So here we see the prophet jumping for joy, even though the coming Babylonian invasion would strip the land. What an example of the effect a God centered mindset can have on our temporal outlook!

In sum,

"O Come, let us sing for joy (agalliao - jump for joy) to the LORD. Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation." (Ps 95:1) (See Spurgeon's note)

EVEN THOUGH NOW FOR A LITTLE WHILE IF NECESSARY (as it is): oligon arti ei deon (PAPNSN) (estin) (3SPAI): (2Co 4:17, 18)

For a little while is one word in Greek (oligos) which means small in number or little in amount. Mark it down, beloved - for a little while. All time is but for a little while in comparison to eternity. When you are in the darkness, hold on to what God has shown you in the light for it will pass. As Corrie Ten Boom puts it...

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.

When you are in the midst of "distressing" circumstances the "little while" often seems like an eternity. But Peter says the trials last only for a little while when compared to eternity.

When God's hand is on thy back, let thy hand be on thy mouth, for though the affliction be sharp it shall be but short. --Thomas Brooks

You can't get to tomorrow morning without going through tonight. -- Elisabeth Elliot

How soon you will find that everything in your history, except sin, has been for you. Every wave of trouble has been wafting you to the sunny shores of a sinless eternity. -- Robert Murray M'Cheyne

It was well worth standing a while in the fire, for such an opportunity of experiencing and exhibiting the power and faithfulness of God's promises. -- John Newton

Affliction may be lasting, but it is not everlasting. -- Thomas Watson

Light are the pains that nature brings;

How short our sorrows are,

When with eternal future things

The present we compare!
--Isaac Watts

He who has fixed the bounds of our habitation has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation.

Paul similarly encourages the saints at Rome with the truth that our trials are

Again Paul encourages the saints at Corinth that their present affliction (thlipsis) is

"momentary (for the moment, for a little while), light" and "is producing (thoroughly working out, achieving or accomplishing, carefully fashioning making completely ready) for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison" (2Corinthians 4:17).

Here are some other renderings of the great truth in 2 Corinthians 4:17...

(Amplified) For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],

(Moffat) The slight trouble of the passing hour results in a solid glory past all comparison,

(Phillips New Testament) These little troubles (which are really so transitory) are winning for us a permanent, glorious and solid reward out of all proportion to our pain.

(Weymouth) For this our light and transitory burden of suffering is achieving for us a preponderating, yes, a vastly preponderating, and eternal weight of glory;

(Wuest)  For our momentary light burden of affliction is working out for us more and more surpassingly an eternal, heavy weight of glory

If affliction and suffering are currently your lot and you feel overwhelmed, meditate on the truths in these passages (click the Scriptures above to read them in context) for a proper perspective on your present but passing painful plight in the light of eternity.

Matthew Henry adds that

though they (the trials) may be smart (cause sharp pain) they are but short.

If is a first class condition in Greek which assumes the truth of the condition - It is necessary!

John MacDuff...

If need be—1Peter 1:6KJV - Three gracious words! Not one of all my tears has been shed for nothing! Not one stroke of the rod has been unneeded, or that might have been spared! Your heavenly Father loves you too much, and too tenderly, to bestow harsher correction than your case requires! Is it loss of health, or loss of wealth, or loss of beloved friends? Be still! there was a needs be. We are no judges of what that "needs be" is; often through aching hearts we are forced to exclaim, "Your judgments are a great deep!" But God here pledges Himself, that there will not be one unnecessary thorn in the believer's crown of suffering. No burden too heavy will be laid on him; and no sacrifice too great exacted from him. He will "temper the wind to the shorn lamb." Whenever the "need be" has accomplished its end, then the rod is removed—the chastisement suspended—the furnace quenched.

"If need be!" Oh! what a pillow on which to rest your aching head—that there is not a drop in all your bitter cup but what a God of love saw to be absolutely necessary! Will you not trust His heart, even though you cannot trace the mystery of His dealings? Not too curiously prying into the "Why it is?" or "How it is?" but satisfied that "So it is," and, therefore, that all must be well! "Although you say you cannot see Him, yet judgment is before Him, therefore trust in Him!" (THE FAITHFUL PROMISER  by John MacDuff)

Your heavenly Father can inflict no unnecessary pang. You may presently be pain-stricken, and woe-worn.  There is a divine necessity for your present "fiery trial." No drop in the cup can be spared! "I will correct you in measure." Your heavenly Father, tenderer and more loving than the tenderest earthly parent, tempers the fury of the flames, saying, "Thus far shall you go, and
no farther."

Happy for you, that you can write "if need be" . . .over that severest hour of distress,over every night of throbbing temples, over sleepless eyes,over every fresh thorn sent to buffet,over every heavy cross sent to carry.

When we are assured that nothing which is appointed by our Father can come to us wrongly, our cup of suffering becomes a cup of love!

"Shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me?" John 18:11 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2Corinthians 4:17

What verse is more soothing sight for a suffering couch, or for a dying pillow? What verse is more consolatory for a weary, burdened body? and above all, for a weary, burdened, sin-stricken heart? "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:17

Thomas Watson...

Another heart quieting consideration is—that afflictions work for good. "I have sent them into captivity for their own good." (Jer. 24:6). Judah's captivity in Babylon was for their good. "It is good for me that I have been afflicted" (Psalm 119:71). This text, like Moses' tree cast into the bitter waters of affliction, may make them sweet and wholesome to drink. Afflictions to the godly are medicinal. Out of the most poisonous drugs God extracts our salvation. Afflictions are as needful as ordinances (1Peter 1:6). No vessel can be made of gold without fire; so it is impossible that we should be made vessels of honor, unless we are melted and refined in the furnace of affliction. "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth" (Psalm 35:10). As the painter intermixes bright colors with dark shadows; so the wise God mixes mercy with judgment. Those afflictive providences which seem to be harmful, are beneficial. Let us take some instances in Scripture. (The WORST things)

John Angell James (1852)...

