Can I have a different trial, please?
Have you ever prayed this way? I have. When I’m in the middle of a difficulty, it’s tempting to look at someone else’s situation. I know their life isn’t perfect, but their trials look more appealing than mine. I want to exchange my trial with the receipt the way I’d return an ill-fitting piece of clothing.
By the grace of God, that’s not how it works.
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
This is an oft-quoted verse to those experiencing suffering and trials. I memorized it in high school, and sometimes the eyes of my heart would roll. Could I really tell someone with cancer, a woman who lost a child, or a girl who had been abused, to count it all joy?
I’m thankful the Lord deepened my faith and understanding of these verses. I was a skeptic because I believed that joy is only attainable through good circumstances. This cannot be farther from the truth.
Joy Amid Suffering
Finding joy in the midst of a trial isn’t our natural inclination. James 1:2-4 commands us to count it all joy when we suffer, but it also gives us the reason for why we can count it all joy.
For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
James 1:3
Steadfastness is a steadiness, grit, and faithfulness that comes from weathering trials and suffering in a sin-broken world. What does steadfastness lead us to?
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:4
The end result of steadfastness is being made perfect, set apart and holy. God promises that one day our sanctification will be complete, and we will no longer be riddled by sin and brokenness. We will be like Jesus, but not before we join him in eternity. This is a sweet promise. God will finish the work he began in us (Phil. 1:6).
Genuine Faith
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-7
Peter tells us that because we are born again to a living hope (1 Peter 1:3), we rejoice, despite the grievous trials we face. God tells us that the end result of trials, genuine faith, is more precious than gold.
Later in James, we read that a man or woman without faith is like a wave on the sea, driven by the wind (James 1:6). A wave is dependent on outside forces to shape and drive it. Through trials and suffering, God develops faith and strength that aren’t dependent on things going on around us but are fixed on the solid and unchanging promises of God.
In the end, only God knows exactly how he is shaping us in our suffering and trials. Just because someone else’s trial ended when they reached a certain point or had a certain realization, doesn’t mean ours will. God loves us too much to leave us in sin and complacency. He works in every trial and triumph to fix our eyes on him, root out sin, and grow our faith.
Press On
Sister, if you are suffering or find yourself in a dark trial, I urge you to fight for joy. Not because of your circumstances, but because this specific, light, momentary trial is preparing you for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Cor. 4:17). God is working even when you can’t see it. He is refining and sanctifying you for your good and his glory. Trust your Creator.
He sees you. He loves you. He is with you.
*If someone is abusing or harming you, you don’t have to go on without help or a way out. Reach out to a godly friend or a pastor for support and counsel.
Kristi P. Powell 