“All these trials are heavy and difficult. God does not send them to a soul which has not already been admitted to a deeper intimacy with Him and which has not yet tasted the divine delights. Besides, in this God has His own plans, which for us are impenetrable. God often prepares a soul in this way for His future designs and great works. He wants to try it as pure gold is tried. But this is not yet the end of the testing; there is still the trial of trials, the complete abandonment of the soul by God.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 97
How do you face trials and struggles? It’s one thing to be strong and react “correctly” in faith when the challenge passes quickly. But, what about when it continues day after day?
“I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eyes waste away because of grief;
they grow weak because of all my foes.” Psalm 6:6-7
This is the time when the soul must remain strong in its trust of God. It is when each day and night blend together in pain that the soul must trust God more. God does not send a soul darkness or trials for which He hasn’t prepared it already. It is in these times of trial that God shows His trust in the soul. He trusts the soul to finish strong because He has already armored and armed it with His power. God is refining the muck and inconsistencies from the soul until, like gold from the fire, it shimmers and shines.
God slowly and sometimes with great leaps moves the soul to a point of total abandoned trust in Him. God doesn’t coerce or force the soul to this point but gently allows it to see for itself it’s power in and dependency upon God. The trials the soul faces are not to make the soul strong on its own but to teach the soul dependency on God. It is at the point of realization of this dependency in which the soul becomes undefeatable. it is at this point that God becomes the strength of the soul.
Have you faced trials in your life? How did you react? Look at where you were before and where you were after the trial – are you stronger in trust if God? Do you realize it is in His power that the soul stands strong?