Turning Trials Into Triumph
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
JAMES 1:2-12
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Times of trial can be turned into triumph!
Webster's dictionary defines happiness as "a state of well-being" and "a pleasurable satisfaction." Many people in our world today feel that happiness is a state of mind which they seldom experience. Pressures at home and on the job, personal problems—all blend together to rob the average person of true and lasting happiness.
The Bible tells us that for the child of God happiness can be a living reality. And more than that—the Christian can be triumphant during times of great trials.
There are three things to remember concerning trials:
1. Trials are the common experience of all of us. No one is immune. Trials are a part of living.
2. Trials are transitory. C. B. Williams translates 1 Peter 1:6 this way: "In such a hope keep on rejoicing, although for a little while you must be sorrow-stricken with various trials." Trials, though difficult, are "for a little while."
3. Trials are lessons that shouldn't be wasted. Though not enjoyable or necessarily good in themselves, trials constitute a divine work for our ultimate good. Jesus never promised an easy journey, but He did promise a safe landing. The poet asks,
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When each earthly prop gives under,
And life seems a restless sea,
Are you then a God-kept wonder,
Satisfied and calm and free?
Streams in the Desert
Shortly before the ascension into heaven, Jesus gave His disciples some great words of encouragement. "In the world," said Jesus, "ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33). Tribulation is followed by triumph. Crowns are formed in crucibles.
Even as the disciples of the first century, Christians today can be sure that they will experience times of trial and suffering. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that the Christian life is free from troubles.
But often when periods of testing overtake us, our natural reaction is to ask Why? Why is this happening to me? Unfortunately, if no immediate answer is found we become perplexed. Often these periods of difficulty immobilize us.
THE PURPOSE OF TRIALS
In the first chapter of his letter, the apostle James tells us that God has a purpose in the trials of life we experience. In fact, James shares an exciting secret. These periods of testing can be instruments for our advancement in spiritual growth.
Someone has said, "A Christian is like a teabag, he's not worth much until he's been through some hot water." What James is saying in chapter 1 of his epistle is this—pressure produces! Yes, God has a definite purpose in allowing times of difficulty.
Always remember, it is the fiery pressure of the furnace that produces the hardened steel. It takes the tremendous heat and pressure of the earth's elements to create the precious
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and costly diamond. It is the crushed flower that produces the perfume. Yes, my friend, pressure produces! There is a purpose in testing. There is a reason behind every trial.
A.B. Simpson wrote,
Out of the presses of pain
Cometh the soul's best wine;
The eyes that have shed no rain
Can shed but little shine.
Streams in the Desert
And because there is a purpose in trials, James prescribes an uncommon way of looking at the common problems of life. "Count it all joy," James says, "when ye fall into divers temptations" (Ja 1:2). The word divers that James uses could better be translated "various." Be joyful when you find yourself surrounded by various trials.
Notice that the apostle used the word when instead of if to indicate the time for joy, "when you fall into various trials" (italics added.) Times of turmoil and testing are just as much a part of our lives as they were of those first century Christians to whom James was writing. No one is excused from temptation. Competition in school, deadlines in the office, even our day-to-day experiences at home provide us with a multitude of testings. And James says we are to be happy when we find ourselves in the middle of difficulty.
That sounds like strange advice. The natural human reaction is to rejoice when we have escaped a particular problem. It is a normal response to run and shrink from the pressures that face us.
But it all depends on how you see the trouble that comes your way. James knew this. He knew that God does have a purpose for the problems that face each one of us.
I think of a young boy sailing a small sailboat. One day the string snapped and his boat was blown farther out on the
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water. An older boy picked up some stones and threw them at the boat. This really disturbed the little boy. But shortly he realized that each falling stone had a purpose. Each stone went beyond the last and drove the boat back to shore.
God has a purpose in our trials.
James recommended "thankful joy" rather than "dull resignation." James is not suggesting that we be silly optimists. No, he is recommending the normal attitude and action of the trusting person who is totally surrendered to Jesus Christ. "Count it all joy" is not the trite response of shallow superficiality, but the honest assessment of the trusting soul.
David wrote, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Ps 34:1). Praise was the pattern of David's life. And yet David faced pressure much greater than most of us will ever see. One of his sons, Adonijah, broke his heart. Another, Absalom, betrayed him. His oldest son, Amnon, committed adultery. Saul hounded him week after week, and yet this man after God's own heart, said, "Rejoice in the LORD, . . . for praise is comely" (Psalm 33:1). Trials are common to all—an attitude of praise is all too uncommon.
SOME PRODUCTS OF TRIALS
Why should we rejoice under pressure? Why does James say to be happy in the midst of trials? Because pressure produces! Produces what? James says that we are to rejoice with the assurance that the "trying of [our] faith worketh patience" (Ja. 1:3). Faith meets and bears the testing which pressure brings, and the end result is steadfastness. Pressure produces patience.
The book of James is often referred to as the "epistle of faith in action." I wonder, my friend, what is your faith like? James describes faith as the Christian's most precious possession—that which is to be strengthened and cultivated at
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any cost. It is the testing of our faith that produces patience.
Patience is a virtue that builds steadfastness. It was described by Philo as "the queen of the virtues." The testing of our faith is that which develops the Christian's staying power.
When James speaks of steadfastness he speaks of consistent living for Jesus Christ. The pressures and trials which God allows each one of us to experience are intended to make us less sporadic, less intermittent, and more dependable in our Christian lives.
The apostle Paul often compared the Christian life to the competition of the athletic arena. The child of God is in the race of life.
"I press toward the mark," said Paul, "for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14). To become an accomplished athlete one must have patience—patience that is willing to press forward and to bear pain, patience that will not give up when the game gets rough, patience that endures.