Faith is assured that there is a NECESSITY for our trials. There is no Scripture it more readily assents to than that of the apostle Peter– "If needs be, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." 1 Peter 1:6. Yes, there must be some kind of necessity—or he who loves his children so strongly would not thus afflict them. He himself is the judge of that necessity—and with him it must be left. But we are in all cases to be assured that it exists, though oftentimes it is hidden. Hence, the beautiful reply of Payson, who in his deep affliction was asked if he saw any particular reason for his heavy trials. "No," said he– "but I am as satisfied as if I saw ten thousand reasons. It is the will of God—and there is all reason in that." Our trials come sometimes when there seems, so far as our spiritual condition is concerned, less need than ordinary for them. And then is the time especially for confidence in God's wisdom and love, as to their necessity. When they find us in a backsliding state, and come like messengers to fetch us back from our truant wanderings, we know, rather than believe their necessity. We see and feel it as clearly as if a voice from heaven declared it. But to be overtaken with some severe visitation of Providence, when the soul is comparatively healthful, and its course is even and undeviating, and then to say– "I am sure there is some needs be for this, though I cannot see it. It lies hidden somewhere in the depths of God's wisdom and love, where I cannot find it; but I am sure it is there. My Heavenly Father does not afflict willingly—nor grieve the children of men, much less his own children—and I believe I am one of them." (Practical Believer)

Necessary (literally "if it be necessary") (1163) (dei from deo= to bind, tie objects together) means this is necessary (binding) or needful. Dei marks a logical necessity and not a moral obligation: we must rather than we ought. It therefore speaks of an obligation out of intrinsic necessity or inevitability. It is necessary that this happen. God will certainly prune us but never without purpose, for as Vance Havner said...

The grace, the groans and the glory are all part of the eternal purpose. Where there is no groaning there is no growing now, nor glory to come.

Matthew Henry observes that...

God's design in afflicting his people is their probation (Ed: the act of proving or testing), not their destruction; their advantage, not their ruin.

John Calvin adds that these necessary trials...

are not afflicted by chance, but through the infallible providence of God.

Why should I complain
Of want or distress,
Temptation or pain?
He told me no less;

The heirs of salvation,
I know from his Word,
Through much tribulation
 Must follow their Lord.
--John Newton

Trials are continually (present tense) necessary (binding), needful and inevitable and they have a divine purpose.  As Richard Sibbes said "God promises no immunity from crosses." God in His perfect wisdom knows that there are special times when we need to go through trials.  But oh, the glories to follow, for as Spurgeon aptly puts it...

There are no crown-wearers in heaven that were not cross-bearers here below.

Sometimes trials discipline us when we have disobeyed God’s will. The psalmist writes

Before I was afflicted (Lxx = tapeinoo = brought low, abased, humbled - see study of related word tapeinos) I went astray (Lxx = make a false note in music, go wrong, err, offend), but now I keep (Lxx = phulasso = keep watch like a sentry, guard!) Thy word. (Ps 119:67). (See Spurgeon's note)

Again he says

"It is good for me that I was afflicted (Lxx = tapeinoo = brought low, abased, humbled), that I may learn (Lxx =manthano akin to mathetes, a "disciple" = learn through instruction, practice or experience) Thy statutes." (Ps 119:71) (Spurgeon's note)

Blessed (Lxx = makarios = fully satisfied regardless of the circumstances) is the man whom Thou dost chasten (Lxx = paideuo = train up as a child, discipline, instruct), O Lord, and dost teach out of Thy law. (Ps 94:12) (Spurgeon's note)

The writer of Hebrews sums up some of the benefits of trials that come on us in order to discipline us writing that earthly fathers

disciplined (paideuo) us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (see notes Hebrews 12:10; 12:11)

Jowett explains that

The purpose of God’s chastening is not punitive but creative. He chastens “that we may share His holiness.” The phrase “that we may share” has direction in it, and the direction points toward a purified and beautified life. The fire which is kindled is not a bonfire, blazing heedlessly and unguardedly, and consuming precious things; it is a refiner’s fire, and the Refiner sits by it, and He is firmly and patiently and gently bringing holiness out of carelessness and stability out of weakness. God is always creating even when He is using the darker means of grace. He is producing the fruits and flowers of the Spirit. His love is always in quest of lovely things. (J. H. Jowett, Life in the Heights, pp. 247, 248) (Ed: Praise be to Elohim, our Creator!)

At other times, trials prepare us for spiritual growth or even help to prevent us from sinning. Thus Paul after being transported to third heaven where he "heard inexpressible words" and revelations of  "surpassing greatness" was given "a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet (him)—to keep (him) from exalting (himself)! (2 Cor 12:7) (Click for more discussion of The Third Heaven) After entreating the Lord to remove this thorn, the Lord replied "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Paul now had insight into the trial and declared "Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me." (2 Cor 12:9) We may not always know the need being met (Job did not understand Satan was being allowed to test him, see Job 1), but we can trust God to know and to do what is best.

Thomas Watson...

Consider that there is a necessity for affliction. 1Peter 1:6. It is needful that some things are kept in brine. Afflictions are needful to keep us humble. Often there is no other way to have the heart low—but by being brought low. When king Manasseh "was in affliction, he humbled himself greatly." Corrections are corrosives to eat out the proud flesh. "Remembering my misery,the wormwood and the gall; my soul is humbled in me." Lamentations 3:19, 20. Shall not we quietly submit, and say, "Lord, I see there is a necessity for it. May Your will be done!" (Lords Prayer)

God's children may sometimes be under sore afflictions. They have no charter of exemption from trouble, in this life. While the wicked are kept in sugar—the godly are often kept in brine.

And, indeed, how could God's power be seen in bringing them out of trouble—if He did not sometimes bring them into it? How could God wipe away the tears from their eyes in heaven—if on earth they shed none?

Doubtless, God sees there is need that His children should be sometimes in the house of bondage. "If need be, you are in heaviness." 1 Peter 1:6. The body sometimes needs a bitter portion—more than a sweet one.

"You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs." Psalm 66:10, 11

Why does God bring His people into an afflicted state? God gives affliction—to purge our corruption. The eye,  though a tender part—yet when infected, we put sharp medicines into it, to purge out the disease. Just so, though the people of God are dear to Him as the apple of His eye—yet, when corruption begins to grow in them, He will apply the sharp medicine of affliction—to purge out the disease.

Affliction is God's flail to beat off our husks. Affliction is a means God uses to purge out sloth, luxury, pride, and love of the world. God's furnace is not to consume—but to refine. God gives us more affliction—that we may have less sin!

God also gives affliction to increase our graces. Grace thrives most in the iron furnace. Grace in the saints is often as fire hidden in the embers; affliction is the bellows to blow it up into a flame!

God sanctifies all our afflictions. They shall not be destructive punishments—but medicines! They shall corrode and eat out the venom of sin! They shall polish and refine our grace! The more the diamond is cut—the more it sparkles. The more God afflicts us—the more our graces cast a sparkling luster!

The stones which are cut out for a building, are first hewn and squared. The godly are called "living stones." 1Peter 2:5. God hews and polishes them by affliction, that they may be fit for the heavenly building.

