Inspired from a talk given by Patriarch Shenouda III
There is something essential that we must learn about the trials and difficulties of life: we must not allow our hearts to become “narrow” or oppressed in the face of distress and trials. On the contrary, we must learn to expand our hearts, to make them spacious enough to receive whatever comes without losing our peace, our trust in God, or our inner strength. Let your heart expand! Let difficulties come, even if they come rushing towards you like galloping horses. If your heart is sufficiently spacious, they will pass through it without overwhelming you. They will not be able to conquer your inner peace, because your heart is resting in something greater than the difficulties themselves: the presence of God. When a problem arises, remind yourself of a simple truth: God is present. There is a problem, certainly, but there is also God, who is greater than the problem. There is distress, but God is capable of opening a way through it. There is suffering, but suffering does not have the final word. God remains present, and nothing escapes His providence. This is why the believer can gradually learn to face difficulties with serenity, saying: “There is a problem, and there is God, who can solve it. There is a difficulty, and God will show me the way through it. Whatever happens, I remain in His hands.” Such confidence is not based on the illusion that life will be free from suffering. It is based on a deeper knowledge of God and of the way He accompanies us through our trials. In fact, when we consider the trials that God permits in our lives, we can recognise six important characteristics. Understanding them can profoundly change the way we face suffering and help us acquire a more stable and peaceful trust in divine Providence.
1. A Trial Permitted by God Is Not an Evil in Itself
The first characteristic concerns the nature of the trial. We must distinguish between the evil that arises from sin and the difficulties that God permits for our purification, growth and greater good. God is not the author of evil. Scripture makes this clear: “God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). We must therefore avoid attributing to God the evil that results from human wrongdoing, injustice or sin. Nevertheless, God can permit difficulties, even serious ones, and make them occasions of spiritual growth. What appears to us as an obstacle may become, through His grace, an opportunity for purification, greater faith, deeper humility or a more complete surrender to His will. The important distinction is that God does not desire evil as evil. Even when He permits suffering, His intention remains directed towards our good. His providence is capable of drawing good from situations that, in themselves, may be painful or even profoundly unjust. This conviction changes our attitude towards trials. Instead of immediately asking, “Why is this happening to me?”, we can begin to ask, “Lord, how can I remain united to You in this situation? What good do You wish to bring forth from it?”
2. God Knows the Measure of Our Strength
The second characteristic is that God knows our capacities, our limitations and the measure of strength we need. St Paul writes: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Although St Paul is speaking specifically about temptation, his words reveal something essential about God’s faithfulness. He does not abandon us when we encounter difficulties. He knows us more deeply than we know ourselves, and His grace can sustain us in situations that would otherwise exceed our strength. Consider the example of Job. In a remarkably short time, Job lost his possessions, his children, his security and eventually his health. His suffering was immense. Yet, throughout this ordeal, God did not abandon him. The Book of Job reveals not a man who was incapable of suffering or questioning, but a man whose relationship with God endured through suffering, anguish and bewilderment. The lives of the saints offer similar examples. St Anthony the Great encountered severe spiritual struggles, including temptations and terrifying assaults attributed to the demons. Yet these experiences did not have the final word. God’s grace sustained him and enabled him to persevere. We should not conclude from these examples that every difficulty will feel bearable or that we must always possess sufficient strength by ourselves. There are moments when our natural strength is exhausted, when we feel overwhelmed, and when we need the assistance of others. But precisely there, we are invited to discover that God’s strength is not identical with our own. The question is not simply what we can endure by ourselves, but what the grace of God can accomplish within us.
3. Every Trial Can Be Accompanied by Divine Support and Strength
The third characteristic follows naturally from the second: God does not merely permit us to undergo trials; He also offers us His support. This is fundamental. We must never imagine ourselves facing life’s difficulties alone, as though everything depended upon our psychological resilience, our temperament or our natural courage. Jesus Himself tells His disciples: “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Notice how closely the two statements are connected. Jesus does not deny the reality of tribulation. He explicitly announces it. Yet, in the same breath, He gives us the reason for confidence: “I have overcome the world.” His victory is not merely an event belonging to the past. The risen Christ remains present and active in the lives of those who belong to Him. Through His grace, His own victory can become operative within us.
