What a Courtroom Trial Can Teach You About Your Personal Trials

Years ago I sat in a courtroom to support and pray for a friend who was fighting some legal battles. I had spent very little time in such a setting, thankfully, so I found the entire affair very fascinating. Before my friend's case came up I sat as spectator to one poor soul in particular who decided he was going to show up in court that day and defend himself, without legal counsel. The judge seemed assured of how this would go. The next 15 minutes were excruciating to watch as the defendant failed to reach the end of one full sentence without being interrupted and reprimanded for not using proper, judicial procedure. I guess there's a reason law school takes so long to complete. Needless to say, he gave up and accepted that he would either have to hire legal counsel or pay his fine. No one should stand before the judge without an advocate.

THE WORD

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." -1 John 2:1

The greek word for advocate is paraklétos and it carries a wealth of meaning. This word describes not only a helper, but at times, even a pleader; someone who advises, gives counsel, and provides evidence. In other words, Jesus is our lawyer. He stands before the Judge and pleads our case while the prosecutor (and persecutor for that matter) heaps accusations at us (Revelation 12:10).

If you didn't realize it before, perhaps now you're beginning to see just how much courtroom language and imagery is in the Bible. You might be surprised to know that our judicial system derived much of its procedures, practices, and morals from the Bible. So, when we find ourselves going through a trial in life, perhaps it would benefit us to look at what happens in court to better understand our situation.

SUFFER VS. PROSPER

I preached on trials and suffering this past Sunday. Sounds like a good time, I know, but you can't read much more than a chapter of the New Testament without seeing a reference to struggle. It was engrained in the culture of the early Church to embrace the suffering that comes along with following Jesus.

Even still, the prosperity gospel has flourished. The Bible certainly has a lot to say about both the prospering and the suffering of the saints. How can both be a reality? Simple: we prosper in the Kingdom of Heaven, not in the kingdoms of this world. That doesn't mean we won't have monetary, social, or career success, we certainly may, but ultimately our success is defined in the eyes of God and not the eyes of man.

The prosperity of the Church is so extravagant that we even prosper while we suffer! That's why James tells us we can "consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of all kinds." Because we know our suffering is neither isolated nor wasted. Just to clarify, James says to take joy in your trial, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will enjoy your trial. Seldom will we enjoy life's difficulties, but we are called to find joy in them. How? By finding God in them.

TRIAL VS. SENTENCE

A major factor in enduring difficult seasons is our misperception of the season's purpose. Many people endure a trial convinced that it's their sentence. Allow me to explain: A trial is the process of determining whether someone is guilty or innocent. A sentence is what a person is given if they are found guilty.

If you go through the trial and are found guilty, let's say you stole a snickers bar, then you are sentenced to: pay the fine, do jail time, receive forty lashes, or whatever the punishment may be. We often mistake life's trials for God's punishments. We think it must be God punishing us for our bad choices and our sinful behavior.

It’s true that there are times where God may send righteous judgement. And it’s also true that most sin just punishes itself. Your body and your soul and your spirit naturally reject sin. When you get drunk on a Friday night, God isn’t up in heaven divvying out hangovers and migraines on Saturday mornings. He’s not making you feel that way, your bad choices are what make you feel that way!

Most of the time sin punishes itself, and certainly, there are times when God intervenes with justice (and we want Him to). But not everything bad in your life is God’s judgment against you. If you live your life with a lens that only sees God as angry and judgmental, you’ll be convinced that every trial is a sentence. And let's be honest, if that’s how you see God, you won’t know Him as God the Father, you’ll know Him as the Godfather!

GUILTY VS. INNOCENT

Someone needs to read this today: God is not out to get you. Does He hate sin? YES. Does He punish sin? He will. Does He love you? ABSOLUTELY.

The reason that you and I can rejoice in our trials is because we've already been found guilty. God doesn't need a bring us through a trial to determine that, we've been convicted! But He came down from the judgement seat and wrapped Himself in flesh to pay our sentence.

If Jesus is your advocate, this will not end in your demise. This won't end with you in captivity serving out a sentence. You have been set free by the truth. This trial is not your sentence, and that's something you can take joy in.

This revelation may not make the suffering easier but it can certainly make the joy in the midst of it greater. Take joy in your trial today. God is on the judgement seat and you've got the best lawyer!