How do we handle trial?

2 Corinthians please, chapter 1 and verse 4, the 4th verse of 2 Corinthians chapter 1. It's exceedingly encouraging to see so many come to a conference today. I wish we would see that in the West, but it's very rare. 2 Corinthians 1 and 4, Who comforted us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, on the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Chapter 11 please, verse 23. A little list of some of Paul's experiences and sufferings in the Christian journey. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool.

I am more in labors, more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more oft, in deaths off. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes, save one. Thrice I was beaten with rods, once was I stoned.

Thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I've been in the deep. In journeys off in pearls of waters and pearls of robbers and pearls of mine own countrymen, and pearls by the heathen and pearls in the city and pearls in the wilderness, pearls in the sea and pearls among false brethren. In weariness, painfulness, in watchings often, and in hunger and in thirsting and fastings, often in cold and nakedness.

Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak. Who is offended, and I burn not.

Verse six of chapter twelve, please. The sixth verse of the twelfth chapter. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool.

For I will say the truth, but now I forbear. Lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that which he heareth of me. Unless I should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelation, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in weakness.

Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, I am strong.

Now, we know that the Lord abhors the reading of the Word of God. My mind is thinking or turning, you might say, and some of my thoughts are, how do we handle trial? What do we do when storms come that are unexpected and the vicissitudes of life that occur to every one of us in the journey of life? And we read there of the Apostle Paul and thrillingly of all that he went through. And I would like to suggest that perhaps his life verse would be, For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

The sails were set, the course was set, but there was an abundance of difficulties that crossed his path. I read here in 2 Corinthians 12 that there's a thorn in the flesh. It was allowed by God.

There is nothing that will cross your path or my path that God has not allowed for His honor and glory. We come into James 1. I've wrestled with it for years. How can I count it all joy when there are difficulties, sorrows, heartaches, pain, sickness? Develop it how you want.

And I come to Psalm 31 in the middle part of verse 15. Our times are in His hands. And as God can give us the grace to realize that our times are in His hands, that He saved us by His matchless grace, that He cares for us, He's going to guide us, He's going to direct us, He's going to sustain us all along the journey, it will give us help and it will give us grace.

You will find as we read in the Word of God, oftentimes it's grace and peace. And you and I, until there's grace, would never have peace. And until we know God's riches of His grace, we would never have peace in our souls.

And true peace comes through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, the Apostle Paul, with all that crossed his path, he was not bitter. You look at the prayers of the Apostle Paul, and could I say the greatest percentage of them was for others.

And the greatest percentage of them was for the assemblies. And he had a great burden to see God's people flourish. And the purpose of the conference and part of it would be to see God's people flourish.

And not to see us as a defeated band, you might say that way, but as victors on the Lord's side. Because if God be for us, who can be against us? And so, the Apostle Paul, he says, I've got a problem. We really don't know what it was.

Some say it was I problems or others, but I don't really know. If anybody can tell me, you let me know. Sometimes there's wonderful things in the Bible I see.

Things that are put there by you and by me, but he says, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. Sometimes after the greatest victories, there's the greatest trials or difficulties. Even assemblies experience that sometimes when an enemy might come in the back door and try to do a sneak attack on the work of God.

But he says there is this trial. There is this difficulty. Satan has come along and tried to buffet me like a man pounding you with his fists.

Is there anyone in the audience this morning that has a thorn of affliction? Not maybe in the same way the Apostle Paul, but sickness? Heartache? Discouragement? Despondent? I am finding, as you have found, that our God wants to draw near. Notice as we read this here, he says there was given to me. Paul has realized that God has allowed this for a purpose.

And when difficulty comes, man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward. When I can realize that God has allowed this, it will enable me to tap into a supply of grace, to find grace to help in time of need. It will give that comfort, that peace, that sustaining hand.

Maybe we have a friendly smile on our face. And it looks like everything is sunny. But perhaps inside at times, there are great burdens known by very few.

God knows. And the Apostle Paul, he says, My grace is sufficient for thee. And great tribulation, great problems that you and I don't have the answer to, and the greatest why that ever was took place at Calvary.

