---
title: Joy in the Midst of Trials
canonical: "https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/melissa-kruger/joy-in-the-midst-of-trials-2/"
pubDate: "2015-06-24T00:00:00.000Z"
updatedDate: "2015-06-24T00:00:00.000Z"
author: Melissa Kruger
description: "Jesus was familiar with suffering. The prophet Isaiah foretold the trials Christ would endure: He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3) And, on the eve of his crucifixion, he explained to His disciples that they would face similar trials: I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) I often want to overlook the…"
tags: [Christian Living, Christianity.com, Contentment]
---

Jesus was familiar with suffering. The prophet Isaiah foretold the trials Christ would endure:

> He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3)

And, on the eve of his crucifixion, he explained to His disciples that they would face similar trials:

> I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

![storm-tornado-curl](http://www.melissabkruger.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/storm-tornado-curl-300x169.jpg)I often want to overlook the words in the middle of this passage: *you will have tribulation*. I hope for the peace Jesus promises, but in my accounting, I falsely believe that peace comes from a lack of suffering, not in the midst of it. Regardless of our expectations, suffering and trials always seems to come as a bit of a painful surprise. We yearn for smooth sailing and easy lives.

In the midst of trials, we experience sorrow and grief, just as Jesus did. However, suffering is not a roadblock to rejoicing. Joy and trials are not mutually exclusive entities. They are woven together in beautiful display of the Spirit’s power in the life of a Christian. In the hope of the gospel we find ourselves living lives that are ”sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

How can we experience this paradox of walking through trials with joy? I sat down with Christianity.com for a series of video interviews and the following one discusses, “How to Find Joy in the Midst of Trials”. For further reading, you may want to consider: [Three Hopeful Truths in the Midst of Suffering](http://www.melissabkruger.com/contentment/three-hopeful-truths-in-the-midst-of-suffering-686).

[Christianity.com: How can we find joy in the midst of trials? – Melissa Kruger](http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=020091NU) from [christianitydotcom2](http://www.godtube.com/christianitydotcom2) on [GodTube](http://www.godtube.com/).