Faith Works - In Trials

James 1:1-18 NIV 

[1] James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. [2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. [9] Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. [10] But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. [11] For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. [12] Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. [13] When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. [16] Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. [17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. [18] He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.1-18.NIV)

I am not a fan of the gym. 

If you could see me, you would know that I don’t have the build of a professional sportsman.

In fact, I’m closer to the build of a small tree, as every so often my wife comments that my girth has an extra ring added to it. 

So you can be absolutely one hundred percent assured that I would not apply for a job that required a fitness test. That would just be signing up for failure. 

However, there are those who happily sign up for the pain and humiliation of gyms and pay for the privilege of stretching their body as far as it can go.  

It’s just not for me. 

James wrote to a group of people, scattered across the globe by ruthless and heartless Roman and Jewish persecution, who were being stretched like a rubber band. As if often the case when we are in hardship, we wonder how much more of this we can take; how close we are to snapping. 

James’s words here are designed to help them. And he does it by seeking to change one thing about their trials. Just one thing.  

That one thing might surprise you. Whenever we hear of any believer undergoing any kind of trial, our first instinct is to pray for them to be taken out of it as soon as possible. We want it to end, and to end yesterday. Even more so if we are the ones being tried. 

But James doesn’t seek to change their situation. 

No, he seeks to change their perspective.  

I don’t know about you, but when I’m in the middle of a painful trial, perspective is not the first thing that comes to my mind. As we read these lines, though, we have to remember that James is not writing them from a position of safety. He is not like the sports fans we’re used to seeing, who lecture their team on what they should and should not do, despite never having played any sport professionally in their entire lives, all while munching on snack food and downing soft drinks. 

No, James is in those trials with them. He is experiencing the persecution with them. He too has experienced the pain of loss of a loved one. He too has experienced the inherent danger of being close to the helm of a despised institution. He knows precisely how it feels to be where they are because he is there with them. 

Which means the five elements of his perspective on trials are utterly invaluable. 

The first of these might seem strange, and perhaps incongruous. That is The Joy of Trials. 

The Joy of Suffering 

James 1:2-4 NIV 

[2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.2-4.NIV)

Now, we’re have to be brutally honest here: how many of us actually connected trials and joy? How many people do you know who have organised a party because they had been diagnosed with a deadly condition? Or went out to celebrate being bullied or persecuted? Or cheered the loss of a career? 

Let me tell you: no-one! 

I still have memories of the last Christmas night out I had at a company whose office was closing and everyone was being made redundant. Let me tell you: I have honestly been to a happier wake! 

The simple reality is that trials stress us out. They make us nervous. They rob us of our sleep. They make us feel exposed. They make us feel depressed and sad. 

Joy is the last thing on our minds. 

How much less ‘pure joy’, or as some translations say, ‘all joy’? 

How is this possible? 

Let me explain.  

James understands what is happening in trials much better than we do. Allow me to quote from his more learned contemporary, Paul: 

Romans 8:28 NIV 

[28] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.8.28.NIV)

‘In all things’ by its very nature includes suffering and temptations and trials. 

Paul isn’t done. 

Romans 5:3-5 NIV 

[3] Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; [4] perseverance, character; and character, hope. [5] And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.5.3-5.NIV)

And then there’s Peter: 

1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV 

[6] In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1pe.1.6-7.NIV)

Do you fully understand what these verses are saying? 

They are saying that those who oppose us and inflict these trials upon us are doing so with evil intentions. That much ought to be painfully clear. However, in the midst of our trials, while they are throwing everything they have at us, God uses every one of their attacks for our good. Every last one. 

How? 

By using them to build character, resilience and perseverance in us. By leading us away from despair and towards hope. By proving the genuineness of our faith. 

By using our trials to benefit us and bring us to maturity. 

Now, if you are in the darkest depths of a trial right now I know precisely how trite this might seem. I understand it. In 2000, when I was a missionary, I fell so ill that a doctor warned me that if I had waited another hour before seeking treatment, I could have died from septicaemia. I was medevac-ed home. I returned to Romania early the next year. I met my future wife in May of 2001 (which was, of course, a good thing). I witnessed the 9/11 attacks from a friend’s house in Romania. A matter of weeks later, I was in another flight home as my father was chronically ill. He passed away a few weeks later. 

Due to situations in Romania, I could not return. 

In the space of just a few months I had lost my father, my career, was about to gain a fiancée, but I was ill and with no prospects of finding work quickly - the work I needed to raise the funds to marry my fiancée. I was damaged goods. Then, as if to add insult to injury. I caught shingles. 

