Never Waste A Trial - March 12

Read James 1:2-4

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.

Reflect

What lessons have you learned from difficulties in your life? How have they helped you?

What was your least favorite subject in school? Geology? Chemistry? Math? Many of us probably have vivid memories of struggling to understand these new and foreign concepts. If you have kids, you have likely heard their cries of frustration and their pleas to just give up.

Of course, as adults, we all know that we’re learning far more than rock names and geometric proofs in those classes. We’re learning to persevere through hardship. We’re learning the value of gritting our teeth, buckling down, and putting in the effort to learn these new skills. We’d lose out on many valuable lessons that would prepare us for life after school.

In today’s verse, Jesus’ half-brother James told believers to count all kinds of trials as joy because they test our faith and develop steadfastness in us. No, trials are not enjoyable! But they are beneficial to us. They have a purpose. Every hardship we face has the potential to grow our faith and strengthen our dependence on the Lord. The fact that our faith in Christ is maturing and developing should bring us immense joy, regardless of whether the trial is trivial or tragic. We don’t have to be glad that we are suffering but we should rejoice that God can use even the worst circumstances to draw us closer to Him and make us more like Him.

GotQuestions.org explained, “Trials are like training challenges for an athlete. They build physical endurance and stamina. The athlete looks forward to physical and mental challenges because of the benefits that follow. If we were to walk through life on easy street and never face hardship, our Christian character would remain untested and underdeveloped. Trails develop our spiritual muscles, giving us the stamina and endurance to stay the course.”

But sometimes, we waste the trials in our lives. Rather than drawing closer to God and patiently trusting Him to work it all out for His glory and our good, we grumble and complain. We get angry that He has allowed us to struggle and suffer. We fight against Him, we refuse to leave our comfort zones. We ask “Why me, Lord?” instead “What are you teaching me, Lord?”

The apostle Paul agreed with James when he said that we should rejoice during trials: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

It certainly isn’t easy to rejoice when we are in pain and going through hard times. But the reality is that we have to go through trials anyway. We don’t have a choice about that. We do get to choose how we respond to them and whether or not we’ll learn the lessons that God intends for us to learn. Plus, we have the Holy Spirit in us, our Helper. We don’t have to go through it alone. So, submit to Him, and never waste a trial.

Respond

Lord, I confess that I often respond in my flesh to hardships. Teach me how to yield to the Spirit. I want to learn how to count it all joy and rejoice in suffering because I want my faith and trust in You to grow. I want to become steadfast, like You. Amen.

Reveal

Counting it all joy when you go through trials is a powerful testimony to onlookers. Have you ever considered what your response to suffering reveals to those around you?