In 1978, doctors discovered cancer in the left eye of Ron Hamilton and determined his eye needed to be removed. Just before going into surgery, a comforting verse came to Ron’s mind that later became the theme for a song he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord.” It states, “God never moves without purpose or plan when trying His servant and molding a man. Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long. In darkness He giveth a song. Rejoice in the Lord. He makes no mistake; He knoweth the end of each path that I take. For when I am tried and purified, I shall come forth as gold.”

Many of us have wondered why a path of trial, heartache, or physical hardship has entered our lives. Part of the answer is found in the life of Job. In a brutal attack from Satan, faithful and godly Job lost his children, wealth, and his health. With agonizing boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, he sat in misery, scraping his sores with a broken clay pot. His wife urged him to curse God and die. His friends who came to comfort him accused him of being punished by God for some hidden sin, which was not the case. For a time, in his discouragement and despair, he “felt” as if God had abandoned him. He said, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him…Behold, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him” (Job 23:3-8). Thankfully, he eventually realized God had made no mistake in allowing his overwhelming circumstances. Like Ron Hamilton, he concluded that God was allowing these painful circumstances to mold him into an even stronger, more godly man. In Job 23:10 he says, “But He knoweth the way that I take: [and] when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” In faith, Job chose to see His painful circumstances as a refining process to remove the dross of imperfections in his life.

God allows trials, not to ruin us, but to refine us. Just as raw materials are transformed into steel by intense fire, God seeks to transform us into His image by allowing trials. Don’t despair or distance yourself from God. Allow your trial to draw you closer to Him and remove whatever is unworthy of His name.