I remember sitting on my couch at home, changing the dressing on my shingles scar and praying, ‘Lord, I know You promised to work all things for my good, but right now, I don’t see it.’ 

And that’s just it. Often, when we are in the middle of painful trials, we don’t. 

But it doesn’t stop it being true. 

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV 

[8] “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. [9] “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.55.8-9.NIV) 

There are just things in life that we can’t understand, and that’s okay. If we could figure out what God is doing all the time then He wouldn’t be God. He would be just ‘one of us... just a stranger on a bus trying to make his way home’ as the songwriter Joan Osborne famously wrote.  

So yes, it might be painful. Yes, it will hurt. But in the middle of our trials we need to find some kind of joy to make it bearable. Some try drugs or alcohol or sex or binge-watching TV, but none of it works. They all leave us feeling much worse. 

Instead, how about we lift our eyes to the heavens? How about we realise that our trials are bad, but God is good, and He has a purpose in all this, even if right now we can’t see what it is? 

That can be our source of joy. 

James moves on from something we perhaps didn’t understand about trials – finding joy on the midst of pain – to something we can understand and badly need: wisdom. 

The Wisdom in Trials 

James 1:5-8 NIV 

[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.5-8.NIV)

My wife recently lost her father. We had a series of big, but potentially expensive, decisions to make over a remarkably short space of time. We had to get our family to the Philippines from Scotland on the most reasonable flight possible (given the circumstances) in the shortest time possible. 

Try it. It’s not easy. 

We are so grateful to God that we found something. But to find it needed a lot of wisdom that comes from experience: we had to know where to look and what to do to make our journey as smooth as possible. And it worked. It worked really well. 

When we face trials, often we face snap decisions with massive implications and no time to weigh up the pros and cons. We often have to take decisions that lie well outside our areas of expertise. That is when we need wisdom – and lots of it. 

James provides us with a very neat two-step process to get precisely what we need: 

1. Ask for it. This seems so obvious, but often flailing around in panic does not produce the outcome we need. We expend a whole lot of energy, but are only likely to move backwards, not at all forwards. Instead, James told us to pray. As God told the prophet Jeremiah while he was in a very difficult situation: 

Jeremiah 33:3 NIV 

[3] ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jer.33.3.NIV)

Now, while I am a firm believer that our pursuit of the wisdom we need should begin with God, we need to know that it might not end there. God may well give us the wisdom we need to deal with advisors, guides, doctors, government officials and many others whose assistance we need in our situation. It must start with God. It must start in prayer to Him about all that we have on our heart. 

2. Trust for it. James has some pretty hard words here for those who approach God for wisdom but don’t believe they will get it. He called them ‘double-minded’ and ‘unstable’. He said they would not receive the wisdom they need. That might seem unduly harsh, until you read these famous verses: 

Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV 

[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. [8] This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.3.5-8.NIV)

Do you understand what this is saying?

Solomon said that the wisest thing we can do is trust in the Lord and not depend on ourselves. It is actually the wisdom of trusting in God and depending on Him that straightens our path. So if we come to God in prayer for wisdom and doubt a) that He will give us it and b) that it will be of any use to us, then why would God share it with us at all? 

There is a pattern I have noticed. If I become anxious, I solve nothing. This might be why there are plenty of commands in the Bible to not be anxious or worry. There are these specific, and often quoted, verses that explain why and what to do instead: 

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV 

[6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.4.6-7.NIV)

1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV 

[6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. [7] Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1pe.5.6-7.NIV)

James is telling us to do precisely this, and when we do so, to ask in particular for the wisdom we need to navigate our trials successfully.

Do you know what happens then? When we unburden ourselves before the Lord, we receive His peace. We realise He has it under control. We rest in His care and His goodness. 

Then, often, in our quietened state, inspiration comes, and we find our way forward. 

When we need wisdom, the wisest thing we can do is pray, and believe that God will answer. 

So we’ve seen the joy and the wisdom in trials. We now move on to something thoroughly unusual: The Pride in Trials. 

The Pride in Trials 

James 1:9-11 NIV 

[9] Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. [10] But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. [11] For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.9-11.NIV)

I grew up in a neighbourhood with a bad reputation, in a family that did not have a lot of money. When people in my school found out where I was from, they looked down on me. They treated me as if I was dirty, smelly and untrustworthy, as if I was some form of hooligan.  

I was none of these. 

But I can say for certain that I did not take pride in my position. 