Erwin Lutzer reminds us that...

God often puts us in situations that are too much for us so that we will learn that no situation is too much for him.

Dei is present tense indicating that these trials are continually inevitable! God knows those times when it is necessary for a saint to go through trials.

 Samuel Rutherford emphasizes the certainty of trials writing that

You will not get leave to steal quietly to heaven without a conflict and a cross.

The Puritan Thomas Watson agreed writing...

Though Christ died to take away the curse from us, yet not to take away the cross from us.

Spurgeon asked...

How can I look to be at home in the enemy's country, joyful while in exile, or comfortable in a wilderness? This is not my rest. This is the place of the furnace and the forge and the hammer.

To those servants of God whom He purposes to use in a larger, greater way, many trials are allowed to come (they are necessary), for

we must be ground between the millstones of suffering before we can be bread for the multitude.

And in the case of a saint who is not living close to his Lord, it is necessary to send disciplinary trials to purge his life of sin and draw him into a closer walk with God

Psalms 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Thy word. (see Ps 119:67) (Spurgeon's note - v67)

Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Thy statutes. (see Ps 119:71). (Spurgeon's note - v71)

J C Ryle explains that

Every cross is a message from God and intended to do us good in the end.

Matthew Henry adds

These troubles, that lie heavy, never come upon us but when we have need, and never stay any longer than needs must.

John Newton describes these trials as like

medicines which our gracious and wise Physician prescribes, because we need them; and He proportions the frequency and weight of them to what the case requires.

J. Vernon McGee in his pithy style adds

I know it is not at all popular to teach that God will prove us and lead us on to maturity through suffering. People would rather be encouraged to think that they are somebody important and that they can do great things on their own. My friend, we are nothing until the Spirit of God begins to move in our hearts and lives. We have nothing to offer to God. He has everything to offer to us. (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary:  Nashville: Thomas Nelson)

Warren Wiersbe adds that the encouraging note that

We must keep in mind that all God plans and performs here is preparation for what He has in store for us in heaven. He is preparing us for the life and service yet to come. Nobody yet knows all that is in store for us in heaven, but we do know that life on earth is a school in which God trains us for our future ministry in eternity. This explains the presence of trials in our lives for they are some of God’s tools and textbooks in the school of Christian experience. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

YOU HAVE BEEN DISTRESSED: lupethentes (APPMPN): (Job 9:27,28 Ps 69:20, 119:28 Isa 61:3 Mt 11:28, 26:37 Ro 9:2 Php 2:26 Jas 4:9 )

You have been distressed - or as the KJV picturesquely puts it

though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations

Someone once wisely said that adversity introduces a man to himself and that God uses affliction as His shepherd dog to drive us back to the fold.

Spurgeon introduces his sermon on this verse and launches into a discussion of the Christian's "heaviness"...

This verse to a worldly man looks amazingly like a contradiction; and even to a Christian man, when he understands it best, it will still be a paradox. Ye greatly rejoice, and yet ye are in heaviness. Is that possible? Can there be in the same heart great rejoicing, and yet a temporary heaviness? Most assuredly. This paradox has been known and felt by many of the Lord's children, and it is far from being the greatest paradox of the Christian life.

Men who live within themselves, and mark their own feelings as Christians, will often stand and wonder at themselves. Of all riddles, the greatest riddle is a Christian man. As to his pedigree, what a riddle he is! He is a child of the first Adam, "an heir of wrath, even as others." He is a child of the second Adam: he was born free; there is therefore now no condemnation unto him.

He is a riddle in his own existence.

"As dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and not killed."

He is a riddle as to the component parts of his own spiritual frame. He finds that which makes him akin to the devil-depravity, corruption, binding him still to the earth, and causing him to cry out, "O wretched man that I am;" and yet he finds that he has within himself that which exalts him, not merely to the rank of an angel, but higher still-a something which raises him up together, and makes him "sit together with Christ Jesus in heavenly places."

He finds that he has that within him which must ripen into heaven, and yet that about him which would inevitably ripen into hell, if grace did not forbid. What wonder, then, beloved, if the Christian man be a paradox himself, that his condition should be a paradox too? Why marvel ye, when ye see a creature corrupt and yet purified, mortal and yet immortal, fallen but yet exalted far above principalities and powers-why marvel ye, that ye should find that creature also possessed of mingled experience, greatly rejoicing, and yet at the same time, "in heaviness through manifold temptations."

HIS HEAVINESS. This is one of the most unfortunate texts in the Bible. I have heard it quoted ten thousand times for my own comfort, but I never understood it till a day or two ago. On referring to most of the commentaries in my possession, I cannot find that they have a right idea of the meaning of this text. You will notice that your friends often say to you when you are in trouble, "There is a needs be for this affliction;" there is a needs be, say they, "for all these trials and troubles that befall you." That is a very correct and scriptural sentiment; but that sentiment is not in the text at all. And yet, whenever this text is quoted in my hearing, this is what I am always told, or what I conceive I am always told to be the meaning,- that the great temptations, the great trials which befall us, have a needs be for them. But it does not say so here: it says something better; not only that there is a needs be for our temptations, but that there is a needs be for our heaviness under the temptation.

Now, let me show you the difference. There is a man of God, full of faith-strong; he is about to do his Master's work, and he does it. God is with him, and gives him great success. The enemy begins to slander him; all manner of evil is spoken against him falsely for Christ's name sake. You say, there is a needs be for that, and you are quite correct: but look at the man. How gallantly he behaves himself! He lifts his head above his accusers, and unmoved amidst them all, he stands like a rock in the midst of a roaring tempest, never moved from the firm basis on which it rests. The scene changes, and instead of calamity, perhaps he is called to endure absolute persecution, as in apostolic times. We imagine the man driven out from house and home, separated from all his kindred, made to wander in the pathless snows of the mountains; and what a brave and mighty man he appears, when you see him enduring all this! His spirits never sink. "All this can I do," says he, "and I can greatly rejoice in it, for Christ's name's sake; for I can practice the text which says, 'Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy;'" and you will tell that man there is a needs be for his persecution; he says, "Yes, I know it, and I fear not all I have to endure; I am not cowed by it." At last imagine the man taken before the Inquisition and condemned to die. You still comfort him with the fact, that there is a needs be that he shall die-that the blood of the martyrs must be the seed of the church-that the world can never be overcome by Christ's gospel, except through the sufferings and death of his followers-that Christ stooped to conquer, and the church must do the same-that through death and blood must be the road to the church's victory. And what a noble sight it is, to see that man going to the stake, and kissing it-looking upon his iron chains with as much esteem as if they had been chains of gold. Now tell him there is a needs be for all this, and he will thank you  for the promise; and you admire the man; you wonder at him. Ah! but there is another class of persons that get no such honour as this. There is another sort of Christians for whom this promise really was intended, who do not get the comfort of it. I do admire the man I have pictured to you: may God long preserve such men in the midst of the church; I would stimulate every one of you to imitate him. Seek for great faith and great love to your Master, that you may be able to endure, being "stedfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." But remember, that this text has not in it comfort for such persons; there are other texts for them; this text has been perverted for such a use as that. This is meant for another and a feebler grade of Christians, who are often overlooked and sometimes despised.

