God gives us all kinds of experiences to enjoy. And sometimes, He gives us experiences that we do not enjoy. We don’t necessarily get to choose what our circumstances are, but we get to choose how we respond. The choices we make in reaction to our circumstances demonstrate the motivations of our heart. It is not only our action, but also our heart which God will judge (compare Jeremiah 11:20). This is why we get to have such a wide array of experiences. God tests us, expecting that we will navigate through our experiences, good and bad, without forsaking Him.

There are many stories in the Bible that review the range of experiences of being human. I am particularly fond of the story of Hannah. It gives us an example showing the unwavering trust in God through the good and the bad circumstances she experienced. She was barren for years, and at the brink of desperation, desiring a child. She pleaded before God to allow her to have a little boy of her own. Then she conceived and became tremendously thankful. To honor God’s generosity and mercy, she gave custody of her boy Samuel to the priest, placing him into the service of God. She proved her faith in the most trying times and then glorified God when He blessed her with the child she pleaded for (compare 1 Samuel 1:1-28).

We can learn much from Hannah’s attitude. In her song recorded in the Bible, we read about her wise perspective regarding God’s involvement in people’s lives: “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, And He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail” (1 Samuel 2:6-9).

From her words we understand how she acknowledges the power of God to expose us to experiences that run the gamut, from desperation to delight. However, she is wise enough to recognize that what really matters is that He is totally involved in the lives of His people, whether times are good or bad. Her response in both the good times and the tough times demonstrated consistent trust in Him, giving Him glory through it all. The range of circumstances that God allows or even prepares for us are there for us to learn from and use for our growth. The best part about His involvement is the overarching intent He has for us. He will protect and ultimately glorify those saints who are faithful to Him.

Sometimes, we might feel that life is not fair. But we must remember, God knows what He is doing and that He cares for us. Whatever it is that we experience is what He knows about and sometimes even directly prepares for us, so that we can take it as an opportunity to do good works (compare Ephesians 2:10). He knows that we can endure through the hard times. He gives us experiences to learn from, and in that, we should see those difficult circumstances as being valuable. When we are able to acknowledge this fact, it is easier to respond in faith, trusting Him as in the example of Hannah.

God never promised that life would be easy for those who obey Him. But He does promise that those who endure to the end will be saved (compare Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13). We can trust in this, helping us to not get distracted by the challenges we face.

When Israel was in the desert following their escape from slavery in Egypt, their lives began to take a new course. God released them from bondage and set them free. He chose Israel as a special people, giving them the opportunity to learn about the laws of God and discover the blessings that come from obedience. God looked at the big picture in this monumental act, knowing that the release from physical slavery was necessary for Israel to begin their journey towards spiritual freedom and growth.

Even though the Israelites cried out to God, asking Him to release them from slavery, they still found reason to complain when He finally emancipated them. They experienced miracles on their left, right and all around them! God opened the Red Sea to lead them away from the danger of the Egyptian army. God provided them with manna from heaven to feed them when they were hungry. He gave them water to drink from a rock when they were thirsty. He led them on a path of safety through the wilderness by a pillar of fire and a cloud of smoke. It was so obvious and clear that God was in their lives, blessing them on their journey, but it was not enough for them.

The question to ask is, why? Why couldn’t Israel see the mighty hand of God in their lives? Why couldn’t they see the big picture of what God was doing for them? The answer is that they had hardened hearts, mired in the world, swept away with the deceptive pleasures it promulgates. The words of the Bible instruct us to note how wrong this way of thinking is and to be different. “‘Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, “They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.” So I swore in My wrath, “They shall not enter My rest.”’ Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:8-12).

Though Israel was free from bondage, drawn to God to follow Him, they were still stuck in the world. Their focus was not on God, but rather, on the physical comforts they craved. “But they sinned even more against Him By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness. And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy. Yes, they spoke against God: They said, ‘Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?’” (Psalm 78:17-19). They failed to appreciate what God was doing for them. Instead, all they could think about was their physical condition, and how they wanted more and more and more. But that which really mattered – their relationship with God – they completely neglected.

We have a lot that we can learn by considering the hard hearts of ancient Israel. It’s easy to judge their actions from the lens of hindsight, but we are not that much different. We have the same carnal nature as they did. However, we live in an age in which it is exponentially more difficult to keep our focus because we have so many more sensational distractions to entice our human desires!  If we are not vigilant, we may find ourselves following in the same hard-hearted pattern of living as ancient Israel.

Seeing this, it is prudent to turn our questioning inward. Do we see the mighty hand of God working in our lives? If there was a Scripture written about us, would it say the same kinds of things that the Bible says about ancient Israel? Would it say that we complained about not having our physical comforts given to us? Would it say that we failed to appreciate the spiritual gifts that God abundantly provides? I hope that what God sees in us is much better than that.

We have a tremendous opportunity to be saved from death that awaits us all, but we will only receive it if we overcome the world through Jesus Christ. That means that we must take stock of what matters in our lives and honestly evaluate whether we are investing ourselves virtuously. Do we care too much about what we can collect in this physical life? Do we let those things control our emotions and corrupt our values? I hope not, because we have something so much better to live for.

Just as God led Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, He leads us out of the slavery of sin. This fact is just as miraculous in our lives now as it was for Israel then. This is what should guide us and give us hope, because this is what matters.