God has blessed us to the point where we have been to some of the places where the rich and (in)famous hang out and waste their time: Monaco, Singapore, Capri, Milan, Paris, London, Miami Beach. Let me tell you, when I saw people riding their Humvees to the beach or flaunting their wealth in majestic yachts or flashing their seemingly limitless credit cards on the most obscenely ugly high fashion accessories, I saw no humility.  

So what on earth is James talking about here? 

I believe that one particular, and very famous, parable will tell us: 

Matthew 7:24-27 NIV 

[24]  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. [26] But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. [27] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.7.24-27.NIV)

Jesus was not anti-rich. Neither, I believe, was James (although he has some incredibly sharp teaching for those who are well off). What they are both against is those who have faith in their riches and not in God. 

The Parable of the Rich fool certainly teaches that (Luke 12:16-31). 

What we see here is a contrast. We see a humble man. He is a man locked in the daily struggle to survive. James saw him as being in a high position. 

Why? Because he had the privilege of needing to rely on God.  

As David said: 

Psalms 37:25-26 NIV 

[25] I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. [26] They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.37.25-26.NIV)

This man experiences this beautiful provision every day. He experiences God providing for one day at a time, like manna in the desert (Exodus 16). He experiences God’s compassion that is new every morning (Lamentations 3:21-24) like fresh bread in a neighbourhood bakery. He experiences God taking care of every one of his needs every day (Matthew 6:25-34). Let me tell you, I have been in this position. It truly is special. You experience miracles pretty much every time you need them. There are few places in this life that are more awesome. 

But when you are rich and your life is comfortable and stable, when there is nothing wrong in your life, when everything is on an even keel and you have no troubles, then you don’t see many miracles. You don’t see them because you don’t need them. That’s the truth. Life just motors from one day to the next. You quickly become arrogant. You believe that you are the master of your own destiny. That you are invincible. That life owes you a favour. 

But your life is not built on rock. It is built on the shallowest of foundations. It is built on sand. 

Consider for a moment how fragile things were just a few years ago, when a global pandemic ripped our pride and our ambition from under our feet. When the insecurities of our lives were all too plain. Even the rich in all their finery were queueing up for food aid, because their empires, as they so often are, we’re built on debt they could no longer repay to fund a lifestyle they could no longer maintain. 

Think about stock market fluctuations and property crashes and financial criminality. How many people who seemed to be unsinkable have found themselves below the water line down to nothing more than pure arrogance? 

That is what James is talking about, and what Asaph talked about in the famous Psalm 73. It’s even what Jesus talked about in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). It is a basic principle in the Bible that life on earth is astonishingly short and life in eternity is incredibly long. Wealth in this short life does not equate to wealth in the long life of eternity. In fact, if we trust in our wealth instead of in God, it absolutely does not. 

That is why James sees a poor person as occupying a high position and a rich person a low position. 

This is not just a theological argument. It has huge implications for how we see ourselves and how we see other people. Jesus ended the Parable of the Rich Fool with these words: 

Luke 12:21 NIV 

[21]  “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.12.21.NIV)

Our culture does not see things this way. It idolises and venerates the wealthy, even if they are often far from saints. It elevates them from their fragile human state into something approaching gods. 

James punctures that precisely. The question is: do we see it? Are we seeking to build our lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ that will last for all eternity, or are we still trying to build our lives on the shifting sands of wealth? 

That is something only we can answer. 

We have seen, then, the joy, wisdom and pride in trials. We move on now to see The End of Trials. 

The End of Trials 

James 1:12 NIV 

[12] Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.12.NIV)

Have you ever been on a really long, uncomfortable journey? We once flew with an airline that promised really cheap fares to Hong Kong. So naturally we decided to go. Their plane was old. Nothing seemed to work well, including the entertainment system. Their food wasn’t great. The service was quite poor. We were there for twelve hours. 

Not long after we arrived back home, they went bankrupt. 

That journey, though, is nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to suffering difficulties with health or with jobs or with finances or with a loved one. Those sufferings are enormous. Those trials are intimidating and can be devastating. 

But that bad journey and those sufferings and trials both have one amazing thing in common: 

They have an end. 

This is a truth that sets Christianity apart from every other religion or philosophy on the planet. Our suffering has an end. It is finite. It is not forever. We know that for sure. 

Why? 