I was lying upon my couch during this last week, and my spirits were sunken so low that I could weep by the hour like a child, and yet I knew not what I wept for-but a very slight thing will move me to tears just now-and a kind friend was telling me of some poor old soul living near, who was suffering very great pain, and yet she was full of joy and rejoicing. I was so distressed by the hearing of that story, and felt so ashamed of myself, that I did not know what to do; wondering why I should be in such a state as this; while this poor woman, who had a terrible cancer, and was in the most frightful agony, could nevertheless "rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." And in a moment this text flashed upon my mind, with its real meaning. I am sure it is its real meaning. Read it over and over again, and you will see I am not wrong. "Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness." It does not say, "Though now for a season ye are suffering pain, though now for a season you are poor; but you are 'in heaviness;'" your spirits are taken away from you; you are made to weep; you cannot bear your pain; you are brought to the very dust of death, and wish that you might die. Your faith itself seems as if it would fail you. That is the thing for which there is a needs be. That is what my text declares, that there is an absolute needs be that sometimes the Christian should not endure his sufferings with a gallant and a joyous heart; there is a needs be that sometimes his spirits should sink within him, and that he should become even as a little child smitten beneath the hand of God. Ah! beloved, we sometimes talk about the rod, but it is one thing to see the rod, and it is another thing to feel it; and many a time have we said within ourselves, "If I did not feel so low spirited as I now do, I should not mind this affliction;" and what is that but saying, "If I did not feel the rod I should not mind it?" It is just how you feel, that is, after all, the pith and marrow of your affliction. It is that breaking down of the spirit, that pulling down of the strong man, that is the very fester of the soreness of God's scourging-"the blueness of the wound, whereby the soul is made better." I think this one idea has been enough to be food for me many a day; and there may be some child of God here to whom it may bring some slight portion of comfort. We will yet again dwell upon it. "Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations."

And here let me for a moment or two try to explain why it is that there is an absolute needs be, not merely for temptations and troubles, but likewise for our being in heaviness under them.

In the first place, if we were not in heaviness during our troubles we should not be like our Covenant Head-Christ Jesus. It is a rule of the kingdom that all the members must be like the head. They are to be like the head in that day when he shall appear. "We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." But we must be like the head also in his humiliation, or else we cannot be like him in his glory. Now, you will observe that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ very often passed through much of trouble, without any heaviness. When he said, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head," I observe no heaviness. I do not think he sighed over that. And when athirst he sat upon the well, and said, "Give me to drink," there was no heaviness in all his thirst. I believe that through the first years of his ministry, although he might have suffered some heaviness, he usually passed over his troubles like a ship floating over the waves of the sea. But you will remember that at last the waves of swelling grief came into the vessel; at last the Saviour himself, though full of patience, was obliged to say "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death;" and one of the evangelists tells us that the Saviour "began to be very heavy." What means that, but that his spirits began to sink? There is a more terrible meaning yet, which I cannot enter into this morning; but still I may say that the surface meaning of it is that all his spirits sank within him. He had no longer his wonted courage, and though he had strength to say, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done;" still the weakness did prevail, when he said, "If it be possible let this cup pass from me." The Saviour passed through the brook, but he "drank of the brook by the way;" and we who pass through the brook of suffering must drink of it too. He had to bear the burden, not with his shoulders omnipotent, but with shoulders that were bending to the earth beneath a load. And you and I must not always expect a giant faith that can remove mountains: sometimes even to us the grasshopper must be a burden, that we may in all things be like unto our head.

Yet again; if the Christian did not sometimes suffer heaviness he would begin to grow too proud, and think too much of himself, and become too great in his own esteem. Those of us who are of elastic spirit, and who in our health are full of everything that can make life happy, are too apt to forget the Most High God. Lest we should be satisfied from ourselves, and forget that all our own springs must be in him, the Lord sometimes seems to sap the springs of life, to drain the heart of all its spirits, and to leave us without soul or strength for mirth, so that the noise of tabret and of viol would be unto us as but the funeral dirge, without joy or gladness. Then it is that we discover what we are made of, and out of the depths we cry unto God, humbled by our adversities.

Another reason for this discipline is, I think, that in heaviness we often learn lessons that we never could attain elsewhere. Do you know that God has beauties for every part of the world; and he has beauties for every place of experience? There are views to be seen from the tops of the Alps that you can never see elsewhere. Ay, but there are beauties to be seen in the depths of the dell that ye could never see on the tops of the mountains; there are glories to be seen on Pisgah, wondrous sights to be beheld when by faith we stand on Tabor; but there are also beauties to be seen in our Gethsemanes, and some marvelously sweet flowers are to be culled by the edge of the dens of the leopards.

Men will never become great in divinity until they become great in suffering. "Ah!" said Luther, "affliction is the best book in my library;" and let me add, the best leaf in the book of affliction is that blackest of all the leaves, the leaf called heaviness, when the spirit sinks within us, and we cannot endure as we could wish.

And yet again; this heaviness is of essential use to a Christian, if he would do good to others. Ah! there are a great many Christian people that I was going to say I should like to see afflicted-but I will not say so much as that; I should like to see them heavy in spirit; if it were the Lord's will that they should be bowed down greatly, I would not express a word of regret; for a little more sympathy would do them good; a little more power to sympathize would be a precious boon to them, and even if it were purchased by a short journey through a burning, fiery furnace, they might not rue the day afterwards in which they had been called to pass through the flame. There are none so tender as those who have been skinned themselves. Those who have been in the chamber of affliction know how to comfort those who are there.

Do not believe that any man will become a physician unless he walks the hospitals; and I am sure that no one will become a divine, or become a comforter, unless he lies in the hospital as well as walks through it, and has to suffer himself. God cannot make ministers-and I speak with reverence of his Holy Name-he cannot make a Barnabas except in the fire. It is there, and there alone, that he can make his sons of consolation; he may make his sons of thunder anywhere; but his sons of consolation he must make in the fire, and there alone.

