We saw in Part One that God reveals His character by what He teaches us. Proverbs 3:27-28 shows that God will not withhold good from us even for a day. James 4:17 tells us why: "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." Constantly doing good is a central part of God's sinlessness. In the last part of Psalm 84:11, He reinforces that "no good thing will He withhold." No, not even one.

If God says He does not withhold good even for a day, it is only human nature to wonder why He lets a sore trial continue for weeks, months, or indefinitely. John Ritenbaugh gives a detailed answer to this concern in his July 1982 Bible Study, "Matthew (Part Twenty-Seven)." The following is the crux of his insight:

If it is good for us to go through something, God will make us go through it. If we need the experience, education, or character that can be gained through doing it, He will not remove us from it or it from us. He will make us experience it.

He also notes, "So, because He is love, He cannot answer most of our requests for deliverance since to do so would be detrimental to our developing character." God sees the good the experience will produce for us:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:6-7)

Trials are part of the life to which God has called us (Acts 14:22). They are necessary if we will become holy as He is holy (I Peter 1:16). But trials take on various forms. They differ in duration, from brief to lifelong. For some, life is one trial after another, each varying in difficulty. Others may experience a trial so severe most wilt at the thought of facing it firsthand. Some challenges are physical, and others are mental and emotional.

For a perspective on such hardships, notice someone who experienced a life of many harsh trials to gain insights from his experience. In II Corinthians 12:7, Paul relates a lifelong trial centering on what he calls "a thorn in the flesh." He considers it a good thing because it was necessary to keep him humble. He saw its existence as a mark of God's love for him, the same love He bestows on us. Paul's trial is an example that reveals that God customizes our trials to us, each tailor-made to meet what we need to "go on to perfection" (Hebrews 6:1).

Additionally, Paul asserts in I Corinthians 15:10, "I labored more abundantly than they all." In II Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul gives examples that back up his statement:

Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

While all the apostles but John suffered martyrdom, none have a list of suffered dangers approaching the apostle Paul's. Why did God require him to go through so many trials (Acts 9:16)? Some might suppose it was because he persecuted the church (I Corinthians 15:9), but like his countrymen, he did so from zeal without knowledge (Romans 10:2). Then again, Peter and the other disciples knew Jesus was the Son of God (John 6:69), yet they deserted Him in His darkest hour. That seems worse.

Did Paul have more to overcome than the other apostles? Scripture shows the opposite: The thorn in his flesh was to keep him humble because he had so much going for him. Along with his unmatched zeal and dedication, he had an excellent education (Acts 22:3) and talents (I Corinthians 14:18). He needed a daily, perhaps hourly, reminder of where his real strength should derive (John 15:5).

Consider another reason that could account for his many sore trials. Jesus tells His apostles in Matthew 19:28: "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

If each apostle's future is to rule an Israelite tribe, it is reasonable to expect the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) will similarly judge the Gentiles in God's Kingdom. Consider the magnitude of that responsibility just using today's population for comparison. The populations of all the nations of modern Israel add up to less than a billion people. Over eight billion people live on the planet, leaving seven billion-plus for Paul to govern—over seven times the number that the twelve original apostles together would rule.

Not only would the number of people make it an enormous job, but the diversity of the Gentile population would make the responsibility exponentially more complex. The peoples of the West, the general location of the modern twelve tribes, have a similar core because, as Jacob's children, they have some connection to God in their past. In contrast, Gentiles have many distinct cultures, from Australia's Aborigines to Africa's Zulus and all those in between, most with little or no knowledge of God. What a monumental task Paul would have to meld the many divergent populations and cultures into oneness with God!

The more complex and challenging the job, the more intense and demanding the preparation. In today's military, a buck private receives nowhere near the training of a special forces soldier. The path for a corporate receptionist differs from that of a CEO in time, intensity, and difficulty. If this speculation about Paul's reward is correct, the reason for his intense training becomes apparent.

God has also called each of His elect to fill a position in the Millennium (John 14:2). Just as Christ promises thrones to the apostles, He promises us the same (Revelation 3:21). God has called us to be rulers, not buck privates. We are slated to fill big jobs that call for rigorous training. As with Paul, the intensity of our training and trials could very well indicate the level of responsibility God has in mind for each of us (Luke 19:15-19). As Jesus told His disciples, only God decides who will fill each role and the preparation needed for it (Matthew 20:23).

God has guaranteed He will not put us through any training, no matter how tough, beyond our ability to handle (I Corinthians 10:13). He assures us He oversees every moment of our training and development (Job 7:18). Do we believe Him? Do we have faith in His love for us, that His objective is our greatest good (Jeremiah 29:11)?

We need not worry that the task is too big for us. We can successfully meet our challenges because of God's love for us and His help, as promised in Isaiah 41:10:

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.