Similarly, the Psalmist declares: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). Here again, suffering and divine assistance are inseparable. The righteous person is not promised a life without difficulty. Rather, he is invited to discover the fidelity of God in the midst of difficulty. This is why we must learn to look not only at the trial, but also at the grace accompanying it. If we contemplate only the suffering, it can appear enormous and overwhelming. But if we turn towards the Lord, we begin to discover another presence within the very situation that frightens us. The trial may be great, but God’s grace is greater. Our weakness may be real, but His strength remains available to us.
4. With the Trial, God Opens a Way Forward
The fourth characteristic is especially consoling: no difficulty should be regarded as an absolutely closed situation in which God can no longer act. We often become anxious because we cannot immediately see a solution. We look at the circumstances, examine the obstacles and conclude that there is no possible way forward. But our inability to see a solution does not mean that God is unable to provide one. St. Paul speaks of God providing “the way of escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13). This does not necessarily mean that we will immediately be released from the difficulty. Sometimes the way forward consists in deliverance from the external problem; at other times, it consists in receiving the strength, patience, wisdom or courage necessary to pass through it. God’s solution may therefore be different from the one we expect.
We may ask Him to remove an obstacle, while He intends to lead us through it. We may ask Him to shorten a period of suffering, while He is teaching us to trust Him more deeply. We may desire immediate clarity, while He is inviting us to walk in faith, one step at a time. The essential point is that we should never confuse our present lack of understanding with the absence of God’s providence. When we encounter a problem, we can say: “I do not yet see the way forward, but God sees what I cannot see. I do not know how this situation will be resolved, but I know that He has not abandoned me.” Such an attitude gives us the freedom to act prudently, to seek help when necessary, and to do whatever lies within our power, without allowing anxiety to take possession of our hearts.
5. Trials Have Their Seasons and Their Limits
The fifth characteristic concerns the duration of trials. Many difficulties follow a certain progression. They begin gradually, become more intense, reach a peak and eventually diminish. We might compare this movement to the shape of a mountain or a pyramid: the difficulty rises, reaches its highest point, and then begins to descend. The experience of Job illustrates this movement. His suffering increased until it reached an extraordinary intensity. Yet his story did not end with his suffering. The final chapters reveal a new encounter with God and a restoration that Job could never have anticipated. Of course, not every trial follows this pattern in an obvious way. Some difficulties persist for many years, and certain sufferings accompany a person throughout earthly life. Nevertheless, even these trials do not have an unlimited or ultimate power over us. They remain within the horizon of God’s providence and the promise of eternal life. One of the greatest difficulties in suffering is that, when we are overwhelmed, the present moment can appear endless. We begin to imagine that nothing will change, that there is no hope, and that our present distress defines our entire future. The Psalmist knew this temptation. He writes: “Many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God” (Psalm 3:2). Yet he immediately responds with an act of trust: “But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (Psalm 3:3). This is a remarkable movement of faith. The external situation may not yet have changed, but the Psalmist has changed his perspective. Instead of allowing the voices of discouragement to determine his outlook, he turns towards the Lord. We too must learn this movement. When a trial seems to have no end, we can remind ourselves that the present moment is not the whole of reality. God is still acting, even when we cannot perceive His action, and our suffering does not possess the final word.