Who shall speak to those whose hearts are broken, who shall bind up their wounds, but those whose hearts have been broken also, and whose wounds have long run with the sore of grief? "If need be," then, "ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations."

I think I have said enough about this heaviness, except that I must add it is but for a season. A little time, a few hours, a few days, a few months at most, it shall all have passed away; and then comes the "eternal weight of glory, wherein ye greatly rejoice." (The Christian's Heaviness and Rejoicing)

Distressed (3076) (lupeo from lupe = sorrow) signifies pain, of body or mind and means to cause one to experience severe mental or emotional distress or physical pain which may be accompanied by sadness, sorrow or grief. The King James' translation of lupeo as heaviness parallels our colloquial sayings like -- "It weighs heavy on my soul" or "My soul is weighed down with affliction." or "My soul is so burdened."

The verb is aorist tense indicating past completed action which points to the fact that these saints have already experienced various trials.

Lupeo is used 26 times in the NT:

Matthew 14:9 And although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.

Matthew 17:23 and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day." And they were deeply grieved.

Matthew 18:31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.

Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property.

Matthew 26:22 And being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, "Surely not I, Lord?"

Matthew 26:37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.

Mark 10:22 But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property.

Mark 14:19 They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, "Surely not I?"

John 16:20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy.

John 21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.

Romans 14:15 (note) For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.

2 Corinthians 2:2 For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful?

2 Corinthians 2:4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not that you should be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.

2 Corinthians 2:5 But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree-- in order not to say too much-- to all of you.

2 Corinthians 6:10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.

2 Corinthians 7:8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it-- for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while--9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.

2 Corinthians 7:11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

Ephesians 4:30 (note) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1Thessalonians 4:13 (note) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.

1 Peter 1:6 (note) In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials

There are use of lupeo in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) (Gen. 4:5; 45:5; Deut. 15:10; 1 Sam. 29:4; 2 Sam. 13:21; 19:2; 2 Ki. 13:19; Neh. 5:6; Est. 1:12; 2:21; 6:12; Job 31:39; Ps. 55:2; Prov. 25:20; Isa. 8:21; 15:2; 19:10; 32:11; 57:17; Jer. 15:18; Lam. 1:22; Ezek. 16:43; Dan. 6:14, 18; Jon. 4:1, 4, 9; Mic. 6:3)

At Gethsemane as our Lord anticipated Calvary, He

began to be grieved" (lupeo) and distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved (related verb "perilupeo" grieved all around, surrounded by grief, severely grieved) to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me. (Mt 26:37-38). 

If the trial of Gethsemane was painful to the perfect Man, Christ Jesus, we must understand that to deny that our trials are painful is to make them even worse. Christians must accept the fact that there are difficult experiences in life and not put on a brave front just to appear “more spiritual.”

As Rotherham has commented

"God not only holds out a future release but sympathizes with our present struggle."

Is God bending, shaping, or polishing you right now?
What's your attitude?
Are you "greatly rejoicing", thanking and praising God,
or are you grumbling, moaning and complaining about the process?

Trials from God (in contrast to trials from Satan) are intended not to provoke us but to prove us and to "improve" us for our good and His glory.

Spurgeon...

BY VARIOUS TRIALS: en poikilois peirasmois: (See Torrey's Topic "Afflictions Made Beneficial")

Job 5:19 From six troubles He will deliver you, even in seven evil will not touch you.

Trouble may roar upon us, but it cannot devour us. It may vex us, but it shall not do us real harm. If we suffer a perfect number of trials we shall also have an all-sufficient degree of grace. --Spurgeon, The Interpreter

Love's presence keeps the bush alive,
Grace 'mid the flames can make us thrive;
Nor need th' afflicted saint despair,
Though in the fire, the Lord is there.

Various (4164) (poikilos) means existence in various kinds or modes, diversified, manifold, variegated, many colored.

Poikilos was used to describe the skin of a leopard, the different-colored veining of marble or an embroidered robe and thence passes into the meaning of changeful, diversified, applied to the changing months or the variations of a strain of music.

Poikilos is used 10 times in the NT

Matthew 4:24 And the news about Him went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, taken with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

Mark 1:34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

Luke 4:40 And while the sun was setting, all who had any sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on every one of them, He was healing them.

2 Timothy 3:6 (note) For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,

Titus 3:3 (note) For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

Hebrews 2:4 (note) God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

Hebrews 13:9 (note) Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited.

1 Peter 1:6 (note) In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

1 Peter 4:10 (note) As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Poikilos is used 18 times in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) (Ge 30:37, 39f; 31:8, 10, 12; 37:3, 23, 32; Jos. 7:21; 1 Chr. 29:2; Ezek. 16:10, 13, 18; 26:16; Zech. 1:8; 6:3, 6). Here is a famous use in the OT...

Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored (Lxx = poikilos) tunic.

Poikilos gives a vivid picture of the diversity and varied aspects and appearances of the trials that affect believers, not their number, which is left to be inferred. Peter employs poikilos in (see note "manifold grace of God" 1 Peter 4:10) describing the multi-colored grace of God! Praise the Lord!

Barclay remarks

Our troubles may be many-coloured, but so is the grace of God; There is no color in the human situation which grace cannot match. There is a grace to match every trial and there is no trial without its grace.  (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press)

James also uses poikilos to describe our trials as variegated exhorting the saints to

Guy King gives an interesting illustration of manifold grace from manifold trials (temptations)...

We find that Peter joins Paul in magnifying the grace of GOD. There is an interesting Greek word, poikilos, which occurs several times in the New Testament, and which Peter uses twice, both in his First Epistle, and which is translated "manifold":

Think of yourself as a tube of "spiritual toothpaste". Pressure brings out what's really on the inside! 

Or as J C Ryle once said...

Trials are intended to make us think, to wean us from the world, to send us to the Bible, to drive us to our knees.

Spurgeon explains the great value of his personal trials writing...

I am afraid that all the grace that I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable. What do I not owe to the crucible and the furnace, the bellows that have blown up the coals, and the hand which has thrust me into the heat?... I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had have turned out to be my best days... I can bear my personal testimony that the best piece of furniture that I ever had in the house was a cross. I do not mean a material cross; I mean the cross of affliction and trouble.... In shunning a trial we are seeking to avoid a blessing.