Paul urged the church at Rome to be "patient in tribulation" (Ro 12:12). Our patience is increased as we experience the trial of life. "The [testing] of your faith worketh patience," says James. And the reason for patience is found in the next verse: "that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (Ja 1:4b). The word perfect used here can be defined as "full grown." But how do we grow? James tells us that the pressures of life are God's instruments for our full maturity. We need patience so that we may be brought to full growth and maturity as Christians—that we may be complete. Besides patience, pressure produces completeness.
Williams translates the verse: "Let your endurance come to its perfect product so that you may be fully developed and perfectly equipped, without any defects." I'm convinced that there are too many defective Christians around today. Too many of us are incomplete and unable to do God's work because
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of impatience. The psalmist declared, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him" (Ps 37:7). Let us not rush God or His plan for our growth.
As we face the pressures and problems of life, let us seek not a passive patience, but rather a positive enthusiastic cooperation with God's purpose for our lives.
THE SOLUTION TO TRIALS
Yes, my friend, pressure produces patience and completeness. Not only is our patience increased, but James also suggests that pressure produces divine wisdom in the life of the believer. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God," says James.
Wisdom is the great deficiency of man, but unfortunately it often takes a severe problem in our lives before we realize that we need divine wisdom from above.
What is this wisdom to which James refers? In a single word, it is the matter of guidance—how to act as we pass through the trials of life. It is human and natural to rely upon our own wisdom and ability. But James says that when you find yourself in the middle of difficulty, when you lack guidance, you should ask of God. When you do not know where to turn, seek God's wisdom. God is the source of all wisdom.
But you ask How does God give us His wisdom? Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Yes, my friend, God will show you His will. God does have a plan for your life. And as you seek His wisdom He will direct your path.
Many people today are running here and there looking for the answers to their problems. In their ignorance they experiment with alcohol or drugs, they dabble in the occult. They look everywhere for wisdom except in the right place. Eve, in her desire to be wise, went to the tree of the knowledge
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of good and evil. She sought wisdom from the serpent. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God" (Ja 1:5). God is the source. When you are discouraged, when you're facing a decision, ask God. "Ask God" and the promise is, "it shall be given."
How does God give? He gives "to all men liberally, and upbraideth not" (Ja 1:5). The Greek word translated "liberally" literally means that God gives without conditions—without question as to whether we deserve His gift. The psalmist wrote, "Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over" (Ps 23:5). God is generous. The cross is the sign of addition.
I'm so glad that God does not give to us, His children, in the same way we give to one another. God has no ulterior motive. He does not question us or chide us. He has no idea of return. God gives to all, even as the apostle Paul said, "life, and breath, and all things" (Ac 17:25). He is the very sustainer of the universe. God has provision for our every need. "If any of you lack wisdom," said James, "let him ask of God."
As we find ourselves engulfed with the trials and testings of life we can rejoice. We can actually be happy that God is at work in our lives. We can be thankful for the patience and wisdom which He gives to us. But we must remember that without faith we will receive nothing. There is a condition attached to the offer of James 1:5—faith.
Faith is the necessary ingredient in all of life. We put money in the bank, and we have faith that it will be rightly used. We get into our automobile and drive down the highway, and we have faith that our brakes will bring us to a stop. We exercise our faith hundreds of times everyday. The Bible tells us that patience and wisdom are of tremendous importance, but "without faith it is impossible to please [God]" (Heb 11:6). It is faith that gives us God's power.
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When we are in despair, when we are surrounded by trouble we need to look up to God for wisdom, and hook up to God in faith. We must ask of God, but more important we must "ask in faith" (Ja 1:6). Faith is the link that binds our nothingness to His almightiness.
James says we are to "ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed" (Ja 1:6). Nothing wavering literally means "without doubting." When everything is going well for us it's easy to have faith without doubting God's Word. The true test comes when we are hit by pressure or pain. James says when you find yourself in the middle of adversity, "ask in faith" and God will meet your need.
Once while Jesus and His disciples were in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee a great storm came upon them. In Matthew 8 we read that the disciples went to Jesus, "and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And [Jesus] saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm" (Mt 8:25-26). The disciples had looked at Jesus who was securely sleeping. But then they looked at the treacherous waves, and their faith began to waver. They were, as the man James describes, "double-minded." They took their eyes off Jesus.
My friend, when the storms of life come down upon you, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. When the trials become more than you can bear, ask in faith. When everyone around you is sinking, look up and hook up—"ask in faith." Jesus alone can sustain you!
James says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (Ja 1:8). The child of God cannot be facing two ways at once. We either put our trust in God or we put our trust in ourselves. We must be anchored in the rock of salvation, or we will flounder on the rocks of despair.
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The great theologian, John Calvin, was weak and sickly and hounded by persecution; and yet he brilliantly guided thousands of believers during the Reformation. Suffering from rheumatism and migraine headaches, he continued to write profusely and preach powerfully, as well as govern the city of Geneva for twenty-five years. Said Calvin, "You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy."
Perhaps right now you are experiencing a deep trial, you are going through a time of testing.
James reminds us, "When you're tested in different ways, my fellow Christians, consider it a pure joy because you know the testing of your faith stirs up your power to endure" (Ja 1:2-3, Beck).
James says, Be patient, be joyful, and look up to God. We are to ask of God and to ask in faith. And remember that God is making you into the person He wants you to be.
Remember, FAITH plus TRIALS plus PATIENCE equals COMPLETENESS.
* "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (Ja 1:3).
* Pressure produces!
* As we face the pressures and problems of life, let us seek not a passive acquiescence but rather a positive enthusiastic cooperation with God's plan for our lives.
* God is generous. The cross is the sign of addition.
* Look up to God for wisdom and hook up to God in faith.
* When the storms of life come down upon you, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
Chapter Two || Table of Contents