6. God Can Make Everything Work Together for Our Good
The sixth and final characteristic is perhaps the most profound: God can draw good from everything that He permits us to undergo. St. Paul assures us: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him” (Romans 8:28). This is one of the great foundations of Christian confidence. It does not mean that everything that happens is good in itself. Evil remains evil, injustice remains injustice, and suffering remains painful. Nor does it mean that we will always understand why a particular trial was permitted. Rather, it means that God’s love and providence are capable of working within every circumstance, even the most difficult, and directing it towards a good that may initially remain hidden from our eyes. When a trial comes, therefore, we can learn to say: “I do not yet understand what good may come from this, but I believe that God is capable of bringing forth a blessing.” Perhaps the difficulty will lead us to greater humility. Perhaps it will teach us patience, detach us from something that prevents our spiritual growth, or bring us closer to God. Perhaps it will deepen our compassion for others or prepare us to help someone undergoing a similar trial. Sometimes we recognise the fruit of suffering only after many years. At other times, the full meaning of what we have experienced remains hidden until eternity. But faith assures us that nothing is beyond the reach of God’s redeeming love. This conviction can transform the way we approach difficulties. Instead of immediately collapsing into anxiety, we begin to look for God’s presence. Instead of assuming that everything is lost, we remain open to what His grace can accomplish. We learn to say with Job: “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21), and with the Psalmist: “I will bless the Lord at all times” (Psalm 34:1).
Learning to Stand Firm Like a Mountain
Once we understand these six characteristics, we can begin to appreciate the importance of acquiring interior firmness. A person firmly rooted in God resembles a mountain. Storms may strike it, winds may beat against it, and clouds may cover it, but its foundations remain secure. This is the kind of strength that the Christian life seeks to develop in us. When difficulties arrive, the temptation is often to allow them to invade our entire interior world. Our thoughts become agitated, our emotions become confused, our imagination anticipates the worst, and our peace disappears. Sometimes the external difficulty is relatively limited, but our inner agitation makes it seem much greater than it really is. We must therefore learn to distinguish the difficulty itself from the turmoil that it can provoke within us.
This does not mean that we should never feel afraid, anxious or distressed. Even Christ experienced sorrow and anguish in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37–39). Nor does fear diminish our dignity as persons created in the image and likeness of God. That dignity is never lost because of emotional suffering. Rather, the invitation is to refuse to allow fear to become our ultimate guide. We can experience distress while still turning towards God. We can tremble and nevertheless remain faithful. We can feel weak and still receive His strength. This is precisely where spiritual maturity becomes visible: not necessarily in the absence of suffering, but in the growing capacity to remain united to God in the midst of it.
The enemy of our spiritual life seeks to exploit our fears, our discouragement and our loss of confidence. But when we learn to stand firmly in the Lord, these temptations lose much of their power. Our strength, however, does not come from pretending to be invulnerable. It comes from recognising that we belong to God, that we are sustained by His grace, and that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35–39).
This is the foundation of true Christian courage.
Conclusion: A Spacious Heart Resting in God
The great lesson is simple: do not allow distress to make your heart narrow. Let your heart expand through faith, hope and trust in God. There will always be problems to face, difficulties to overcome, uncertainties to endure and moments when the future appears obscure. But the presence of these trials does not mean the absence of God. God remains present in every circumstance. His grace accompanies us. His providence continues to act. His love is capable of transforming what we suffer into an occasion of growth, purification and deeper union with Him. The more we learn to trust Him, the less we become prisoners of our difficulties. We begin to acquire an interior freedom that no external circumstance can easily destroy. This is not indifference, resignation or the suppression of our emotions. It is the fruit of faith becoming increasingly rooted in the heart.
Let difficulties come. Let hardships arise. Let circumstances become uncertain. Whatever happens, we can continue to turn towards the Lord, confident that He is greater than anything we may encounter.
When a problem appears, remember that God is present. When distress arises, remember that His grace is available. When the future seems closed, remember that He can open a way. When suffering appears meaningless, remember that His love can bring forth unexpected fruit. Above all, do not allow the trial to become greater in your eyes than God Himself. Let your heart expand, for God is greater than your heart (1 John 3:20). And whatever happens, continue to say: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).