Peirasmos is used 20 times in the NAS and is translated: temptation, 12; testing, 2; trial, 3; trials, 4. Below are all the NT uses of peirasmos - an excellent exercise would be to meditate on these passages (checking the context) to glean the truths they reveal about tests and temptations. Very interesting!

Matthew 6:13 (note) 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver (aorist imperative) us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.'

Matthew 26:41 "Keep watching (present imperative) and praying (present imperative), that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Mark 14:38 "Keep watching (present imperative) and praying (present imperative), that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Luke 4:13 And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Luke 8:13 "And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

Luke 11:4 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Luke 22:28 "And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials;

Luke 22:40 And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray (present imperative), that you may not enter into temptation."

Luke 22:46 and said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."

Acts 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;

Galatians 4:14 and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.

1 Timothy 6:9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

Hebrews 3:8 (note) Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

1 Peter 1:6 (note) In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

1 Peter 4:12 (note) Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

2 Peter 2:9 (note) then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

Revelation 3:10 (note) 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.

J. C. Ryle exhorts us to...

settle it firmly in our minds that there is a meaning, a needs-be and a message from God in every sorrow that falls upon us...There are no lessons so useful as those learned in the school of affliction... (and be encouraged for) The tools that the great Architect intends to use much are often kept long in the fire, to temper them and fit them for work.

There are 7 uses of peirasmos in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) (Ex 17:7; Deut. 4:34; 6:16; 7:19; 9:22; 29:3; Ps. 95:8) The first use is very interesting...

Exodus 17:7 And he named the place Massah (Hebrew means trial or testing, Lxx = peirasmos) and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us, or not?"

Deuteronomy 6:16 "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test (Lxx = ekpeirazo = subject to test), as you tested (Lxx = ekpeirazo = subject to test) Him at Massah (Hebrew means trial or testing, Lxx = peirasmos)

Deuteronomy 7:19 the great trials (Lxx = peirasmos) which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

Peirasmos connotes trouble or something that breaks the pattern of peace, comfort, joy, and happiness in someone’s life. Trials rightly faced are harmless and in fact beneficial to the saint as Peter (and James 1 explain), but wrongly met become temptations to evil as explained below.

The KJV has "temptations" instead of "trials" and this leads to some confusion in the understanding of the Greek word peirasmos. The English word "temptation" originally referred to trials, whether good or bad, but the evil sense has monopolized the word in modern English.

Recommended Resource (related to temptation): Of Temptation by John Owen

Vincent adds that in regard to the meaning of peirasmos it

"is a mistake to define this word as only solicitation to evil. It means trial of any kind, without reference to its moral quality." 

The context determines whether the intended purpose of the "temptation" is for good or for evil. This distinction is brought out in chapter 1 of James.

James first use of peirasmos refers to "trials for good" (as in 1 Peter1:6), where he exhorted the saints to

God brings (allows) such tests (peirasmos) to prove and increase the strength and quality of one’s faith and to demonstrate its validity (read all of James 1 for full context). Every trial becomes a test of faith designed to strengthen the believer's faith, but if the believer fails the test by wrongly responding, then that test becomes a temptation or a solicitation to evil.

Later James uses the root verb form (peirazo) explaining that no one should

"say when he is tempted (peirazo), “I am being tempted (peirazo) by God”; for God cannot be tempted (apeirastos from a = without + peirazo = tempt > incapable of being tempted) by evil, and He Himself does not tempt (peirazo) anyone." (Jas 1:13-note)

Peirazo (and the noun peirasmos) can convey both ideas (for good or evil) because the primary difference is not in the peirasmos itself but in a person’s response to it. If a believer responds in faith, he successfully endures a trial (and we call it just that -- a "trial" and not a "temptation") but if he succumbs to it, doubts God and disobeys, the trial becomes a "temptation" which can lead to sin. God allows "peirasmos" into our life not to make us sin but to make us more like the Savior. Not so with Satan as his encounter with our Lord illustrates.

Matthew records that

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (verbal root of peirasmos) by the devil. (Mt 4:1)

The temptation was morally neutral -- there was nothing inherently evil in offering Jesus bread. The context however allows us to determine that the purpose of the testing is for evil not good.  Satan, the Evil one himself, uses the "neutral" peirasmos for the purpose of inducing Jesus to sin,. When the context in a passage is to induce one to sin, most modern Bible versions translate the test as a "temptation". Remember however that God in His sovereignty is able to take even temptations to evil and cause them "to work together for good to those who love God" (Ro 8:28, 29-see notes Ro 8:28, 29).

When God is the agent, peirasmos is for the purpose of proving someone, never for the purpose of causing him to fall. If it is the devil who tempts even though it is the same Greek word, the purpose is to trip us up.

Webster helps understand the difference between a "trial" from God and a "trial" (temptation) from the devil defining temptation as an enticement to do wrong by promising pleasure or gain.

Temptation can take the form of pleasure in doing something that is forbidden (Adam and Eve yielded to the desire to enjoy forbidden fruit), but it can also entice us to do something to avoid painful consequences. In persecution the devil entices us to give up our faith for fear of suffering ridicule or physical harm of some kind.

The trials Peter refers to may come from God or under His permissive will from Satan, or may be the result of our own wrong doing. An example of a "trial" that in itself is not bad but could turn out bad if one makes the wrong choice is an opportunity to cheat on income tax. What we choose will either prove our righteousness or prove our weakness. The opportunity is only a test, neither good nor evil in itself. Our old Sin nature (or the devil) may tempt us to cheat. Whether it results in good or evil, spiritual growth or spiritual decline, depends on our response. Remember that although God never tempts anyone to sin (James 1:13), He does allow and/or send trials when necessary and in the right measure for strengthening faith.

God often brings circumstances into our lives to test us and educate us or to "rear us up" and show us to be His true sons (He 12:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 -See notes He 12:5;  6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11).

In a sermon titled "Faith Tested and Crowned," Alexander Maclaren distinguished between being tempted and being tried or tested. He said that temptation

"conveys the idea of appealing to the worst part of man, with the wish that he may yield and do the wrong. The latter (trial) means an appeal to the better part of man, with the desire that he should stand."

"Temptation says, 'Do this pleasant thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is wrong.'

Trial or proving says, 'Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is painful.'"

In sum, peirasmos refers to all the trials, testing, temptations that go into furnishing a test of one's character. This is the primary meaning here in 1 Peter 1:6.