Because Jesus told us: 

John 14:1-3 NIV 

[1]  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God ; believe also in me. [2] My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.14.1-3.NIV)

Because the Holy Spirit assures us: 

Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV 

[13] And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.1.13-14.NIV)

Because Jesus’ followers have seen it: 

Revelation 21:3-5 NIV 

[3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. [4] ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” [5] He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rev.21.3-5.NIV)

Our suffering is short. Our eternity is long. Because of this, we endure it: 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV 

[16] Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. [18] So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/2co.4.16-18.NIV)

There is a long tunnel between England and France. It passes underneath the English Channel. It takes thirty-five minutes for a high speed train to traverse this tunnel. During that time, there is no natural light outside the train: only darkness. There is no view: only the earth. That’s all. 

For thirty-five minutes. 

But some people’s darkness never ends. 

That’s why we see frightening statistics which tell us that the biggest causes of death for Scottish men under thirty-five years of age are suicide and drug abuse. That’s why our young people are navigating a mental health catastrophe. That’s why we hear constant chatter about euthanasia. The painful reality is that many without Christ enter a depressive cycle from which they never escape and the only solution they can see is to take their own life. 

That is nothing less than tragic. 

For Christians it doesn’t ever need to be that way. Not even close. Because we know, we can absolutely be assured, that whatever our suffering is, however deep and unrelenting it seems to be, it will end. Do you hear me? It will end! 

Our biggest problem is when scoundrels preach that every Christian should be happy just so we don’t rain on their parade. That is utter nonsense. Jesus Himself said this: 

John 16:33 NIV 

[33]  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.16.33.NIV)

Jesus tells us that we will have trouble. That is a fact. But right now, if you are experiencing trouble and trials and suffering, no matter what they are, I want you to know the secret that will help you endure them more than anything else: they are not forever – they will end. 

That is a rock solid foundation on which to take our stand. 

Having seen the joy, wisdom, pride and end of our trials, we now reach something equally as precious: Perseverance Through Trials. 

Perseverance Through Trials 

James 1:13-18 NIV 

[13] When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. [16] Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. [17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. [18] He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.13-18.NIV)

Often our endurance of trials is improved by our understanding of them. It’s as if knowing and comprehending what’s happening makes them smaller and easier to understand. When my father-in-law was ill, the doctors who were treating him offered no explanations of what was happening – they just requested more and more expenses. However, we have friends who were doctors who were able to explain what they thought was happening. That was a tremendous help and encouragement to us. 

James here explains how not to endure, and how to endure, and why. 

These verses might seem complex, but actually they are not. They present to us one scenario. 

That scenario is quite simple: we are facing a trial of some sort. It could be persecution. It could be a health issue. It could be a moral issue. It could be all of the above. The scenario is that we are being tried and tested. 

They also present to us two choices. Again, these might seem to be complex, but are actually very straightforward. The choices are between believing that God is good and not believing that God is good. 

Allow me to explain. 

There are three forces in the Bible that seek our destruction: the world (John 15:18-19), the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21) and the devil (1 John 3:8). The way temptation works – regardless whether it's to do something morally wrong or simply to abandon Jesus – is that the devil and the world set out to trap us with the lure, and our flesh (our human desires) is tempted by the lure. 

That is where the two choices come in: to believe that God is good and reject the temptation, or to believe that He is not good and accept it. 

That is why we see verses 16 to 18. What James is saying is that belief in the goodness of God is key. If we believe that God is good, then His Word is good. If we believe that His Word is good, then we will reject the temptation. 

However, if we believe that God is not good, and for some unknown reason He is depriving of something that looks good, then we will succumb to temptation. 

We also see two ends.  

Now, the world and the devil would rather we didn’t see this. They would rather the consequences of our potential decision to be entrapped by them are buried in the small print where we can’t see them. But James – and indeed the whole Bible – is wonderfully clear. 

The end result of succumbing to sin is death. That is what James tells us in James 1:15. The aim of the world and the devil is not for us to live in the lap of an instantly gratified luxury, but to be exploited and then disposed of. We are not even a number to them. If we were, it would endow us with too much dignity. We are nothing but a means to an end. And when that end is reached, we will be discarded like trash. 

If only our young people chasing dreams of riches on social media or on pornographic websites would understand this. 

But God’s aim for us is so very different. Instead of being nothing but a means to an end, His plan is for us to be His ‘firstfruits’. Do you know what they were? The very best quality fruit in the harvest.  

There is dignity there. There is self-respect there. There is value there. Everything that this world and the devil seeks to deprive you of. And do you know why? 

John 10:10 NIV 

[10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.10.10.NIV)

Fundamentally, our resilience and perseverance depend on whether or not we believe that God is good. If we believe it, we will persevere; if not, we will not persevere. 

