And there was evening and there was morning, one day (see Genesis 1:5).

 

Here we see that a day begins with the evening. This is a prophecy that with the great things the Lord brings forth, there is usually darkness before the dawn. This is a consistent truth throughout the Scriptures.

 

For example, Israel was subject to four hundred years of slavery before they were led into the freedom of the Promised Land. Their oppression became the greatest just before they were set free by the power of God. The great saints of Scripture usually went through a period of darkness before they were brought forth into the purposes of God. Joseph had to go through slavery and imprisonment. King David was persecuted by Saul, and chased by the very people over which he was called to rule. Jesus had to go to the cross and die before He could be resurrected to His place of authority and glory.

 

Between the place where we receive the promises of God and the fulfillment of those promises, there will almost always be a wilderness that is the exact opposite of what we have been promised. In order to test their faith and purify their hearts, the children of Israel had to wander through a desert, where there was no water, before they could get to the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. We will go through trials too. Even so, as we are told in James 1:2-4,12:
 

 

       Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 

       knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

 

       And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

       Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life,

       which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

 
 

Every trial in our lives is allowed for two purposes. The first is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ, which is the fruit of the Spirit. The second is to bring us to a place of maturity where He can trust us with more authority to do the works that He did, which are through the gifts of the Spirit. Therefore, we must seize our trials as James encourages, counting them as joy, because they always lead to the dawn's light. We also have the great promise in I Corinthians 10:13:
 

 

       No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;

       and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,

       but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

 
 

 God is the One allowing the temptation, and He is also in control, so we are never tempted beyond what we are able to endure. Therefore, when it gets so hard that we are getting close to the limit of what we can take, we should also know we are getting close to the end of the trial.

 

We are also assured that there is a way of escape with every trial. The way of escape is always the same, and that is the cross. If we would go to the cross and die to ourselves, our own ambitions, and the cares of this world, which are usually the roots of our trials, we would immediately find a peace that goes beyond human understanding. We are called to be dead to this world (see Galatians 6:14). What can the world do to a dead man? It is impossible for a dead man to feel rejected, abused, taken advantage of, or be concerned with loss. If we would go to the cross daily with all that we are and have, we would be the most free people the world has ever seen.

 

If we would go to the cross and die to our own interests every day, we would also be free to love without reservation. Love that is not self-centered is not controlled by the fear of pain or loss. Neither does this love try to control the object of our love.

 

Just as there could be no resurrection without there first being a death; there can be no victory without a battle. Like the tests we take in school to go on to higher levels, every test we endure in our lives is so we can go on to higher levels of maturity in the Lord. We should see every test as a great opportunity. The greater the test, the greater the opportunity. Always remember that regardless of how dark it seems to get, the light will certainly come, just as surely as the sun will rise every day.