Peirasmos is used with a similar meaning in chapter 4, Peter writing

James also encourages us to endure our trials with the promise that

Blessed (makarios = spiritually "prosperous" regardless of or independent of the circumstances) is a man who perseveres (present tense = continually abides) under trial (peirasmos); for once he has (stood the test and) been approved (dokimos  = by passing the test with faith intact), he will receive the (stephanos = victor's) crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love (present tense = continually, as the general "direction of their life" = agapao  = selfless, sacrificial, divine inspired and energized love) Him." (James 1:12 - note)

John Macarthur has an excellent illustration and explanation of the purpose of "trials" (temptations). He writes

To test the genuineness of a diamond, jewelers often place it in clear water, which causes a real diamond to sparkle with special brilliance. An imitation stone, on the other hand, will have almost no sparkle at all. When the two are placed side by side, even an untrained eye can easily tell the difference. In a similar way, even the world can often notice the marked differences between genuine Christians and those who merely profess faith in Christ. As with jewels, there is a noticeable difference in radiance, especially when people are undergoing difficult times. Many people have great confidence in their faith until it is severely tested by hardships and disappointments. How a person handles trouble will reveal whether his faith is living or dead, genuine or imitation, saving or non-saving. (Macarthur J. James. 1998. Moody)

In the ancient world, Christians became the target of persecution for four main reasons:

(1) They refused to worship the emperor as a god and thus were viewed as atheists and traitors.

(2) They refused to worship at pagan temples, so business for these moneymaking enterprises dropped wherever Christianity took hold.

(3) They didn’t support the Roman ideals of self, power, and conquest, and the Romans scorned the Christian ideal of self-sacrificing service.

(4) They exposed and rejected the horrible immorality of pagan culture.

Scripture mentions at least 8 purposes for the Lord's allowing trials to come into believer's lives:

(1) to test the strength of our faith (e.g., Ex 16:4, 2Chr 32:31)

(2) to humble us (2Cor 12:7)

(3) to wean us from our dependence on worldly things (Moses allowed to spend 40 years as a shepherd after 40 years as an Egyptian prince, Ex 2:11-25)

(5) to reveal what we really love (cf Ge 22:1-12 re Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac)

(6) to teach us to value God's blessings (cf Ps 63:3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

(7) to develop enduring strength for greater usefulness (2Cor 12:10)

(8) to enable us to better help others in their trials (cf Satan's sifting of Simon Peter Lk 22:31, 32). (Modified from Macarthur's commentary on James, page 20)

IN SUMMARY TRIALS & AFFLICTIONS...

(1). Prove our faith genuine - so when a believer comes through a trial still trusting the Lord, he is assured that his faith is genuine

(6). Ultimately will bring praise, glory and honor to God. There is great comfort for suffering saints in knowing that their sufferings are neither purposeless nor fruitless. On the other hand, the sufferings of the ungodly are only a foretaste of the pangs they will endure forever.

(7). Will not be fully understood as to their eternal significance until the revelation of Jesus Christ (1Cor 13:12, 1Jn 3:2,  Ro 8:18-note)

><>><>><>

J C Philpot - 1 Peter 1:6
Devotional

As everything in SELF is contrary to the life of God, there is a needs-be for manifold trials and temptations to bring us out of those things which are opposed to the grace of God, and to conform us to the image of his dear Son. Thus we need trial after trial, and temptation upon temptation, to cure us of that worldly spirit, that carnality and carelessness, that light, trifling, and empty profession, that outside form of godliness, that spirit of pride and self-righteousness, that resting short of divine teachings, heavenly blessings, and spiritual manifestations, that settling on our lees and being at ease in Zion, that being mixed up with all sorts of professors, that ignorance of the secret of the Lord which is with those who fear him--all which marks of death we see so visibly stamped upon the profession of the day.

There is a needs-be to be brought out of all this false, deceptive, hypocritical, and presumptuous profession, whether high or low, sound in doctrine or unsound, so as to be made simple and sincere, honest and upright, tender and teachable, and to know something experimentally of that broken and contrite spirit in which the Lord himself condescends to dwell. And as the Lord works this spirit of humility and love for the most part through trials and temptations, there is a needs-be for every one, of whatever nature it may be, or from whatever quarter it may come.

><>><>><>

Spurgeon comments on testing of our faith:

Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbor; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers were so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too. Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise Him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities.

><>><>><>

In the ancient times, a box (blow) on the ear given by a master to a slave meant liberty, little would the freedman care how hard was the blow. By a stroke from the sword the warrior was knighted by his monarch, small matter was it to the new-made knight if the royal hand was heavy. 'When the Lord intends to lift his servants into a higher stage of spiritual life, He frequently sends them a severe trial; He makes His Jacobs to be prevailing princes, but He confers the honour after a night of wrestling, and accompanies it with a shrunken sinew. Be it so, who among us would wish to be deprived of the trials if they are the necessary attendants of spiritual advancement?

><>><>><>

Afflictions when sanctified make us grateful for mercies which aforetime we treated with indifference. We sat for half-an-hour in a calf's shed the other day, quite grateful for the shelter from the driving rain, yet at no other time would we have entered such a hovel. Discontented persons need a course of the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, to cure them of the wretched habit of murmuring. Even things which we loathed before, we shall learn to prize when in troublous circumstances. We are no lovers of lizards, and yet at Pont St. Martin, in the Val D'Aosta, where the mosquitoes, flies, and insects of all sorts drove us nearly to distraction, we prized the little green fellows, and felt quite an attachment to them as they darted out their tongues and devoured our worrying enemies. Sweet are the uses of adversity, and this among them—that it brings into proper estimation mercies aforetime lightly esteemed.

><>><>><>

We never prize the precious words of promise till we are placed in conditions in which their suitability and sweetness are manifested. We all of us value those golden words, "When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" but few if any of us have read them with the delight of the martyr Bilney, to whom this passage was a stay, while he was in prison awaiting his execution at the stake. His Bible, still preserved in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, has the passage marked with a pen in the margin. Perhaps, if all were known, every promise in the Bible has borne a special message to some one saint, and so the whole volume might be scored in the margin with mementoes of Christian experience, every one appropriate to the very letter.