My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? He is able to give us an infusion of grace, if I can put it that way, because He's a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knows them that trust in Him. And how do we get that? We get it from the Word of God. And we get it from the precious promises that are found in the Word of God.

And it will gird our loins and it will strengthen us. And it will help us to be able to withstand in the hour or the day or the year of the trial. Trials always come.

Trials may not go. But the Lord is there all along, though you see Him not or touch Him not. And He longs that we might realize that individually when difficulties come, collectively in an assembly when difficulties come, or families, or any way you want to put it, He says, my grace is there.

My grace is totally sufficient. Whether it be a physical problem, disability, frustration, any way you want to label it. He says, God gave it to me.

You and I, chosen vessels could we say, for His purpose. None of us choose the sickness, but it may come. None of us choose the sorrow, but it may come.

But He wants us to know that He's in the boat. And He's never going to leave us and He's never going to forsake us. And as long as God desires, that thorn in the flesh will be with me.

It might be the whole life. It might not be our whole lifetime. It won't be removed unless God removes it.

And yet I find in Psalms He says, cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee. It was mentioned in prayer this morning that we can boldly come before the throne of grace and find grace to help in time of need. That's just in the nick of time, the rendering of it there.

And so, when trial hits, beloved, and when difficulties come so great that maybe praying is very hard and reading is very hard, we can still boldly come before the throne of grace. And we can tap into an infusion of that supply that comes from the all comforting and all caring hand of God. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

When we cast our care upon Him, shame on me when I pick it up again, that I might be able to bring the matter before the Lord and leave the matter before the Lord for His wisdom and for His guidance and for His grace and for His help. Paul says, My grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in weakness that the power of Christ may be over me.

It's like a tent. Strengthening. Soothing.

Remember Psalm 34. This poor man cried unto the Lord and He heard him and He delivered him out of all his troubles. Not from his troubles, but out of them all.

The Lord that brought the children of Israel across the Red Sea and sustained them for 40 years with a manna of sufficient, satisfying, strengthening portion, uniquely whose shoes never wore out in 40 years, you and I in this wilderness seen today, He will supply our needs. He will give us wisdom. He will give us grace.

He will come along and give us comfort as we need. Whether it be Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He is there and He's right alongside.

And Paul came to the conclusion, This is of God. The one that gave Himself for us has not left us to wander in the wilderness. But He will give us that sustaining grace to help us along life's journey.

Turn to Isaiah 41, please. And there's seven assurances in verse 10. Isaiah 41 and verse 10.

Fear thou not. Why? Why? I am with thee. Be not dismayed.

I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee.

I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Let me just read it again. It's so rich.

He says, fear not. We need not fear because the Lord is near. I am with thee.

When that trouble comes and when it seems like the water is coming in the boat, develop it how you want. He's giving us a promise to put in our pocket if you want to put it that way. I am with thee.

And I will never leave thee and I will never forsake thee. And I will strengthen thee. When we are too weak, He comes along and gives an infusion of strength through the Scriptures.

He says, I'll help thee and I'll uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Usually the right hand is the hand of strength. No offense to those that are left-handed.

Usually when I'm on the streets, I size up a person whether he's right-handed or left-handed because the one forearm is larger than the other, but maybe I'm too used to the streets. But look at verse 13. For I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand.

He is not asking me to hold His hand. He is holding my hand. Remember when you had children? Maybe you still have children.

And you were in an area perhaps on a busy road or perhaps a dangerous spot. You held their hand because you wanted them to be safe. You wanted them to be secure.

You didn't want them to move in the wrong direction, develop it how you want. And the Lord is saying, I'll uphold thee with my right hand. I'll hold thy right hand.

Saying, while He's holding our hand, fear not, I will help thee. When the rubber meets the road and the vicissitudes of life occur, these are promises that can gird us and help us and strengthen us. He says, I'm holding your hand.

And I'm whispering in your ear at the same time, I will help thee. Chapter 49 please. And verse 10.

