James, the brother of Jesus, who ate and showered the same as Jesus, wrote a funny letter to us. Funny or not, everything James says demands our attention. Keep in mind, he lived in the same house as Jesus. Here we see him starting his letter with a few head-scratchers about positive problems. We dealt with that in a previous post but James takes it to another whole level. Indeed, he counsels that we should count it all joy when we fall into trials. Joy in trials? What could he be meaning? Better still, how many of us have ever thought to look for joy in trials?
But if you start looking for God and joy in your diverse trials, your life will be transformed. In a previous post, we said you have to belong to God for all problems to become positive. If you are still outside Jesus, who is the light of the world, your problems could be from satan and his dark world. In that case, all your problems will turn out negative, since he has nothing good to give.
If, on the other hand, you belong to God through Jesus, all your situations, even the problems, come from God, your father. And since He is a good God, those situations will always turn positive. If you missed that post, read it here. So, James is essentially writing to believers who have given their lives to Jesus and know that all their situations come from a loving God. That is the only way you can count it all joy when you fall into diverse trails. Remember, trials are hard and unpleasant but once they are from God, they bring joy at the end.
Count It All Joy Because It Builds Patience
James knew that every trial a believer experiences will help him to build patience. He also knew that without patience, nothing good could happen to a man or woman. At its core, suicide results from a lack of patience. Patience is how a college student finally graduates. It is the way a farmer can reap a harvest since the harvest does not come the day he plants. Patience is what helps a marriage (or any relationship) endure.
It is the reason a child of God will prevail over afflictions, which can be many in a believer’s life. A man or woman who lacks patience cannot hope to make it to Heaven against all the tricks of satan. Patience is the main reason James counsels us to count it all joy when trials of all sorts come to us. He discovered that once we have patience, we have a chance to become complete and perfect. Would you like to be perfect? Start embracing your trials. God did not send them to destroy you but to build your faith.
The other day, I heard that a lock that I had spent time, sweat, and money installing stopped working. It also meant my home was completely unprotected. As I went to bed that night, I remember thinking the situation was distressing. But God helped me to thank Him and to declare that He would use it to make my faith deeper. He proved himself and endorsed James’ counsel to count it all joy. Within a few hours of sleep, God told me in a dream where the solution lay. Within twelve hours, we had put the divine solution into action and the problem was gone.
You Can Lose Your Peace
I could have spent that entire night praying but with two sentences of prayer, I fell sound asleep. I did not lose my peace because I knew I belonged to the God who would turn the distress into peace. He did and also helped my faith in Him to grow deeper, just as I asked. What about you? Do you lose your peace every time something unplanned and unwanted happens? Do you declare a fast and a night vigil to deal with it? Would you lose your peace and start to wring your fingers?
James asks us to take the opposite tack. We must rejoice in trials because they will work patience, and patience will make us perfect. Would you be perfect in your walk with God? Perhaps you would like to be complete in your life. Learn patience and count it all joy when trials come your way. Trust me, your life will not remain the same.
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I suspect that when you count it all joy, you even confuse satan. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? To be able to confuse the enemy. Give it a try today and see the look on his face. Yes, James knew what he was talking about when he counseled believers to rejoice at trials. Retain your peace and start today. Then watch as your life is transformed. It is a guarantee from the word of God.
Maranatha!