><>><>><>

How different are summer storms from winter ones! In winter they rush over the earth with their violence; and if any poor remnants of foliage or flowers have lingered behind, these are swept along at one gust. Nothing is left but desolation; and long after the rain has ceased, pools of water and mud bear tokens of what has been. But when the clouds have poured out their torrents in summer, when the winds have spent their fury, and the sun breaks forth again in glory, all things seem to rise with renewed loveliness from their refreshing bath. The flowers, glistening with rainbows, smell sweeter than before; the grass seems to have gained another brighter shade of green; and the young plants which had hardly come into sight, have taken, their place among their fellows in the borders, so quickly have they sprung among the showers. The air, too, which may previously have been oppressive, is become clear, and soft, and fresh. Such, too, is the difference when the storms of affliction fall on hearts unrenewed by Christian faith, and on those who abide in Christ. In the former they bring out the dreariness and desolation which may before have been unapparent. The gloom is not relieved by the prospect of any cheering ray to follow it; of any flowers or fruits to show its beneficence. But in the true Christian soul, 'though weeping may endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning.' A sweet smile of hope and love follows every tear; and tribulation itself is turned into the chief of blessings.

><>><>><>

There is an old story in the Greek annals of a soldier under Antigonus who had a disease about him, an extremely painful one, likely to bring him soon to the grave. Always first in the charge was this soldier, rushing into the hottest part of the fray, as the bravest of the brave. His pain prompted him to fight, that he might forget it; and he feared not death, because he knew that in any case he had not long to live. Antigonus, who greatly admired the valour of his soldier, discovering his malady, had him cured by one of the most eminent physicians of the day; but, alas! from that moment the warrior was absent from the front of the battle. He now sought his ease; for, as he remarked to his companions, he had something worth living for—health, home, family, and other comforts, and he would not risk his life now as aforetime. So, when our troubles are many we are often by grace made courageous in serving our God; we feel that we have nothing to live for in this world, and we are driven, by hope of the world to come, to exhibit zeal, self-denial, and industry. But how often is it otherwise in better times! for then the joys and pleasures of this world make it hard for us to remember the world to come, and we sink into inglorious ease.

><>><>><>

"I had," said Latimer, describing the way in which his father trained him as a yeoman's son, "my bows bought me according to my age and strength; as I increased in them so my bows were made bigger and bigger." Thus boys grew into crossbowmen, and by a similar increase in the force of their trials, Christians become veterans in the Lord's host. The affliction which is suitable for a babe in grace would little serve the young man, and even the well-developed man needs severer trials as his strength increases. God, like a wise father, trains us wisely, and as we are able to bear it he makes our service and our suffering more arduous. As boys rejoice to be treated like men, so will we rejoice in our greater tribulations, for here is man's work for us, and by God's help we will not flinch from doing it.

><>><>><>

We had traversed the Great Aletsch Glacier, and were very hungry when we reached the mountain turn half-way between the Bel Alp and the hotel at the foot of the Ægischorn; there a peasant undertook to descend the mountain, and bring us bread and milk. It was a very Marah to us when he brought us back milk too sour for us to drink, and bread black as a coal, too hard to bite, and sour as the curds. What then? Why, we longed the more eagerly to reach the hotel towards which we were travelling. We mounted our horses, and made no more halts till we reached the hospitable table where our hunger was abundantly satisfied. Thus our disappointments on the road to heaven whet our appetites for the better country, and quicken the pace of our pilgrimage to the celestial city.

><>><>><>

"The pine, placed nearly always among scenes disordered and desolate, brings into them, all possible elements of order and precision. Lowland trees may lean to this side and that, though it is but a meadow breeze that bends them, or a bank of cowslips from which their trunks lean aslope. But let storm and avalanche do their worst, and let the pine find only a ledge of vertical precipice to cling to, it will nevertheless grow straight. Thrust a rod from its last shoot down the stem, it shall point to the centre of the earth as long as the tree lives."

Amid the sternest trials the most upright Christians are usually reared. The divine life within them so triumphs over every difficulty as to render the men, above all others, true and exact. What a noble spectacle is a man whom nothing can warp, a firm, decided servant of God, defying hurricanes of temptation!

><>><>><>

Our afflictions are like weights, and have a tendency to bow us to the dust, but there is a way of arranging weights by means of wheels and pulleys, so that they will even lift us up. Grace, by its matchless art, has often turned the heaviest of our trials into occasions for heavenly joy. "We glory in tribulations also." We gather honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.

><>><>><>

When the green leaves bedeck the trees and all is fair, one cannot readily find the birds' nests, but when the winter lays bare the trees, anyone, with half-an-eye, may see them. Thus amid the press of business and prosperity the Christian may scarcely be discerned, his hidden life is concealed amid the thick and throng of the things of earth; but let affliction come, a general sickness, or severe losses in the family, and you shall see the Christian man plainly enough in the gracious patience by which he rises superior to trial. The sick bed reveals the man; the burning house, the sinking ship, the panic on the exchange, all these make manifest the hidden ones. In many a true believer, true piety is like a drum which nobody hears of unless it be beaten.

><>><>><>

Our crosses are not made of iron, though painted sometimes with iron colours; they are formed of nothing heavier than wood. Yet they are not made of pasteboard, and will never be light in themselves, though our Lord can lighten them by his presence. The Papists foolishly worship pieces of wood supposed to be parts of the true cross; but he who has borne the really true cross, and known its sanctifying power, will value every sliver of it, counting his trials to be his treasures, his afflictions argosies of wealth, and his losses his best gains.

><>><>><>

Lawns which we would keep in the best condition are very frequently mown; the grass has scarcely any respite from the scythe. Out in the meadows there is no such repeated cutting, they are mown but once or twice in the year. Even thus the nearer we are to God, and the more regard he has for us, the more frequent will be our adversities. To be very dear to God, involves no small degree of chastisement.

><>><>><>

Payson thus beautifully writes: —

"I have been all my life like a child whose father wishes to fix his undivided attention. At first the child runs about the room, but his father ties up his feet; he then plays with his hands until they likewise are tied. Thus he continues to do, till he is completely tied up. Then, when he can do nothing else, he will attend to his father. Just so has God been dealing with me, to induce me to place my happiness in him alone. But I blindly continued to look for it here, and God has kept cutting off one source of enjoyment after another, till I find that I can do without them all, and yet enjoy more happiness than ever in my life before." (All the above from Spurgeon Feathers for Arrows)

><> ><> ><>

Your affliction quickened your prayers. There is a man trying to write with a quill pen; it will not make anything but a thick stroke; but he takes a knife and cuts fiercely at the quill till it marks admirably. So we have to be cut with the sharp knife of affliction, for only then can the Lord make use of us. See how sharply gardeners trim their vines, they take off every shoot, till the vine looks like a dry stick. There will be no grapes in the spring, if there is not this cutting away in the autumn and winter. God quickens us in our afflictions through His Word. (Barbed Arrows from the Quiver of C. H. Spurgeon)