Verse 16, my apology. 49, verse 16 of Isaiah. Behold, I have graven thee on the palms of my hands.

Thy walls are continually before me. He says, I'll guide you with my right hand. I'll hold your hand with my right hand.

And He says, I have your name written in my hand. We all know how magnificent God is. Knows our thoughts, knows where we are.

Amazing for everyone around the world. He says, I have your name written in my hand. Psalm 139.

Psalm 139. And verse 10 please. The 10th verse of Psalm 139.

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. So He's not only holding our hand, but He's leading. And our names are written upon His hand.

And the psalmist could say in Psalm 55, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. You'll never suffer the righteous to be removed. Nothing will cross our path that He will not give the grace to go through and give us that enablement of it.

2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 1. We know that if this earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a house not made with hands in heaven. We can read in 1 Corinthians, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 1 and verse 3. The Father of mercies, the God of all comfort, who comforted us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.

When we pass through certain waters, God equips us at times to be able to help others that taste those waters in a way that no one other can. So the trials are to help us prove God, to help us to know His closeness and His nearness. We come into Philippians chapter 4, and he says, be careful for nothing, don't be anxious.

But everything with prayer and supplication, let your requests be known unto man. No, it doesn't say that at all. He says, let your requests be known unto God.

So, Mr. Abernathy took me aside and dazed, and he says now, he was given coaching before he was to leave this scene. He says, now John, I want you to get a good grasp of something. He says, if you ever write a letter to a saint or an assembly, do not put in there any aspect at all of any need you have.

He says, those needs go to God alone. Don't need to put in there if I get an airplane, I'll be working up in the bush or anything like that. He says, every need you bring before God alone, and you know God is the God of supply.

And the one that supplies our needs daily is the one that's holding our hand and wanting to guide our path and ready to guide our way. So we come to Psalm 23, well known to all of us. The Lord is my shepherd.

I'd like you to turn to Psalm 91 for just a moment. Sometimes it's called the soldier's psalm. I was going to say in the States, but I'm in the States, I'm not in Canada.

And oftentimes this was in a little New Testament that was going out to men at war. Verse 2 of Psalm 91. I will say of the Lord, notice, He is not a refuge, but my refuge.

And He's not a fortress, but He's my fortress. And the psalmist could say, He's my God, He's not a God. And in Him will I trust.

And verse 3. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noiseless pestilence, even Satan himself and the plague. Verse 2 is the psalmist. Verse 3 is the prophet speaking.

And could I suggest in verse 11, if you'll allow me an application, it's the angel speaking. For He shall give His charge over, give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways in this journey. Thrilling, isn't it? Verse 14 is the Lord speaking.

Because He has set my love upon me, I will deliver Him. I will set Him on high, because He knows my name. The one that died for us and gave Himself for us will never leave us and never forsake us.

And the shepherd that holds our right hand will willingly want to guide us and direct us. I want to suggest His raised-up under-shepherds to help us and encourage us in this Christian journey. Shepherds can't be critical.

But shepherds need to come along with a heart of love and care linked with the Great Shepherd of how can I help and how can I bless and how can I encourage. Shepherds need discernment. It comes from God.

Shepherds need a nose of discernment, you might say. And shepherds would know the bleeding of the sheep. I don't know a lot about sheep, but I rub shoulders with the shepherds sometimes.

But, you know, I don't know their vocabulary. I have a little trouble with the English vocabulary, but don't tell anyone. They have a unique way when there is an alarm or trouble, it's a different bleat.

And when the shepherd comes, it's a different bleat than when I come along, because I don't know anything about them. They don't know anything about me. But, you know, beloved shepherds, the saints need you.

And we need you. And I want to encourage younger ones here that one of the greatest needs today is not only enjoying the Lord and walking with the Lord and attempting to rest in His promises when the hours of trial come, but the work of a shepherd. You're on call 24-7.

It's not an eight-hour job and I'm too busy for you. It's a 911 condition at times. And you read Genesis, it says, experience hath taught me.

