SCRIPTURE: Psalm 66
“For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. (Psalm 66:10-12)
My primary concept of God is as Father, whose love and perfection exceeds that of the best human parent (Psalm 103:13-14, Matthew 7:11)
If God our Father loves us, how can He test us like this – prison and burdens, fire and water, heads ridden over?
Three hopeful words from this Psalm are ‘tested’, ‘refined’ and ‘abundance’.
I do not know the full context of this Psalm, nor what exactly happened, but the sense of it is that God somehow used (test) this hardship to strengthen and improve (refine) His people, so that they could enter into a better life (abundance).
It sounds like parental discipline or training:

“My son, think of the Lord’s training as important. Do not lose hope when he corrects you. The Lord trains those he loves. He punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Put up with hard times. God uses them to train you. He is treating you as children. What children are not trained by their parents? God trains all of his children. But what if he doesn’t train you? Then you are like (illegitimate children). (Then you would not be ) truly God’s children. Besides, we have all had human parents who trained us. We respected them for it. How much more should we be trained by the Father of our spirits and live! Our parents trained us for a little while. They did what they thought was best. But God trains us for our good. He wants us to share in his holiness. No training seems pleasant at the time. In fact, it seems painful. But later on it produces a harvest of godliness and peace. It does that for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5-11, quoting Proverbs 3:11-12)

God does not cause or send evil, but He does allow use to experience the evil we have unleashed in His world.
Like a parent who reluctantly allows an obstinate child to learn from their mistakes, God allows us to learn…
Like the father in Luke 15, who allows his son to choose folly, in order that in time he may learn wisdom.
God’s heart is that we become all that He created us to be, and He rejoices when we move in that direction.
I don’t know what your hardship or struggle is, and I don’t blame God for putting you into it.
But I do believe that God is allowing it, and using it, to bring You closer to Him, and to the joy (abundance) He created you for.

“You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble. Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. It is worth more than gold. Gold can pass away even though fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. That will happen when Jesus Christ returns.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” (Psalm 66:20)
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
God, You love me enough to test, to train, to improve me. Loving Father, give me the strength to persevere through these trials, and the wisdom to choose well through them, that I may praise You through them!