WHAT THE BIBLE & OUR FAITH DOCTRINE SAY ABOUT

 

TESTS, TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS

 

During His three year earthly Ministry, Jesus often spoke about the certainty of trials and tribulations by which we would assuredly be tested. He spoke more clearly about how we are to respond to the hardships when they come. As with everything else our Savior has taught us, His perfect counsel is "upside down" in comparison to that of the world. How we handle difficult issues is no different. We're not to walk around moping or lamenting while undergoing hardships, but to count them pure joy. We're told many times throughout the Good News to "be not afraid" or "do not fear," but instead to be steadfast in our faith and to shine our light to those around us.

 

We're supposed to different and how we endure hardships is a sure fire manner in which to attract non-believers around us to Christ. They will hunger for the peace we exhibit during trials. However, the opposite is just as predictable. For example, German philosopher and cultural critic Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was quoted as saying, "I might believe in the Redeemer if His followers looked more redeemed." We have a Savior who has paid a ransom for our souls. Let us rejoice and be glad by placing our unfailingly trust in our Redeemer- not just during the good times, but always.

 

Listed below in Canonical order are dozens of Holy Scriptures relating to tests, trials, tribulations and hardships. Clicking any Scripture link takes you directly to that link in the New American Bible. Listed after the Scripture links are Faith Doctrine resources.

 

For a printer friendly version of this page, please click on the PDF document offered in the lower sidebar.

Exodus 14:13-14 But Moses answered the people, “Do not fear! Stand your ground and see the victory the LORD will win for you today. For these Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”

 

Joshua 1:9 I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go.

 

Job 1:6-12 One day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, the satan also came among them. The LORD said to the satan, “Where have you been?” Then the satan answered the LORD and said, “Roaming the earth and patrolling it.” The LORD said to the satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job?" (continue reading)…

 

Job 5:19 Out of six troubles he will deliver you, and at the seventh no evil shall touch you.

 

Job 14:1-2 Man born of woman is short-lived and full of trouble, like a flower that springs up and fades, swift as a shadow that does not abide.

 

Psalms 23:4-5 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

 

Psalms 34:17-19 The LORD’s face is against evildoers to wipe out their memory from the earth. The righteous cry out, the LORD hears and he rescues them from all their afflictions. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.

 

Psalms 57:2 Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me. In you I seek refuge. In the shadow of your wings* I seek refuge till harm pass by.

 

Psalms 68:2-3 May God arise; may his enemies be scattered; may those who hate him flee before him. As the smoke is dispersed, disperse them; as wax is melted by fire, so may the wicked perish before God

 

Psalms 91:7-10 Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, near you it shall not come. You need simply watch; the punishment of the wicked you will see. Because you have the LORD for your refuge and have made the Most High your stronghold, no evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your tent.

 

Psalms 110:1-2 A psalm of David. The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand, while I make your enemies your footstool.” The scepter of your might: the LORD extends your strong scepter from Zion. Have dominion over your enemies!

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.

 

Proverbs 10:22 Do not say, “I will repay evil!” Wait for the LORD, who will help you.

 

Isaiah 8:12-13 Do not call conspiracy what this people calls conspiracy, nor fear what they fear, nor feel dread. But conspire with the LORD of hosts; he shall be your fear, he shall be your dread.

 

Isaiah 41:10-13  Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yes, all shall be put to shame and disgrace who vent their anger against you; Those shall be as nothing and perish who offer resistance. You shall seek but not find those who strive against you; They shall be as nothing at all who do battle with you. For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who say to you, Do not fear, I will help you.

 

Isaiah 43:1-3 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, Jacob, and formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine. When you pass through waters, I will be with you; through rivers, you shall not be swept away. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, nor will flames consume you. For I, the LORD, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior. I give Egypt as ransom for you, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.

 

Isaiah 54:17 (The Weapon Verse) Every weapon fashioned against you shall fail; every tongue that brings you to trial you shall prove false. This is the lot of the servants of the LORD, their vindication from me—oracle of the LORD.

 

Joel 3:5 Then everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will escape harm. For on Mount Zion there will be a remnant, as the LORD has said, and in Jerusalem survivors whom the LORD will summon.

Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

Matthew 5:38-42 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

 

Matthew 10:16-23 “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes…"

 

Matthew 10:26-33 (Courage under Persecution) “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

 

Matthew 24:9-14 Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

 

Matthew 24:15-28 (The Great Tribulation) “When you see the desolating abomination spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house, a person in the field must not return to get his cloak. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the Sabbath, for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened. If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told it to you beforehand. So if they say to you, ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go out there; if they say, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

 

Mark 13:9-13 “Watch out for yourselves. They will hand you over to the courts. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will be arraigned before governors and kings because of me, as a witness before them. But the gospel must first be preached to all nations. When they lead you away and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say. But say whatever will be given to you at that hour. For it will not be you who are speaking but the holy Spirit. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

 

Luke 9:5 "And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”

 

Luke 10:10-12 Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.

 

Luke 21:12-19 “Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.

 

John 14:16-18 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

 

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

 

John 16:1-4 “I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.

 

John 16:33 "I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

 

Acts 13:50-52 The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the holy Spirit.

 

Acts 14:22 They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

 

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access [by faith] to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.

 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Romans 8:18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.

 

Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.

 

Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all.

 

Romans 15:1-6 We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves; let each of us please our neighbor for the good, for building up. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you fall upon me.” For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 3:12-13 If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire [itself] will test the quality of each one’s work.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Philippians 4:6-7 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Philippians 4:13 I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.

 

Philippians 4:19 My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

 

Colossians 4:2 Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

 

1 Thessalonians 3:1-8 That is why, when we could bear it no longer, we decided to remain alone in Athens and sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one be disturbed in these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For even when we were among you, we used to warn you in advance that we would undergo affliction, just as has happened, as you know. For this reason, when I too could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had put you to the test and our toil might come to nothing.

But just now Timothy has returned to us from you, bringing us the good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us and long to see us as we long to see you. Because of this, we have been reassured about you, brothers, in our every distress and affliction, through your faith. For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good [both] for each other and for all.

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

 

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.

 

Hebrews 11:17-18 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”

 

Hebrews 12:7-8 Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards.

 

James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.

 

James 4:7 So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

1 Peter 3:10-12 For: “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit, must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and follow after it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”

 

1 Peter 3:13-17 Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

 

1 Peter 4:12-19 Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name. For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end for those who fail to obey the gospel of God? “And if the righteous one is barely saved, where will the godless and the sinner appear?” As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good.

 

1 Peter 5:8-10 Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ [Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.

 

2 Peter 1:19 Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

 

Revelation 12:14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

REFERENCES
 

 

 

Test(s)

 

the Church perfected by great trials, 769

the Church's ultimate trial, 675-77

discernment between trials and temptation, 2847

faith put to, 164, 272

fortitude in facing difficulties, 1808

hope as a source of joy in tribulation, 1820

Jesus tested by Satan, 538, 2119

patiently bearing trials, 901, 1508

 

Tribulation(s)

 

Beatitudes sustain hope in the midst of, 1717

and filial trust, 2734

and fortitude, 1808

and hope, 1820

necessary for entering the Kingdom of God, 556