That might sound a little simplistic. We will all at some point in time face situations that are not good. But James said this: 

James 1:17 NIV 

[17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.17.NIV)

So how can God be good, yet our situation is bad? 

The question depends, again, on our perspective. 

Allow me to explain.  

My wife is currently waiting on an operation. In what other situation could we imagine allowing someone we barely know to drug us and cut us with a sharp knife? Of course we wouldn’t! The very idea is absurd! But we allow a surgeon to do it because we are convinced that He is doing it for our good. Even if after the operation we will be in pain for a while. Even if the anaesthesia will make us feel a bit sick. Despite all that, we still believe it is for our good. 

Hebrews contains these words: 

Hebrews 12:7-13 NIV 

[7] Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? [8] If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. [9] Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! [10] They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. [11] No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. [12] Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. [13] “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.12.7-13.NIV)

There is no doubt that the situations we go through in life are incredibly hard and painful, even devastating. There are some that we can look back on and, despite the pain, we can see that it was good for us. There are others that we simply cannot because we can’t see why we had to endure it. That’s normal. We are not God. We don’t have his perspective. 

The important thing is to believe that He is good, that He knows what He is doing, even if we did not. And, in the middle of the pain and the trial, to ask God what He would have us learn from this, how He would have us grow and mature. That way no tear is ever wasted and no pain is ever useless. 

If we have this perspective, we will endure, no matter how the world and the devil set out to destroy us. 

Conclusion 

James 1:12 NIV 

[12] Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.12.NIV)

I was watching a documentary about cruise ships when I saw something that surprised me. The documentary featured the largest cruise port in the world – Port Miami. As the cruise ship approached the port but was still out at sea, it took on a pilot.  

That surprised me because Port Miami is on an island with two very straight sides. The approach to the port seems to be easy. I couldn’t understand why cruise ship captains with decades of bridge experience, having sailed to this port at least once a week for years, could possibly need a pilot to guide them in. 

But then the commentator explained it, and it completely made sense. 

Port Miami had been expanded so it could support modern cruise ships, which are massive and can carry three to five thousand passengers on board or more. However, it didn’t just need newer and bigger terminals, it also needed to be deeper, as bigger ships have a deeper draft. So port workers dredged a deeper channel in the port to accommodate these larger ships. The problem is that the channel they dredged is very narrow. Cruise ship captains need help to find this channel and stay in it, especially in bad weather, because if they stray out of it, they will beach and get stuck. 

Why did I recount what seems like a relatively boring fact that is only useful for quiz nights? 

Simple. Often in life we find ourselves in situations that are deceptively simple. Life seems easy, almost serene. But it’s right then that we are in danger of making what can be a fatal mistake: acting as if we don’t need God as our pilot and going it alone. 

That is when we find ourselves stuck and in trouble and beaten by the storms of life. 

Here James spoke with authority – not just as Jesus’ younger half brother, but because he was suffering with them. He knew how it felt. He provided us with five key points that help us navigate through our storms and our trials: 

• Find joy in your situation. Find the light and follow it through the darkness until the darkness abates. What is that light? What is that joy? If nothing else, then it is the reality that you are depending on God and He is sustaining you. 

• Seek God’s wisdom to guide you through the trials. You need it more than ever. 

• Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Take pride in how God is drawing you closer to Himself in your trials than He could if everything was fine. Wear your scars like a badge of honour, not a cause for shame. 

• Realise that one day your trials will end, and that they are mercifully short. 

• Know the consequences of giving in to temptation, but that God is good, and so remain faithful to Him. 

Although this advice will help us through suffering, and those who find themselves under trial will be blessed, this is not a billboard for pain. James is not advertising it as a desirable lifestyle choice. To believe otherwise is absolute folly. 

However, trials, suffering and persecution can happen to any of us at any time. Like a seat belt in a car, or a life jacket in a ship, or the safety demonstration in a plane, these truths don’t make us want to suffer, but they protect us when we do. 

Suffering is somewhat inevitable for all of us. That isn’t being morbid, it’s just a statement of fact. But if we follow James’ advice, we needn’t fear it. 

Not when God is there to bring us through it. 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, thank You for these challenging truths that help me when I undergo trials, temptation, pain and suffering. Help me to heed them and recall them when I need them the most. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation

• What made James uniquely qualified to give this advice? 

• What were the five truths we need to endure trials? Did any of them seem unusual to you? Why? 

• What trials do you face right now? How can these truths help you?