Does God Send Trials Into Our Life to Make Us Stronger?

I just finished  reading a devotional for April 2nd from Jesus Calling. Today's  devotion was centered on cultivating God's peace. Sounds good right? I thought so to until I got to the part that read, "..I (God) send trials into your life. When you trust Me in the midst of trouble, Peace flourishes and weeds die away.Thank me for troublesome situations; the Peace they can produce far outweighs the trial you endure." 

Sarah Young writes as if God is speaking in first person directly to her readers. This is fine as long as you understand that it is not really God speaking but a Presbyterian woman  missionary with philosophy and psychology degrees. God can use anything to get our attention and direct our thoughts and actions in God's direction but we must keep in mind that even those of us with the best intentions can and do at times misrepresent God.

I  do not object to reading Jesus Calling .I use it at times myself and referenced it in a previous blog as something that brought me a new insight.  I  do want to caution all who use this daily devotion to  not fall into the trap that the author,Sarah Young, is always correct in her assessment of how God works in the world.

So, is it true that God sends trials to develop Christian character? The short answer from this ELCA Pastor is No!

 I am not going to go into a long theological defense of God and Suffering in this blog but let's just say I have done quite a bit of study in this area over the years.I don't believe that God wrecks havoc in our lives so we will 'draw closer ' to God; nor does God create obstacle courses of hardship as a spiritual training ground.

We believe that in baptism we become children of God. God is our loving parent. What loving parent would cause their children to suffer in order for them to become a stronger individual? Not a loving stable parent that is for sure!

Trust is never grounded in fear. Trust finds it roots in love. There cannot be peace if there is not trust. If we believe that God is love, and we do, then we cannot explain away difficulties as a blessing in disguise from God. Above all God wants us to trust in the love God extends to us each and everyday. Peace in the midst of horrific ordeals comes when we put our trust in God who is love.

One thing for which I am grateful is that my behavior is not being graded by God as I navigate through this stressful COVID-19 ordeal. God will love me completely whether or not I come out the the other end of this experience a better person or not. I hope I rise to the challenges that strengthen  my humanity. I hope my faith will grant me new insights into how to be more like Jesus. Thanks be to God I don't need to worry about any of that - this is not a test! Jesus loves me this I know!