God at no point told us that when we took the step to follow him that a life in this world would be easy. However, that does not mean that we should not be cheerful and joyous in those hard times. This is exactly what James is telling the 12 tribes of Christian Jews that are spreading throughout the land to flee persecution. He is trying to encourage them in their current situation to have faith in God’s plan for them. We can learn the same thing from James for our current times. While not all of us are being persecuted in the same manner we all deal with trials and tribulations whether it be finances, relationships, ethics, or the pressure of society’s ideas of what are right or wrong being pressed upon us. That’s just listing a few. James shows us 4 areas to focus on when we are faced with trials and how we can use them for God’s glory.
Count it all joy
James tells us to count our trials and tribulations as pure joy, that this is when our faith is tested and we can show perseverance in waiting on what God has for us. My daughter is fifteen and we have conversations about waiting for God’s best in relationships and that if you are too eager to find “someone” and not “the one” it can cause you to miss the true blessing God had for you through the perseverance of waiting. Not to mention you eliminate the heartache and frustration that can come from the “wrong one”. This can be said for someone in the process of a job search as well. When we follow our own desires and don’t show faith in God through our perseverance we don’t receive the full blessing that God has for us.
Seek Knowledge
In these times we are to seek God for knowledge through prayer and reading of the word. I know I have been just as guilty as others of praying for understanding in a situation and then not really spend the time I need to in the word. So what happens? Nothing, you are stuck in the same place with no understanding. If we don’t ask and seek the answer we will come up empty handed in most cases. God wants to direct our steps all we have to do is listen to his direction and we do that through building our relationship with him through seeking him daily in prayer and reading.
Take Pride in the Position
My favorite verse in this section would have to be
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.
This can speak volumes to your soul when trials are set in front of you. I will not say that it is easy to be joyful or to consider yourself in a high position when times are tough, but as we deepen our own personal relationship with the Lord it becomes easier to have the faith needed. What are humble circumstances? They can be different things, being overlooked for a promotion, struggling to keep food on the table, the loss of a job, washing clothes or dishes by hand because the washer has been broke for the last 6 months and you can’t afford to fix or replace it. These are just some of the ways that we are “humbled”, to be humble is to be placed in lower circumstances, or of low degree. How do you take pride in being of low degree? Easy, you focus on what God has coming for you. If you are constantly dwelling on your circumstances you begin to doubt your ability, question your decisions and often ask why this is happening. We already know that these trials will help shape our character and relationship with God. All we need is faith in Him.
We must also remember the opposite as well, that in riches that we are no more than those that are of low-degree. The word rich here is not just a reference to a monetary richness, but His abundance that comes from receiving His provisions. This can be in things as much as in the form of money. We are reminded that even with those provisions we are still of the same degree as those without the abundance.
Stand Against Temptation
When we show perseverance through our trials we have stood to the test that has been placed in front of us. Our reward is not seen here, as it is a crown in heaven. We may receive our own blessing in one way or another in a worldly fashion, but the real reward comes in heaven.
I often hear people as well as myself on occasion make the mistake of saying why is God doing this to me? We often put ourselves in the position to have to deal with trials. Don’t get me wrong we face things that we did not directly cause, illness or the death of a loved one are not things that we often have a direct impact on. We are often easily tempted by our own selfish desires and when we allow ourselves to give into them our own sinful nature causes our trials. This doesn’t mean I or you went out seeking sin, but we can all be tempted by something that we struggle with. For an alcoholic it’s a drink, for the rich it’s money, but we can even be tempted by our own tongue to repeat something that was told to us. We all have things that tempt us, it’s a matter of building a relationship with God and following in His ways that allows us to be better equipped when we are confronted with temptation.
God is never changing. He gave us life so that we would give him our first fruits. It is our job as followers to ensure that this is what we are doing. That we are giving our all to Him and his plan for us. Through our trials and tribulations we have the perfect opportunity to shine bright for Him.