for me to reflect His image under adverse circumstances. And just as a parent beams when his child has accomplished his grown-up task, I feel the smile of Jesus’ approval, and with James can say, “Thank you Jesus-I’m happy you trusted me enough to allow this trial to come.”
