Patience doesn’t come naturally to the carnal mind. But even the mind renewed by the Spirit of God can find patience to be an elusive virtue—especially in the face of trials. It’s why Peter had to remind his readers that suffering patiently is pleasing to God (1 Peter 2:20). We, too, need to be reminded because trials are inevitable for those who are faithful to Christ. In fact, as John MacArthur points out, Christians will always encounter distinct forms of hardship:
For Christians there is the unique kind of trouble that non-Christians don’t have, and that’s the trouble of persecution for the truth. We are persecuted for the sake of Christ. That is a trouble, a kind of tribulation suffering that the rest of the world doesn’t have to endure. We have to endure the rejection of a hostile society who rejects the gospel.
True Christians will certainly face trials and hostility from an unbelieving world. Jesus promised as much when He said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world . . . the world hates you” (John 15:18–19).
The question isn’t will we face trials, but rather how will we respond when trials invariably come our way. John MacArthur’s sermon, “How to Face Trials Patiently” speaks specifically to that issue.
Drawing from James 5:7–11, John lays out six practical keys to being patient during trials. “How to Face Trials Patiently” provides the proper eternal perspective on Christian suffering. It is a powerful reminder concerning how we should view and understand the trials we go through.
As Christians we all need to embrace James’s counsel in order to face every hardship that this fallen world will inevitably send our way. Trials look completely different when viewed from an eternal perspective.
Click here to listen to “How to Face Trials Patiently.”
