In a powerful message, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn delivers a timely reminder that life’s challenges are not random or meaningless. For believers, every hardship is part of God’s divine curriculum—a test with purpose, a refining fire that leads to transformation and victory.
Using a personal story about his son, who diligently prepared for a Bible competition only to fall sick and miss the final test, Cahn makes a profound comparison: “It’s better to be prepared and not face a test than to face a test and not be prepared.” He uses this scenario to launch into a broader truth: as disciples of Christ, we are all students in God’s school, and life is full of tests designed to strengthen, purify and elevate us.
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Cahn explains that trials, temptations, dry seasons, rejection and suffering are all forms of testing. “If you’re a disciple,” he says, “then you’re in God’s school, and there will be tests. There’s no school without tests.” But unlike the world, which faces problems without redemptive purpose, the believer’s trials come with the assurance that “God works all things together for good.”
Cahn teaches that in the heat of a crisis, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the immediacy of the moment—to forget the bigger picture. “Now is not all there is,” he stresses. “Though now, for a little while, you may have to suffer trials—this too shall pass. And you will pass the test.”
The trials we face are temporary, but the fruit they produce can be eternal. “These things have come,” he says, “so that your faith may be proved genuine—more valuable than gold.” In other words, adversity isn’t pointless; it’s purposeful. Even when the enemy means something for evil, God can use it for good. “You’re not just going through a problem,” Cahn explains. “You’re going through a test. And that changes everything. If it’s a test, then there’s a way to pass it.”
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Key to passing these tests, according to Cahn, is remembering God’s faithfulness. He urges believers to speak to their souls like David did—reminding themselves of past victories, answered prayers and the unchanging character of God. “Don’t panic,” he says. “This is temporary. God is eternal.”
Sometimes, it’s the very trials we despise that bring about the deepest growth. “Most people come to salvation because of hardship,” Cahn notes. “It’s the hard moments—the ones we hate—that often produce the most lasting change.”
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In every trial, believers are given an opportunity to grow, to trust, and to prove the strength of their faith. When we shift our focus from the temporary to the eternal, we begin to see God’s hand in every difficulty. The key is to endure with perspective, prepare with faith and walk through each test knowing that God is shaping us for something greater.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
