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Joy in the Midst of Trials

June 24, 2015 by Melissa Kruger

Jesus was familiar with suffering. The prophet Isaiah foretold the trials Christ would endure:

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3)

And, on the eve of his crucifixion, he explained to His disciples that they would face similar trials:

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

pic 3 copyI often want to overlook the words in the middle of this passage: you will have tribulation. I hope for the peace Jesus promises, but in my accounting, I falsely believe that peace comes from a lack of suffering, not in the midst of it. Regardless of our expectations, suffering and trials always seems to come as a bit of a painful surprise. We yearn for smooth sailing and easy lives.

In the midst of trials, we experience sorrow and grief, just as Jesus did. However, suffering is not a roadblock to rejoicing. Joy and trials are not mutually exclusive entities. They are woven together in beautiful display of the Spirit’s power in the life of a Christian. In the hope of the gospel we find ourselves living lives that are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

How can we experience this paradox of walking through trials with joy? I sat down with Christianity.com for a series of video interviews and the following one discusses, “How to Find Joy in the Midst of Trials”. For further reading, you may want to consider: Three Hopeful Truths in the Midst of Suffering.

Christianity.com: How can we find joy in the midst of trials? – Melissa Kruger from christianitydotcom2 on GodTube.

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Filed Under: Christian Living, Christianity.com, Contentment Tagged With: joy, peace, suffering, tribulation

Melissa Kruger is a wife, mom, and the author of multiple books, including The Envy of Eve and Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood. She enjoys teaching women the Bible and serves as the director of women's initiatives for The Gospel Coalition.

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