Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. – James 1:2-4
Three quick observations about trials…
- It’s not “if” but “when” trials come into our lives. It’s a certainty that we will face them. It should not surprise us. We know they are coming in various formats, durations, intensities and frequencies no matter how hard we try to insulate our lives from them. Hardships are a normal part of the Christian life in this broken world. So, how are we to respond to their arrival and presence?
- Christians should count the various trials in our lives as joy. Not as defeat. Not as pleasant. Not as punishment. Not as meaningless. Not as insignificant. Not as a reason to complain. Not as a lack of God’s care. Trials can be many things, but they cannot be joy-stealers unless we let them. We are to consider it all joy when they come, and we do this by considering how God is at work for good in and through our hardships…
- Trials produce an unshakeable faith in Jesus. They are a means to an end. God uses trials in our lives to grow, enrich, solidify, purify and mature our faith as we trust in, and rely on, the steadfast presence of Jesus to preserve us until the end. In order for us to count our present hardships as joy, we must think about our future. Our faith muscle becoming stronger. Our deliverance becoming sooner. Our witness becoming louder. Our homecoming becoming sweeter. Yes, you have hardships; but you also have hope.
Take heart! While it may feel like trials are breaking you today, you can be sure that God is building you up through them in ways that are going to be amazingly good in the days to come.