We even read in the Word of God that there can be wolves coming amongst us. I was telling them at the breakfast table today one time up north. In Canada it's a little different because you can't carry any arms.

I said the wolf was coming around and around where we were camping, but stayed away enough. But we're talking about spiritual wolves. Spiritual wolves coming to attack the flock of God.

Shepherds have their ears attuned to the needs of God's people. Dear younger one, you can be a shepherd if God raises you up to help, to encourage. Let me say a little word for you beloved brethren that are in the Gospel that are a couple days younger than I am.

When God gives you a soul, I know the salvations of the Lord. You have a responsibility to shepherd them. Come over to Matthew 28.

Go ye through all the world and preach the Gospel, teaching them to observe all things which I have commanded thee. Can you picture a young, bored child just left to himself? And picture the dilemma of a lamb in Christ and nobody guides him and nobody feeds him and nobody shepherds him. It'll take days.

It'll take weeks. It'll take years. And it'll be a great reward.

So when the Lord saves a soul, especially in new works, beloved, you're going to be at the door. You're going to be in the home. You're going to be feeding the Word of God that they might grow and wolves might not come along and hinder their growth and their development.

Shepherds go before. Shepherds lead. Shepherds don't drive.

We all know that. And it says the fields are white unto harvest and the laborers are few. Labor in the Gospel.

Laboring as a shepherd. Shepherds are made by God. If a shepherd is out of touch, there'll be casualties out in the field.

In the West, it's very common to see 500 or 1,000 sheep in the mountains. The shepherd wouldn't say it's too cold to go out. It's too rainy to go out.

They would hear the bleed of the sheep and maybe the howling of the coyotes and out they would be. When it comes to the things of God, it's all a heart work. It's not head.

And if our hearts are warm and our hearts are in love with the Lord Jesus, it's easy to want to reach out with the Gospel. It's easy to want to love God's people and help God's people. I heard a story one time of a sister they called their granny.

I won't call anybody here that, but I guess it's okay if you do have a grandma here to call her granny. But the saints asked her, Granny, why are you at all the meetings? We don't come to them all. Well, she says, I'll tell you the way it is.

Where your heart is, your feet will follow. And she says, My heart is with the assembly and my heart is with the Lord. So if our heart is with the Lord and we see a need, we should come along and try and help.

It takes no skill to criticize. It takes no skill to cut down. We've done a lot of building through the years.

It takes a long time to put the structure up, but you can take it down in a day or two. Any one of us could. And when we're building for God, it's going to take a heart that's in touch and a heart that's in tune and a heart that knows the hand of God and the God holding our hand and resting in His guiding hand.

Jacob says to the shepherd in Genesis, The frost consumed me, and the dry heat in the places. The sins of the shepherd the flock cannot be excused for, but the sins of the shepherd will affect the flock. We all have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to guide us.

The Thivisheth had bad care. Not to be critical. Accidents happen.

He was dropped. And shepherds out of touch might have the wrong words at the wrong time and get the wrong effect. The sheep were watched for sickness, mites, the fleece.

And the eye of the shepherd is so essential. And so if we've learned the comforting hand of God, if we've learned the sustaining hand of God in trial and difficulty, He would help us to be equipped to come along and help others that have tasted those waters. Laban said in Genesis, I've learned by experience.

We thumb our minds over into Romans chapter 8 and verse 31. If God be for us, who can be against us? There is no foe, no trial greater, no circumstance greater, but that God can give that infusion of grace. My grace is sufficient for thee.

Think of Hebrews 13. I will never leave thee. I will never forsake thee.

I want to encourage you, beloved, to hold tight to the precious promises of God's Word. And when the difficulties come and when the heartaches come and when the water is coming over the boat, if you want to put it that way, to realize He's with you and He's in you and He's for you and He does all things well. He's in the boat.

Don't leave the ship. He's in the local assembly. Don't leave where He is because He will never leave us and He'll never forsake us.

And He wonderfully is that stronghold in the day of trouble. And the Lord can say, My grace is sufficient for thee.